Interconnected: Spliced Souls

“Eh?! Don't you know how dangerous it is to knock at someone's door in the middle of the night?! Especially in this shit hole?" 

“Really? I thought it would be fine. I just came by to see if you need help or something. I kinda fucked things over last time, right? With the whole–”  

“Yeah, yeah. Alright, come on in. Well, hurry up. Ain't got all night.”  

After leaving Nimyra's, I walked directly to Cassidy's apothecary shop. The streets were just as dirty and filthy as I remembered. I didn't pass by that many people, though. Some children were watching me from behind corners and under piles of garbage, but they remained at a safe distance. if I had any candy, I'd given it to them, but I didn't.   

I didn't expect Cassidy to almost outright berate me. She pulled me into her nearly falling apart house and walked me to the room past behind the curtains. The operating table and waiting room were empty. The old, cranky woman showed me her medicine cabinet and stockpile, and the supplies were even lower than last time.   

“It's not like I had much to begin with, but I had a lot of patients today. And most of them are hopped up on those monotonia thingies. Can't for the life me understand them.”  

“Monotonia? What's that?”  

“Ain't from around here?” She looked at me oddly. I shook my head. “There are these pills, you see. A red one, a white one, and a pink one. The red makes you angry, almost like you can destroy the world. The pink makes you horny enough to hump a pile of garbage, and the white one is a neutral base made to make the other two. If you take it, you become addicted without any side effects.”  

“Sounds nasty.”  

“You're goddamn right they are, but it's not the medicine's fault. Any medicine can become poison if you use too much of it. I used the white one as a base to make that shot I gave Lucy. It heightens the senses, dulls the pain, and provides a big boost of energy. But it's even more addictive than taking the monotonia by itself.” Cassidy then told me how Lucy would bring her tired, wounded body to her place and ask for help. The apothecary offered her assistance and brought up the new drug, phrine, she was developing. She had tested it out on rats, and after telling Lucy of the effects, the Goatkin asked to have it used on her since she thought it would take away the pain.   

And it worked… It worked very well.   

But Lucy… Almost became drunk by it. She would take on that fat man’s job– the one that beat her senseless– and immediately come to get a hit. When Nimyra found out, she ordered Cassidy to stop because she didn't like how it forced Lucy to push her body past its natural limits, which caused a rift to form between Lucy and Nimyra. She wanted her to stop taking that fucker as a client and find other ways to make money, but if Cassidy was right, Lucy was almost forcefully adamant she needed a lot of money in very little time.  

That night, when I came across her, she and Nimyra had argued earlier that day. The Goatkin ran off to meet her scheduled appointment, ignoring Nimyra's warning, and then I fucked it all up. 

If we had a name, we could kill him? Servi? 

“Yeah, we could. Hey, what's that guy's name? Where can I find–”  

“Don't even start. No one will tell you because no one wants to tell you. There's no point in causing any drama. We should be lucky he hasn't decided to raze my shop to the ground after three of his men died. Suppose I can't fault you for that. But push that out of your mind. If you want to help me, fetch me some herbs. I need some fresh towels and rags. And some sheets for the table. Don't know how much you can get me, but bring back something.”  

“Got it, I guess. Uhh… I'll be back in a bit?”  

“Yeah yeah. Sure. Ain't expecting much. You can fight, but I don't know if you're up for stealing.”  

“Is that what you want me to do?”  

“It doesn't matter, but I doubt you can afford what I need without resorting to it. Just don't do anything stupid and get locked up in the prison.” Cassidy sighed and walked to her operating table. There was dried blood, and she used a dull knife to scrape it away.   

I left and figured I could find what I needed in the casual district. Stealing didn't bother me much, but if I could leave some money behind, that would be great. Walking up the ramp separating the haves from the haves-not, I decided to throw a little wave towards my current home for no reason.   

But traveling through Canary after dark differed from trekking throughout the day. You didn't see many people out, and the ones you did were probably heading to a bar or something to blow off steam.   

At least that's how it is…I think? Is it the same here? Why does it all feel different? 

