Book Two – Chapter Three – Part Two – Sewers and a Duel

“Servi, I think it's dead." Momo's voice came from behind Servi. She still had her sword out as she remembered one of the first things her friend had taught her. “But I know monsters like to play dead. It’s like their last choice, and it’s risky to ignore them. Always make sure to confirm the kill.” Even though she had 100% confirmation that the rat was dead, Servi smiled, knowing Momo took that lesson to heart.

Almost every time the two came down here, Servi would mention that. After hearing it well over fifteen times, it was good advice that found a home deep inside Momo’s mind.

“Can you use Magic Missile again? It was acting kinda strange, and I’ve never seen a red one before,” asked Servi. Her shield was at the ready in case anything happens. When it came to life and death situations involving her, she wouldn’t have to worry about confirming the kill because she would see her foe's soul leave their body. But since Servi couldn't just say she saw the rat's soul, she had to play it safe.

From what Servi noticed, Momo had a pretty large reservoir of Skill Energy. From the name, one could guess that to use skills, they would need to expend Skill Energy from their Skill Energy Reservoir to use skills. At first, she would get tired and sweaty after a few skills, but now she could fire off at least ten or eleven Magic Missiles back to back before she felt winded. It was like her capacity grew along with her stamina. Maybe the two were linked? For Servi, who took the Skill Energy Reservoir from all those she killed and combined them into one immeasurable pool, she had never once felt the lethargy that came with expending all of her Skill Energy.

“Alright.” Momo began chanting and held her palm out in front of her. Her deep blue eyes, which had grown from the month of adventuring, were linked directly with the potential corpse of the unique red rat.

“Magic Missile!” A colorless non-elemental arrow formed in front of her palm and launched out. She aimed at the head of her target and was rewarded by a fleshy and squishy sound that painted the cement walls even redder.

“It’s dead," Momo announced. She took a rag from her bag and wiped her blade clean before sheathing it. Momo’s bag originally belonged to her grandpa, a strong adventurer, and it was enchanted with a Dimensional Storage skill. It could store far more items than its average size led to believe. She put the bloody rag back in, knowing that it wouldn’t get anything else dirty because each item was stored separately from each other, and retrieved a small carving knife she bought a week or so ago.

Servi held her shield up in case more enemies were waiting to attack, and Momo got to work skinning and declawing the rat. By taking these items to the cash building, a nickname for a business that buys monster materials, they could make extra money. As they found out a month ago, they would get much richer by selling pelts and claws, but they would miss what Warden was all about: helping others in need.

“It’s done,” Momo groaned. Servi turned to look at her. A red pelt laid on the ground, and sixteen claws were on top of that.

“You’re getting much better,” complemented Servi, and Momo smiled.

“What can I say? I’ve had a month of practice. I shook the pelt when I cut it off, so it shouldn’t have that much blood inside it. We shouldn't get fined.”

The fine Momo referred to had to deal with the cash building. For pelts, claws, and paws that were carved from a deceased monster, the cash building required them to be free of any and all blood. If they weren't, then there was a fine that varied from a few to hundreds of dupla. The fee depended on the item itself, as well as the quantity of blood.

Servi walked over and picked it up. The fur on the pelt was coarse and rough, and tiny droplets of blood made a splatter as it left the ground.

“You don’t remember seeing a red rat down here before, do ya?”

Momo shook her head. “They’re usually black, brown, or grey. Oh, wouldn’t it be super cool if it’s super rare?!”

“It would be super cool. And hell, it might be.”

Putting her hands out, Servi handed the pelt back to Momo, who shook it for a few more seconds. Due to Momo's improved skinning skill, little blood remained on the scarlet fur. Momo had managed to dress the wounds ever-so-slightly that they didn’t immediately stick out. Although it wasn’t in perfect shape, it was by far in the best condition it could’ve been considering Servi’s restrictive skill set and Momo’s abilities.

