Interconnected: Spliced Souls

After encountering two soldiers I least expected to see, I was forced to handle my emotions after hearing Albert’s advice. His voice helped me endure a stressful steak and chicken dinner at a local grill, but I believed Momo had noticed me acting odd.   

Srassa and Dineria were at the inn’s bar, but we decided to stay behind and chat. The topic never turned to what I feared. Momo stated I’d always have a friend in her and asked me to come to her whenever I had any issues or problems I couldn’t hope to solve on my own.   

She put her hand over mine and calmly squeezed, and I returned the pressure. Momo yawned and rubbed her sleepy eyes.   

“Why don’t you go to bed, captain?”  

“Eh? But it’s lame to be the first to fall asleep. Everyone knows the captain—”  

“The captain also needs to set a good example. Isn’t that what you taught us?”  

“Gek!” Momo narrowed her eyes and slyly smiled. “Using my words against me, are you?”   

“Perhaps. Guess that's just how effective you've been as my teacher.” I laid down, and Momo rested beside me. She turned to her side and smiled.   

We didn’t say anything, but that was fine. Slowly, those blue eyes closed, and Momo was sound asleep. Quietly, I swapped my cat pajamas for my overalls and left the room to find a kerfuffle around the bar.   

There was a drinking contest going on between two patrons. Based on the thirty empty glasses, the challenge had been going on for a while.   

Srassa and Dineria weren’t participating, of course. They had a table near the back and were engaged in casual conversation. Dineria heard my footsteps and waved me over. She told me to be careful when I said I wanted to take in the nightly sights, and I nodded, informing them that Momo had already gone to bed. Srassa wished me well, and I waved goodbye, leaving amid the drunken cheers and jeers of men and women ready to lose their money.   

If I get back in time…I might as well drink them under the table.    

---

I walked through the Waveret streets, tasting the salty air while roaming around. There were a ton of pubs and bars, which made sense since it was a harbor. Sailors who had spent months on the sea needed to unwind and wash away the accumulated stresses. However, it appeared the prostitutes and hookers emerged when the night became long, using their charming looks to temp any pent-up men to spend the evening with them.   

Even I was talked to by a few older women who asked if I needed a mommy for the night. Respectfully, I shook my head and denied their advances.    

What’s the plan, Servi? You know where they’re staying, so when will you act?  

I retrieved my phone and replied to Albert’s query in the group chat.    

I don’t know. You heard Dineria. She’s made plans for us to walk back to Canary together at the end of the trip. If I’m going to do something, it needs to be then.  

But it’ll be hard to act friendly with them. Right? Itarr wrote.   

It will, but what can I do? I might have to wait until after we’re in Canary. It just depends on when I get the opportunity.   

Albert asked if I had any goal in mind. I didn’t. I just wanted to go for a walk and clear my head.   

Well, my original goal was to fight for those that couldn’t. I’m ashamed I didn’t do anything more to help those singi children when I died.   

But you fell to the greatest swordsman in Lando—perhaps in all of Inith. 

No. It was Arnold. Fisher just watched.   

Earlier, Albert expressed great distaste when he realized what kind of person Fisher was. He believed he was a great family man who loved his wife and children. The lieutenant was soft-spoken and said few words, but Fisher was an innate leader with masterful control over any weapon. Albert said even he would have trouble fighting him in his prime.   

And Albert was a powerful man. But what sent shivers up my mind was when he compared Virin Keywater to Fisher. He said it would be akin to a stuffed animal fighting against the forces of nature.   

And Fisher was the plushie.   

The old-butler-now-turned-cute-kid further inquired as to my methods. Albert asked if I really walked around until trouble found me, and I nodded.   

That’s how I met Lucy for the second time. Had I not been there, she and Cassidy would’ve died. And Saline owes her life to me. Those guards would have slit her throat afterwards and left her corpse to rot. That reminds me… I need to change clothes.    

The best source of info was a bar, so I headed to the nearest one after I swapped my overalls for an armored tunic and a cloak with a hood. It looked like a local joint that was filled with regulars. I took a seat and got the bartender’s attention.  

“Whaddya want?” asked a gruff dwarf, mean-mugging me. She was missing an eye and seemed taller than others I had seen of her race.   

She also had a beard... Albert sensed my confusion and said some dwarven women had facial hair, and some didn’t. 

 

 

“Anything I can get for 15 dupla?”  

“Got an Aviation available for that price.”  