And since I didn't know where an herb shop was, I probably looked more like a lost tourist or something. My aimless walking led me to a part of the casual district belonging to blacksmiths and armorers. About half of the shops had forges and anvils sitting out front under a canopy-like thing, which was locked by tall gates and covered with barbed wire. A few had leather racks for treating the hide of animals you killed.   

It would be child's play to break in, but that wasn't why I was here. I was curious about what was inside these shops, though. But I kept my curiosity at bay and continued. Eventually, I went to the guild and asked someone working there.   

The solution was right there. Itarr wondered why she didn't think of doing something so simple. The helpful elderly man behind the desk was nice enough to refer me to a medicinal herb shop about twenty minutes away.   

I left the guild and turned right, enjoying this nightly slice of my life.  

Itarr and I chatted about the little task I wanted her to accomplish. She asked for more details, and I was surprised at how clearly they came to me because I didn't even know if it was real. I didn't have any basis for whether or not it was possible, especially since it seemed like she had total control over that Skill Tablet. If it came from the gods and goddesses, could she change its appearance? If so, what else could she do with it? 

Servi, that seems to be our destination.  

“Yep. Looks like it,” I replied, looking at a shop. A sign of a flower dangled from a pair of hinges above the door. There was a window on the front of the door, so I could see in, and I saw a bunch of herb-y looking plants resting on the counter and shelves.  

Are we stealing them? 

“I wouldn't feel bad if we had the money to leave… Hey, I wonder if… Okay, hear me out. We could head back to the slums. If trouble finds us, we could get lucky and find some cash. Or maybe something worth leaving behind? If nothing else, I'll return and leave a note saying I desperately needed these supplies.” 

That sounds acceptable to me, but will that work? I believe I have an alternate solution to our problem.  

“What's that?” 

Could we not use [Blood Crystal Crafting] and leave that behind? From what I gathered from listening to the others around it, it will look like a ruby, correct? Am I wrong in my thinking? 

“No, you aren't… But people will know right away that it isn't one. And there isn't a guarantee of us finding something else to leave behind. There's that red dagger, but it seems kinda unique. Okay, blood crystal it is.” After silently invoking the skill, I used the glass dagger to spread my blood, then used it to form another cube about an inch big. But instead of the knife vanishing, I actually used it to whittle away at the cube until it looked…almost like a flat, tabular, hexagonal shape. When I thought of a ruby, this shape was what I pictured in my head.  

Itarr asked what I wanted to name this. When you crafted the first crystal when we met, a name appeared in your Skill Tablet. I can rename it to make it easier to categorize.  

“Ah, just name it ‘Gift for Herbs.’ Oh, and can you name the first one ‘[Lock-On] Prototype?’” 

It is done. I have created a room in the tower within our spliced soul to function as a reserve for any more crystals you'll make in the future.  

“Thanks for that,” I said, speaking my gratitude. I didn't imbue the gift with a skill because I didn't quite understand it, but it was time to act. Approaching the door, I stashed it in my ring, absorbed what looked useful, dropped the gift on the counter, and left after putting the door back. I had to be quick and only tested the door twice to ensure it worked properly. 

That took care of one-half of Cassidy’s request. I still needed to get some clean cloths and towels, and I found a shop specializing in linens. After repeating what I did, but with a ruby cross, I took what I thought was an appropriate amount and checked the door once more.   

Yep. It was locked and secured, almost as if I was never here. It did feel bad robbing people who hadn't done anything wrong, but I really hoped what I left could be sold to recuperate any lost revenue.   

If not, I'd return after getting paid to right my sins. 

Of course, if the owners of the two shops were horrible people who deserved death, I was of the right mind to take everything they had and leave them dupla-less and destitute.   

Just like those two armored fuckers who tortured those kids and killed me. Once I found them…  

I would make them pay.   

But revenge was for the future. I didn't know where to begin to hunt for those pieces of shit. Suppose I could get myself arrested. It wasn't like any lock could hold me. Or even a gate, for that matter.   

But again, now wasn't the time to think about those things. I just needed to return to Cassidy's and give her the stuff.   

---

“Heeey! Are you here?” I asked loudly, rapping my knuckles against her door. A guard approached and interrogated me on my return trip, but they let me go after I said I was lost and trying to find the guild. A small lie, but it was harmless.   