Momo stored the pelt and sixteen claws in her bag before going back to Servi.

“Good job. Now, let’s see if we can get a few more.”

“Okay. I’m right behind you,” said the Singi with the bag over her shoulder.

The two continued their journey and soon came upon another rat. It was black, the most common kind, and Servi took the same stance as she did when she fought against the red one. But the events played out a little differently. Using Decoy, she walked to the rat with her shield out. Turning around, it didn’t do as much as snarl or growl. In fact, it looked scared. Shivering and shaking, the spooked rat began to retreat until its diseased-ridden tail glanced against the wall. Once it did, it charged forward like lightning. A desperate final attempt to kill the person, no, being in front of her. The rat felt deep inside that it couldn't kill the monster-shaped Human in front of her. The monster in a human shell braced herself and deflected the charging beast. Her evil shield made square contact with the rat’s face, and the impact made it go limp.

Walking out of the way, a Magic Missile came from her trusted partner. She knew that Momo was watching for the perfect moment, and she knew that after the first attack or block, to move out of the way. She knew that Momo would be there to take advantage of that small opening between attacks.

A month of adventuring together had created a sort of link between the two. It was trust, and it couldn’t be bought, only earned.

The moment it hit, fleshy gold exploded from the rat’s flank, and Servi took the opportunity to slash her sword down. Like a knife through butter, her dulled edge blade swiftly cut through the neck and cervical vertebrae. There was no use in making sure this one was dead. Its head had been entirely separated from its body.

Again, Servi owed her expert skill to Soul Essence of Primal Combat.

“Nice work!” said Momo as she jogged up to Servi and the corpse. She immediately crouched down and started to skin it. A few days ago, Servi had asked her why she was always the one who skinned it, and Momo replied she needed the practice. Servi didn't see anything wrong with that and said she would stand guard.

It was a good thing she was at the ready. Hearing a noise, Itarr alerted her that something was rushing in from the river.

Something's coming from the water... Be prepared!

Servi immediately ran to Momo and stood in front. The rat and Momo were a few short steps from the rushing river. Momo knew that something was up. She immediately rushed back, against the wall, and used Lurk. Usually, she would wait and analyze, but something told her she didn’t have the time. The rat was only half-skinned.

Dangerous was the only way to describe it as it leaped from the water. A long back tail shook violently, spraying filthy sewage water everywhere. Four thick and powerful legs, grown strong by the vast amount of fighting it had done, supported its heavy body. A big mouth opened up, revealing scores and scores of razor-sharp and disease-infected teeth. It was a crocodile in many ways but one.

Size.

Standing well over five meters long, this beast was undoubtedly the king of the sewers, a monster that Arty had warned them about a month ago when he was still pleasant.

“Black Croc?!” exclaimed Momo. Her body was shaking, and her teeth chattered against each other. After hearing about the Black Croc for the first time, Servi and Momo asked Claire about it. The Elf told them that yes, she should’ve warned them about it and said she was sorry she didn't. Servi was a bit upset that she didn’t mention something so important, but she didn’t let it show.

“The Black Croc is something like the King of the Sewers, but it’s not very neighborly. It actually kills an overabundance of rats, roaches, and bats, and it never leaves the deepest part.  We don’t really have a reason to get rid of it. Of course, that isn’t to say we’re protecting it. It’s just we’re not actively putting up quests to kill it. If it dies, it dies. No harm, no foul,” Claire explained.

Black Croc, the king, stood in front of them. But that wasn't all.

Servi, I’m not getting anything from Soul Essence of Primal Combat.

The beast looked at the shaking Singi and decided that she would be dessert. The infernal adventurers of Warden had been far too numerous in recent months. Killing all of his prey was an unexpected consequence. The hunger he experienced hurt his body, something that had never happened before, and he was forced to venture out from his lair at a much greater distance than ever before.

The monstrous beast moved forward and raised a claw at the girl holding a shield.