“Then I’ll take it,” I said, knowing full well I was getting ripped off. 

The woman smugly took my money and prepared a lavender-colored drink in seconds. Albert said it was surprisingly strong.   

“Got any work that needs doing?” I asked the woman. She grunted. “Anything that pays well? I live for the danger, you see.”  

“Live for the danger, eh?” The drunk man next to me put his arm around my neck. His breath was acidic enough to melt steel beams.   

“That’s right. Got anything on the mind?”  

“Perhaps…if you’ll buy me a round. Bwhaha!!!” The man suddenly laughed and leaned back, falling to the ground with his legs in the air. A wet spot appeared between his legs, then I heard the snoring.   

“Ignore that fool,” said the dwarf. She handed me my drink. “Hey, one of you bring him back to his wife. I don’t need his piss stinking up my place!”  

“Got it, boss! Come on, you sack of shit. We’re getting tired of carrying your fat ass out of here.” Three bandana-wearing, shirtless sailors roughly grabbed the guy by the arms and legs and walked out of here.   

“Work is work.” The dwarf looked me up and down when I turned to face her. “And we ain’t got none for you here. Go on and drink, then get out of here, princess.”  

“Princess? Oh, if only. But that dainty life isn’t for me.”   

I raised my glass to my lips and felt the succulent liquor burn for a quick moment. For as stiff as it was, the drink went down smoothly. The heat warming my belly felt pleasant, and I was sad when the feeling vanished.    

Since it was clear I wasn’t welcomed, I left this bar and went to four others. They all reacted similarly, although maybe it was because I was new? Maybe... I had been choosing the places that required you to be a regular before they accepted you?  

To change that, I returned to the main street and tried a few more, but I was just getting hit by drunken sailors. One grabbed my ass, and I punched him hard enough to shatter his jaw. It didn’t lead to a fight, but the whole pub thought it was the funniest thing in the world. The barkeep gave me an Aviation on the house and cheered me on as the Red-Eyed Knockout Beauty.   

It was kinda fun knocking that baldheaded son of a bitch out and watching his mates drag him out like a piece of luggage.    

But I heard something interesting… Apparently, that guy was supposed to be at Dock 77 in an hour to help unload a ship. A few people in the corner were quietly whispering, but they were drunk, so it was about as loud as normal talking.    

I left the bar when my glass was empty and went to Dock 77. The harbors were illuminated by glowing magic orbs. Workers were rushing hard to unload the cargo from the dozen ships. And a handful were busy loading a dozen vessels on the eastern side. 

It was also loud work, with a lot of grunting and heaving.   

I’d imagine the smell of so many sweaty bodies in one place would be rank.   

I was glad the scents were filtered.   

Dock 77 wasn’t too hard to find because they were numbered. A group of shady-looking fellows loitered in front of the warehouse. I remained at a distance and used [Sleuth] to hide in the shadows of a watch tower nearby. The unobstructed full moon meant there was ample darkness. I probably wouldn’t remain hidden for long because I couldn’t stack the skill, but that was fine.    

Thirty minutes passed, and a fight between a kobold and a koena broke out. They were jumpy— something I noticed from their jerky behaviors and overly aggressive snide comments. The koena pulled a knife and stabbed his opponent, who took the brunt of the blow and ripped off the koena’s scales after entrapping him in a bear hug.   

A Goatkin tried to jab a stick between the aggressor’s arm and chest, but it didn’t work. Another tried to use a knife to slice through the muscle, but the shitty blade broke and failed to pierce the skin.   

“Just calm the fuck down!” A singi with one eye dodged around to the kobold’s back and jabbed a syringe in his ear. He injected the guy with watery, green liquid, which immediately incapacitated the kobold. “I told that son of a bitch to stop transporting monotonia in his body!” The singi kicked the koena in the head, breaking his nose. “You know how that fucker’s addicted to it, right?! If it’s not in the scent-blocker bags, he can smell it from a thousand feet!” 

“Monotonia’s here, too?” I whispered. 

It appears so. The disease is…disgusting. It’s an incurable sickness that may never be pruned from the world.   

“That means the ship is…carrying the pills? That’s in the cargo they’re going to unload?” 

It makes me feel uneasy, Servi.   

What are you going to do?  

“I can’t let the pills remain. They gotta be destroyed. But that warehouse probably has some. But how are they getting it in? Doesn’t Waveret have someone to check for contraband?”  