“What? Back already?” Cassidy seemed annoyed when she opened the door.   

“Come on, let me in.”  

“Fine. Here, hurry up. I had to refuse four patients because I didn't have anything. And you're barehanded. What you can pack in those pockets won't be enough.”   

“You say that, but you'll be singing a different tune in a second,” I replied, following her through the empty ‘waiting room’ and into her operating room. We went to the table, where she crossed her arms and tapped a foot. “Hey, can you put what we took on the table?” 

Yes, give me a moment.  

“Eh? Why’re you asking– What the hell?!” Cassidy changed her tune and exclaimed in delightful surprise at the supplies I acquired.   

“I didn't know what to get, but look. You got herbs, towels, cloths, and some other stuff. Can you use this?”  

“Ye– Yes! That's a shadow stalker… And that's a vermillion concord… They're used to make pain relievers and fever reducers… What the hell did you–”  

“Stole them. Didn't want to, but I’m broke as a joke.”  

“But how?! They just appeared from nothing! Unless… [Dimensional Storage]?·  

“Sure,” I shrugged. “Let's just go with that.”  

“Shit… Okay, I'm sorry for my earlier treatment. I just thought you were a starry-eyed doe who didn't know better. Clearly, I should've known better since you killed Simone and the others. But don't tell me. I don't want to get involved in that.”  

“Eh, it's water under the bridge. Do you need help in putting these away?”  

“I'll be fine. You've done more than enough.”  

“Alright. In that case, I guess I'll be back or something. Gonna go walk around and take in the sights.” I went to turn around, but Cassidy grabbed me by the shoulder with her wrinkled hand.   

“‘Take in the sights?’ Girl, have you lost your mind because I'll help you find it. The quickest way to die is to be an attractive woman walking around this shit hole.”  

“That would be a problem if it was, but it isn't,” I replied. “I'll be fine. I got you your supplies, right?”  

“But stealing is different from this. You could walk around a corner and find two bastards at your throat with a knife. And you don't want to know what they'll do to you.”  

“I know my way around a fight.”  

“And that's something I've heard a thousand times before. The world is full of overconfident, brash girls who think the world is their oyster. They think life is ripe for the picking, but that ends with them lying face first in a pile of mud with semen leaking from their ass. They forget one little thing. They're mortal-- just like everyone else.” 

But I'm not mortal.  

“...” 

“I've been in this business a long time. I've had countless patients die on the table because they had this bright look in their eyes. Almost like death was something they thought wouldn't happen to them.”  

“...”  

“Just… don't do anything stupid and get killed. If you kick the bucket, how am I going to get any more supplies?”  

“Is that all I'm good for? Stealing herbs?” I chuckled.   

“It's better than being good for nothing if you die.”  

“Fair point. I'll be back before the night’s over to see if you need anything. Hopefully, you aren't asleep.”  

“I don't have much use for sleep anymore. I barely get three hours a night,” she said, letting go of my shoulder. She turned her attention to the herbs and supplies she needed to organize. I threw up a hand, said my goodbyes, and left.   

Now?  

Now it was time to do a little bit of patrolling.  

No one could do what I do. Maybe it was egomaniac or twisted to think this way, but if I could make the world a better place by protecting those that couldn't fight back against their oppressors and acquiring supplies– no matter the dubious method…  

Didn't I have a right to do that?  

Or was I really some naive woman with issues? Doing…this wouldn't bring back those cat-eared children. I hoped they weren't dead, but I couldn't be sure.   

Please, be alive… 

---

Once I found a nice spot, I stopped and put on my finger gloves and balaclava before peering around. Sticking to the shadows, I aimlessly walked down side alleys and crossed streets. Unlike before, I didn't try to camouflage myself by purposely getting filthy.   

Almost right away, I heard a set of pained yelps and desperate screaming coming from far away. Dashing over a broken fence, I rushed around a corner until I reached the end, then darted left. I continued until reaching something that resembled a shanty town.   