Fuck, I don’t see anything! Is it because I don’t have enough souls? Have none of them ever fought against anything even remotely like this thing?!

For the first time in a long time, Servi had to rely on her own skill. She couldn't depend on Soul Essence of Primal Combat to fight for her.

Even though the afterimages never showed up, she still had the experience carved into her soul by the skill, and that was good enough. Raising her arm, she deftly blocked the swipe. Her entire body shook. Black Croc was nothing like rats and roaches, and there was a lot of power behind that single swipe. But she still held her ground and jumped back when she had a chance.

Black Croc followed her and unleashed a fury of swipes before launching at her with its mouth wide-open. She jumped back again and raised her sword. Black Croc took this as a threat and backed off. Watching prey with a cautious eye was the best way to survive.

Even from taking the swipes from such a heavy beast, Servi’s shield was spotless.  Only the filthy soiled water that splashed about when Black Croc leaped from the river stained her ominous shield.

Dammit, if only I didn’t have to hide my skills! Servi thought, but that was a mistake. A scattered mind was often a death sentence in battle.

Black Croc raced forward and immediately stopped before rushing back. Its face contorted into a savage grin. It was playing with its food. Making them feel the fear his prey used to be subjected to before their life was extinguished by his powerful bite was one of its favorite pastimes.

“Momo!” barked the upset girl.

“I-I-I’m right here!” she barked back. Her palm was held out in preparation for a skill, and her sword in her spare hand.

“Cover your ears, and close your eyes! Be ready to run! I don’t think we’re ready for this thing just yet!”

Of course, Momo was disappointed, but she valued her and her friend’s life even more than the satisfaction of killing such a beast. That's why she didn’t put up a fight, and she did what her friend told her. She knew what was coming.

“Oh, the Light above who slumber in a place further our universe. I pray to you. Grant us your power of Lucem!” chanting the incantation to cover her ability to use skills by thinking, Servi used Lucem, and due to her Absorption skill, it was much stronger than a regular person's Lucem. Momo had her eyes closed, so there was no chance of her realizing the difference in strength.

Spending all of its time in a dark and damp sewer, Black Croc violently shook around. Such a sudden blast of light was far too much for it. Even the pure black sewer sludge that couldn’t even be called liquid lit up, and it was almost possible to see through it. Even Servi's eyes got a bit fried by the explosion of light.

“Oh, the Lightning above who slumber in a place further our universe. I pray to you. Grant us your power of Thunder Snap!” Servi rushed forward, something Black Croc wasn’t expecting, and thus, it didn’t know how to react and snapped her fingers next to its right ear. It couldn’t see her, but it heard the incoming footsteps before hearing nothing at all. Black Croc should’ve run away the moment Servi used Lucem, but it panicked. It had lived a life of solitude for many years, and very rarely did it ever encounter an adventurer. An earsplittingly sharp noise that sounded like the air cracked into two sounded out, and Servi went deaf for a few brief moments before True Immortality kicked in. If she suffered from that, then she knew the monster had it worse than her.

The beast howled out and thrashed even more than before it somehow found its way back to the rushing river. It was awe-inspiring, in a way. Such a ferocious creature being bested by two Rank ten skills was funny in its own right, but the fact that it had to come out of hiding as a direct consequence of Servi's actions was ironic.

“I’m gonna have to come back tonight to kill it. I hate this town, but I’ll be damned if I allow this thing to roam free and potentially kill a kid who’s trying to get some experience,” she said quietly to herself as she grabbed Momo’s shoulder. Feeling the touch of her friend, she opened her eyes and removed her hands from her cat ears. She was about to run but stopped when Servi shook her head.

“Where did it go? Did it hurt you? Are you okay? Do you need a potion?” she panicked as she pulled out a small red vial. Her pink tail was barely swaying, proof she was scared and frightened. The red liquid shook against the glass and violently splattered against the cork keeping the vial shut.