They do, but established companies with prestigious reputations can pay to bypass it. It was a perk Viridian implemented to make Waveret appeal to more businesses.   

“That figures… Okay, so…”  

I couldn’t enter the warehouse with them standing there, but perhaps this was the best time to use my new spells. 

After we had returned to our room, my friends and I discussed which spells we should learn. Battle Mage had [Arcane Bolt], [Flame Burst], [Frost Barrier], [Shockwave], [Magic Shield], [Elemental Burst], [Arcane Infusion], and [Astral Projection]. That last one separated your spirit from your body and permitted you to scout via the astral plane. It used a lot of skill energy to maintain, and damage inflicted to the projection was transmitted to your body. Some places like castles, dungeons, and the estates of the wealthy and powerful were built with innate barriers preventing the spirit from entering.  

So, it wasn’t that useful, but there were ways to get around those protections that dubious criminals were known to have used. But it took over 400 SP to buy, which was far too rich for our blood.  

[Arcane Bolt] was a straight upgrade over [Magic Missile], so Momo purchased it. [Arcane Infusion] allowed you to infuse a spell you knew into your weapon. So, Momo could coat her sword with [Acid Arrow], which could have helped with the golems we fought. She purchased that, and I was left to buy [Flame Burst] and [Shockwave]. Those two were area-of-effect spells that radiated from where the spell hit.   

After hearing that, I got a crazy idea and used some of the blood crystals I had stockpiled and set about carving a particular object that was truncated ovoid in shape.  

Grenades.  

And they came with the safety pin and pull ring, although they didn’t function. Since I could only have one spell enchanted onto a blood crystal, I’d have to retrieve them after each use.    

The concept of a grenade was a struggle for Albert. Honesty, I didn’t know why I knew that much about them. But he knew what a bomb was, and a grenade was just like that, except the insides were filled with lead or steel balls that fragmented out at an insane pace when it blew up. Flesh and skin didn’t stand a chance, although creatures with scales or shells probably could defend against it.   

Perhaps dwarves were the outlier. Albert said some were resistant to flames, and some dwarves were born of rock. A layer of the stuff surrounded their skin, so they were often used to work in areas where lightning was as commonplace as fish in the sea.   

I pulled the flame grenade out from my ring and took aim... 

You’re going to kill them? 

“I am. Do you have a problem with it?” Albert said he didn’t. He knew the damage monotonia could cause and the havoc they wrought. And he knew those blabbering idiots in front of the warehouse were enemies. They were smugglers for drugs.  

Hell, they could’ve been responsible for getting Saline’s late husband addicted to them, which made him sell Saline to those guards for them to rape.   

If they stooped to peddling those pills, who was to say they hadn’t participated in trafficking people? Or being involved in the slave trade?  

I didn’t want to paint a criminal as being guilty of everything, but it was hard to let them leave alive. I readied my arm and tossed the grenade right in the middle of the arguing group. After they demanded who was there, the device blew up, sending a burst of flames within a diameter of 1 meter. I didn’t waste any time and threw the lightning explosive device, which danced amongst the fire. They weren’t dead, but I rushed forward and used my scythe to finish them off.  

Slicing through skin and flesh was much easier than rock or carapace. It was almost...amusing how easily the blade severed limbs and head. Itarr absorbed the corpses and flames while I picked up my grenades.   

What’s wrong? 

"I can't use [Flame Burst] or [Shockwave] on anything else if I lose them. It's too risky, and I can't pinpoint their exact location. It's time for Plan B, then." I squeezed the grenades and returned the blood I used to my body, then pulled out a pair of wands. One had a flame-like swirl on the base, and the other held a lightning bolt in the same spot. In ten seconds, I had them appropriately enchanted. Their names were Flamewand and Shockwand, respectively.    

I was looking forward to using the grenades. I could...maybe attach a blood crystal rope to them? Still risky. Maybe Itarr can upgrade the skill in the future.  

I walked into the warehouse, and my jaw dropped when I tore off the lid of a nearby crate.   

It was slam full of those damn pills...  

I looked up and saw around 100 more crates. Just looking into 10 of those revealed more monotonia, so this place was a shipping hub.  

I was about to use Flamewand, but why burn it? Why risk letting a few pills escape death when there were better options?  

“Albert, can you throw the crates in the ocean?” He said that wouldn’t be a problem, so I walked the warehouse and absorbed it all until the place was as empty as a ghost town. He confirmed that all of them were tossed into the bloody sea that surrounded the only island in our soul world.    