The dirty, filthy little houses couldn't have been more than a prison cell. Feces, crude drawings of genitals, and profanity littered the walls. The path was at a slight downward tilt. And at the bottom sat a pool of murky, foul liquid that was probably more human than waste or excrement. A couple of minutes ago, the screaming was replaced by a series of vocal grunts that were just as piercing.   

Suddenly, the angry murmurs of a pissed-off dog erupted.   

It sounded like this commotion was coming from the end of the road, so I proceeded down it while stressing my ears. My eyes caught faint glimpses of life and movement in the nearby houses, but no one emerged from their homes. They were ready to brush the curtains back and spy, however.   

They wouldn't willingly put themselves in danger to investigate or help.   

And I didn't blame them.   

Suddenly, the maniacal murmurs of a pissed-off dog broke the uncomfortable silence. 

“GODDAMN, IT! I THOUGHT WE KILLED THIS FUCKING MUTT!!!”   

I blindly rushed around the corner and discovered something truly despicable.   

There were two men– guards, judging from their armor– who were naked from the waist down. One was masturbating while the other forced himself on a floating naked woman-- a brown-skinned elf. Only she had one ear instead of two, and the tip was violently rounded off as if someone used a nail file to shave away flesh. White semen stains splattered her face, leaked from her lips, doused her chest, covered her stomach, and painted her crotch. Her reddened eyes were tightly clasped, and she had the truth of this situation revealed in her reddened eyes.   

She had been crying.   

And that dog? Its little white body was battered and bruised, but it was tightly latched onto the testicles of the man who raped that floating woman. The one jerking off panicked and shouted in response. Whatever kept the elf suspended left as she crashed hard into the dirty, filthy ground. 

The masturbating guard grabbed the dog’s legs and broke both. The beast let go, and he punted the animal like a ball. The dog flew back until it crashed into a wall with a sickening slam. Yelping, the dog tried to get up and move, but they couldn't support themselves.   

“Cueeee… Cueeee!!! CUE!!!!!” The elf screamed a name and forced herself to quickly stand up, enduring the pain that must've been coursing through her. She bit her lips hard enough to draw blood and stared with venomous anger. 

It all happened so fast I couldn't react in time to spare the victims the heartache, but the only thing I wanted at that very moment was to kill them… When one of the men turned around in response to my footsteps, I shot a [Shadow Shot] straight through his crooked face, killing the son of a bitch right then and there.   

The other piece of shit was too stunned to react to his ally’s death. He probably didn't see the obese shadow bolt of death that severed his exposed legs. The skill was overcharged and packed with additional skill energy to make it far more destructive.   

Yes, they were slower, but it didn't matter to vermin like these.   

No, not deaths. But death. That bastard is still alive.  

Right away, the brown-skinned elf screamed, cried, shouted, cursed, and vented her soul at once– she was far louder than the one concerned about his missing legs.   

In a fit of madness, she stomped the barely alive man in the dick until it was a bloody pile of broken flesh– pathetic attempts to beg for mercy fell on deaf ears. Especially after she found a rock and repeatedly slammed it until that pervert’s head was as flat as a pancake. All the while, she shouted that this was for someone named ‘Cue.’  

Two souls joined my ring, and she splattered gore everywhere while cursing everything, only stopping once the rock shattered in a fit of utmost agony. 

“Look, you're safe now,” I said, but I doubt she heard me. The rage was festering her heart. Really, I bet she only saw red. But I still wanted to help her if I could. “I can heal–”  

“Cue!!!!” Ignoring me, the woman ran to the dog and held its battered body against her. She cried and whispered it was going to be okay.   

“What the hell? Hey– what the fuck did you do, you goddamn whore?!” Suddenly, one more man emerged around the corner with a cigar in his foul mouth. Armored like the rest, I was sure he was a soldier of Canary like the other two.   

But his pale face turned into straight anger when he realized he stared at two corpses. He started to draw the sword at his waist, but the bastard suddenly froze…  

Was the guard locked in time? 

No…  

It… 

Servi, one of the souls you absorbed was engraved with a spell called [Telekinesis]. I have used it to restrain him.  

“[Telekinesis]? I see. No wonder she was floating.”  

The helpless would-be rapist struggled while I lifted him into the air by his head. His legs kicked in a failed attempt to touch land.   