“I’m fine. That thing ran away and went back in the water. The sudden light and noise must’ve scared it away.”

“Thank goodness you’re okay. I was scared… I completely forgot that thing was down here.”

“Me too. Even if I didn’t look like it. I’m glad it didn’t turn into a fight.”

“What do we do now?” Momo asked. They had been here for a bit over forty or so minutes, and the sun was beginning to set.

“I say we leave. It's too dangerous with that thing being so close by. I know we only got the one rat, but there’s always a chance the red pelt is rare,” Servi said, trying to reassure her friend. Leaving without any injuries was the best thing Servi could ask for. As long as Servi and Momo breathed air, they could always make money another time.

“Alright. I’ll keep my sword out just in case.”

Servi drew her sword from her shield and took a stance. Ignoring the half-finished skinned rat, the two made their way back to the little sewer base without much trouble at all. They didn’t encounter any rats or roaches. That was probably because of Black Croc’s presence.

They reached the tunnel that went from the sewers themselves to the base and stopped to take a breather. They’d been half-rushing and half-walking the entire time, and for Momo, that was a bit much.

“Sorry….but I gotta…..take a break…….” her face was wet and slick with sweat. The hot summer sun beaming down made the sewers that more brutal. Hot air mixed with stinky smells from the river of waste produced an obnoxious aroma of filth. Honestly, if the two friends weren’t used to the smells, Momo would’ve probably thrown up like she did on the first day.

She took a cloth and wiped her face. The sweat on her cutely shaped chin was sucked to the white rag as she squeezed it.

“Okay. I’m good to go. Sorry about that.”

“It’s all good,” replied Servi. She held out a hand, and Momo took it, using it to pull herself to her feet. After thanking her friend, the two walked through the tunnel and knocked on the sewer base's door before opening it. Apparently, it was customary to hit it a few times before opening it, something they didn’t do the first few times until someone told them about it.

Of course, the very first thing they saw was Arty and his dumb-looking face. He was standing next to one of the stalls when he turned to look at the two people entering the base.

With a smug look, he instinctively began to nag the two. “Hey, the murders are—”

“Just shut up for one damn minute! And I thought you said you’d stop doing that? Or was that a hopeful dream?” Servi's red eyes twitched as she exploded with anger.

Red rage flashed on his face. “You can’t talk—"

“Be quiet, please. We just had a run-in with Black Croc,” Momo said, exasperated. While she usually wouldn’t say anything as mean as that, her filter disappeared in certain stressful situations. Like when her best friend was crying. There was also that one time where she directly told Arty to shut up. That was right after she woke up after being attacked by the boy in rusty armor.

“Are you sure?!” the guard with the mop, Leeroy-- Servi thought that was his name-- spoke up. His shock caused him to let go of his cleaning utensil, and the wooden handle echoed around the now quiet room when it slammed against the floor. Dirt from the handle moved to corrupt the tile once again.

“Long and black and many, many sharp teeth. It looked like a crocodile, but way bigger,” Servi said to him. He wasn’t that bad, and while she hadn't had that many interactions with him, she thought he was a decent man.

“How did you escaped. Oh, let me guess, You push—”

“Say one more word, and I won’t wait for the tournament to knock you on your ass. I’m serious this time.” Servi put her hand on the hilt of her sword, and Arty backed up. Fear definitely plastered across his face.

“Look, ignore that jackass. How did you escape?” asked a stall owner with black hair and dark red scales. He was a Koena, but he with such an odd color scheme.

“I used Lucem and Thunder Snap. It got scared or something and went back in the water.”

“Wait, water?! You’re telling me it was swimming in that filth?!” replied Leeroy.

“Yeah.”

“But hold on, how did Lucem and Thunder Snap allow you to escape?” Arty muttered after he regained his composure. Servi scoffed at him and spoke directly to Leeroy.

“The bright light and noise must’ve frightened it enough.”

“Impossible. It can’t even get that bright.”