Well, what I thought was the only island. There could’ve been more, but Itarr didn’t know.    

But the warehouse... I couldn’t let it stand, so I used Flamewand three times until the luster left it, leaving the inferno blazing behind me. There wasn’t time to dwell on that because the raging fire was attracting attention. In the distance, I saw movement. I couldn’t hear them, but they were probably spreading the word about the arson I just committed.   

I walked forward to the harbor and jumped into the sea. My lungs were emptied of air, I sank, and I walked along the bottom of the sea floor, heading out into the ocean.   

I must admit, I’ve…never encountered something like this.   

“Feels weird? I am walking underwater.” The saltiness didn’t tinge my eyes, so it didn’t hurt to keep them open. But it felt odd. Coral reefs and seaweed-covered rock surrounded me, and the sand gave way to my footsteps. Itarr asked what I wanted to do from here, and I said I had to find that ship. It would be one thing if I could walk across the skies as I did before losing my spells, but this was the next best thing.   

I swam and kicked to the surface. Looking back at the inferno saddened me. Momo, Srassa, and Dineria were most likely worried and scared. I'd probably cause trouble when I returned. 

But I had to do this.   

Who else was going to destroy the monotonia? I was the best woman for the job.   

I wouldn’t be tempted by them.   

I couldn’t die.   

If someone forced one into my mouth, I wouldn’t get addicted.   

If you did the math, I was the best and only option.   

Turning away, I proceeded into the ocean while keeping an eye out for the ship.   

---

“What in the hell made you decide to go for a swim at night? Have you lost your goddamn mind, girlie?!” A man with missing teeth and yellow gums spat at me as he handed over a warm towel. He wore a captain’s hat.    

I had found a ship around forty minutes later, but I didn’t know if it was my target. The vessel was spacious enough. I’d probably categorize it as a galleon-- with three large masts and sails, and it probably had three lower levels. 

“What? You think I wanted to do this? I was strolling through Waveret when some jackass injected me with something. I woke up on a ship and jumped overboard. Like hell am I going to allow myself to become a slave. I’d rather kill myself than suffer that fate.” I wrapped the towel around my body and shivered on purpose. The tale I told was fake, but lies were beginning to be the cornerstone of my life.   

The captain barked commands and told someone to fetch me a hot drink with a kick. 

I’m guessing these aren’t our targets, Servi.   

Itarr had a point. Why would smugglers treat me right? Unless it was to get me to lower my defense…  

But a kick? Is that code for something?  

A man with fur across his bare chest handed me a cup of coffee. I thanked them and took a sip… 

…and I felt a pill-shaped object.   

I spat it into my hand…and it was pink…  

“It’s designed to circulate the blood,” said the captain. I saw a dozen lecherous gazes behind him. The crew turned away and started working on something. “Hey! Kick it into high gear! We’re running late, and we gotta get this cutie to Waveret!”  

“Aye aye, sir! Get those sails up! Raise the anchor! Turbid, man the helm!” A man I assumed to be the first mate barked more orders.   

“This is monotonia, isn’t it?” The grin the captain wore vanished from his face. “You’re the peddlers. You’re the ones smuggling this shit into Waveret, aren’t you? I bet your destination was Dock 77? Yeah, I know about it… You disgust me—"  

Slap! 

The captain raised his hand and smacked me across the cheek. The bastard wore a sharp ring that pierced my cheek. A strand of bloody skin dangled from it.   

He looked so smug to see me shut up, then said destroying my defiant gaze would be the sexiest thing of his life.    

“It probably would,” I replied. “But you won’t live that long.” I acted, summoning my scythe as I severed the man’s head. Duskwand was used three times to wound the crew before a brawl broke out.   

Only I came to them. I rushed into the group and wildly swung my weapon without abandon. Albert was summoned, and he used the corpses to create a couple of skeleton archers before jumping away. He used his trident as a baton and directed the skeletons the best he could.   

“What fuck are you?! You’re a monster— Uuuughhhhhh!!!” I cut the fool down and spat on his corpse.   

“Ha! I got you!” I felt a lot of pressure in my stomach and saw a sword sticking through my gut. I jumped back and knocked my would-be murderer to the ground.   

“What? You thought this could kill me?” I yanked the sword out and turned around, but the man had died from a bony arrow to the skull.   