In an instant, I knew the more I stacked this spell, the more anchor points I could place at once. Using it ten times meant ten points of reference to manipulate. Eight were on his head, and two were used to bring his iron sword to me.   

It didn't look valuable, but I stashed it and walked to the weeping elf.   

“What do you want to do with him? I can kill him. Or you can do it. And I can probably heal your friend. If I can't, I know someone who can.” From a glance, I knew the dog was still alive because it bared its teeth at me when I approached. Even on death's door, it still wanted to protect the elf.   

She finally realized I was there and looked at the immobilized guard. His face contorted in vile expressions, but his mouth was clamped tightly with the spell keeping him floating. She looked back at me. Complications probably burrowed through her mind like a prairie dog digging holes. I couldn't make many assumptions about her or her past, but if I knew of those I could make, I would be right. It was like an instinctive guess based on what I felt from my gut.   

Since she wasn't answering, I put a hand on the dog’s head, getting bit in return. But the pain wasn't anything severe. The healing magic I knew was stacked as much as I could– leading me to realize I could stack two spells individually of each other– but it wasn't enough. The spell was weak. You could stack ten branches together, but they were still a stack of feeble wood. 

But Momo said she couldn't use [Magic Missile] over and over again because she'll get tired and eventually pass out after using a good chunk of her skill energy. Do I have a limit? I don't feel that tired, but maybe it's because I haven't stacked the higher-tier spells.  

The weak spell did enough to push the dog towards the light, so to speak. The force of its bite lessened until confusion blanketed the dog's face. The elf gasped, turned to the dog, and started to cry. Its little tail wagged solemnly. Barely, but it wagged, which was more than it could do before. A wayward touch to its leg said it was still tender and sore. And putting the dog down, it couldn't stand without whining and yelping.   

Suddenly, the elf picked the dog up and handed it to me. “Please… I want…to kill… They need to die… They don't deserve to live after what they did to me… They–”  

“I understand. Here, do what you must,” I said, cutting the elf off. The crimson dagger appeared floating while waiting to be taken. Beside it were the clothes I wore before I got these overalls. 

Her hands were incredibly shaky as she clothed herself the best she could. But once her hands latched onto that dagger, her face totally changed. Like a bat out of hell, she rushed to the sack of shit and stabbed his armor, watching as it caught flames. She cursed him with every name in the book.   

I watched while the obscenities he shouted fell on ears that didn't want to listen. Once the flames consumed his armor, it spread to the rest of his body. Burning flesh filled the air, and smoke started to filter upwards. Within seconds, he was a burning inferno, yet the elf stood still and repeatedly stabbed him more times than he was worth.   

As for me? What else could I do than witness the elf’s resolve? Her wayward screams of agony over what she endured at the hands of this man and his comrade twisted to helpless hysterical laughter before she collapsed to her knees. She slammed both fists into the ground and vented her soul…  

The man was a burning effigy. No, maybe a sacrifice was more accurate. 

I couldn't claim to know what happened to her before this. Nor could anyone predict her future. A mortal couldn't. And neither could a goddess.   

Itarr had her own thoughts on this matter. She ranged from asking many questions I didn't know the answer to something I felt I could spiritually relate to. The philosophical discussion on whether the method of execution fit the crime was surprisingly deep for someone who lacked almost total memories.   

Guess she's not a goddess for nothing.  

After fifteen minutes, I walked towards the motionless elf and discovered she had passed out on her knees. The dagger I lent her was gripped tightly. I picked her up with [Telekinesis], removing the anchor points on the floating flame-shaped human. The remnants of what he once was drifted to the ground and scattered with the passing wind, hopefully ending this pained period of her life.   

“Let's head back to Cassidy's,” I said.   

That is a good idea.  

“Got a favor to ask you, partner.” 

Partner? 

“Yeah. Can you be on the lookout? If you see anything fucky, and I can't react in time, act for me. Use our spells to prevent stuff from happening if I'm too slow. I dunno. If I was a little bit faster in acting, I could've…helped out more. She and the dog aren't dead, but still…” 

I…understand.  

“Thank you.” 

You're welcome. Come, let us return to the apothecary.