“It did. And it happened. Servi used her skills, and the thing ran away. Believe us or not,” Momo said, backing up Servi.

“And what? You two ran away like cowar—”

“Dammit, Arty, shut the hell up! You wanna go fight that thing? Then go,” Servi exclaimed. “Actually, you know what? Fight me.  Fight me right here and right now. Consider it a practice match or whatever, but I’m getting tired of you!”

Again, it was like a switch. One moment Servi was fine, and another moment, her anger flared alive.

Servi drew her sword from the shield and held it by her side. She stared straight daggers at Arty, who somehow found the courage to point his spear right back at her. His dusty and dirty metal armor slightly shifted. It was just a little bit too big for him, but not much. He had on a helmet that covered the sides of his face, but not the front. Green eyes and a little bit of brown hair stared at Servi.

“What?!”

“Ohhh, man! I’ve been waiting for these two to go at it!”

“I got 12 dupla on the girl!!”

“Bro, look at the shield! There’s no way she could lose!”

“The spear, man! It’s all about the spear. If you can reach them before they can reach you, it’s over. You’ve won.”

That and other voices of excitement started to echo around the small space. Though not that many people were there, around 11 or 12, they were awfully excited. For a few weeks now, they've witnessed two people who've been at each other's throats, and now they were finally going to fight.

“Servi…?” Momo looked at her friend’s back.

“Sorry, Momo, but I held it in for a month. He’s not gonna shut up until I make him. Can you forgive me?” she turned around and flashed a smile to the one Singi she cared about. A month of being together and adventuring, covering each other’s backs, made the bond of trust grow between them. Unfortunately, trust itself is different from friendship.

It’s possible to trust someone who is hated like it’s possible to not trust someone who is loved. While Servi trusted Momo and wanted to be best friends with her, it all amounted to nothing if the girl in question didn’t feel the same way.

But she did.

Momo trusted Servi above everyone else but her grandpa.  And she also considered Servi to be her best friend, but she didn’t know if the strong and tough girl, with hair as black at the night and eyes as fierce as fire, felt the same way.

But she did.

If only the two would sit down and talk about it, then they wouldn’t have to worry about all of this. But Servi was scared that Momo would reject the friendship if it got any closer, and Momo expected the same. For an outside viewer, who had an omniscient view of the two, it would be crystal clear and maybe even downright infuriating. But it wasn’t transparent to the two in question. And that was what mattered the most. The two cared deeply about each other, but nothing would come from it until the two themselves gathered the courage to take the next step.

“Servi, there isn’t anything to forgive,” Momo smiled, and that put Servi’s heart at ease. “I honestly don’t know how much longer I could hold it in, either. You’re gonna win, right?”

“Of course I am!” Servi slammed the blade of her sword into her shield to make some noise.

She turned to see Arty, who had the butt of his spear in the ground. The head of it was straight up, and the torches that illuminated the room reflected off of it. Leeroy, the one with the mop, whispered in Arty’s ears. She didn’t know what they were saying.

The area that they unintentionally chose was the middle of the room. The few Rank 10s that weren’t employed stood far back behind the stalls. The nurses were on standby with bandages and other inexpensive healing items that could be easily replaced. Since it was a practice spar, the chances of a consequential injury weren't that high.

“Listen up!” Leeroy began speaking in a loud tone. "This is a non-lethal sparring match. Do not fight with the intention to kill or maim your opponent. After a solid hit or when first blood is drawn, I will give one person a point. First to three points win. If I believe that someone acted intending to seriously harm their opponent, the round will go to their opponent. Do the two of you understand the rules?”

“Got it!” Arty flourished his spear before pointing it directly at Servi.

“Yep!” Servi responded in kind by pointing her sword at Arty.

Shall I do nothing?

Servi nodded.

Very well. I wish you the best of luck.

“And…… GOOO!!!!!” Leeroy shouted. He immediately stepped back to allow the two duelers the space to fight it out.