“[Create Low-Tier Undead – Skeleton Swordsman]!” That man’s fat body melded with a dozen others to create a skeleton wielding a sword of skulls and ribs. It unleashed an unholy screech and joined the melee.   

“It appears they would risk survival in the ocean than certain death,” Albert said, his slightly pitched voice drowning out the screaming.    

I still wasn’t used to a cute kid directing a band of undead skeletons into massacring our enemies. I walked through the brawl, shrugging off failing attempts to end my life, regenerated from the damage, and saw the pathetic smugglers attempting to escape with their lives.    

“And they won’t survive.” I retrieved Shockwand and fired it thrice. The range of the spell’s effect was about a meter, but water or liquid multiplied that by three. A hazy, yellow field of electricity drowned the dying screams. Those idiots were actively pushing over each other and sabotaging the escape attempts that I didn’t even have to jump in to finish the job. Thirty corpses floated on the ocean’s surface. The souls returned to me, and I turned around to find six skeletons attacking the last survivor.    

He tried his best, but the fear of fighting that which shouldn’t be alive did wonders to corrupt his mental stability. He was taunted with failure by the surrounding corpses.   

“Wait, don’t kill him. Answer me some questions, okay? Do that, and I’ll make it painless.” The skeletons stood down and waited. Albert joined us and used [Undead Storage] to stash three skeleton archers in green marbles that rested on his hip. “Where did you get the monotonia? I know this ship is carrying it.”  

When the man didn’t answer, I ordered the skeletons to force him to his knees. He pissed his pants and whimpered with a snot-covered face. He didn’t talk, but a sword to the neck helped him find his voice. “We were given orders to make the deliveries.”  

“Who told you?”  

“A letter! We receive our orders by pen and paper!" 

“Ring any bells?”  

“No,” replied Albert. “Viridian made his deals without me present." 

“Where are the letters delivered?" 

“Only the captain knows.”  

“I’ll search the bodies.”  

“Got it. Skeletons, stay here. If the prisoner moves, end his life.” I descended into the cargo hold and found a druggie’s paradise. The three decks had more crates and boxes with monotonia than food or potable water.   

It just made me sick. I groaned while absorbing it all. Itarr said she'd destroy them for me. 

I returned topside and found the turncoat dead with a bony sword through his head. Albert said the man had pushed a skeleton and tried to run, but he obviously didn’t get that far. “I didn’t find anything on the body. It’s not rare to burn a note or letter after you receive it.”  

“Anything to prevent a leak, huh?”  

“A criminal organization cannot survive if their information is exposed. Assuming it’s an organization behind this, of course. It could very well be a foreign government looking to destabilize Lando.”  

“You think it could be the emperor? Would he go behind Viridian’s back?”  

“I don’t doubt it. Virin's mind…thinks many decades in advance, so it’s impossible to predict his thoughts. It could be Westera. They hold many advances in skill items. Relations between them and Lando aren’t the best, but I wouldn’t think they would risk war. Unless... They’re using a proxy group to keep their hands clean from the mess. It could be a country from the other continent. Or it could be from the mysterious island between the two.”  

“Island between the two?”  

“That’s correct.” Albert walked around the ship and explained. “There lives a mysterious island sitting between Inith and Valerium.  Ah, that’s the other continent. But the island is surrounded by storms, whirlpools, cyclones, and tornadoes. I'm unaware of anyone who has braved the elements, landed, and returned alive to tell the tale.”  

“They can’t fly over it?”  

“It’s possible. But how do you return? If the island is populated by dangerous beasts or a clan of strong warriors, death is all but certain. We can also presume there is a barrier or some other type of field spell that prevents the use of teleportation magic. I recall a master of such mystics had used a dragon to land there, but he never returned.”  

“You think I have a chance?”  

“If anyone could do it, it’ll be you. But I doubt the pills originate from there. They would need a way to safely sail through the natural phenomena. An artifact with that ability could exist, but at that point, we’re discussing hypotheticals and conjectures. The answer may be closer, or it may be farther.”  

I signed and looked at the blood seeping through the wooden deck. “I guess you’re right. But let’s get back to Waveret. I doubt there’s anything else we can learn from here.”  

“Are you swimming?”  

“Got a better idea?”  

Albert tapped the deck with a foot. “A ship’s much faster. I'll teach you how to sail.”  

“Yeah. Alright, thanks. And when I make it to port, I can say I was kidnapped while walking. I fought back, you emerged, and you helped me out. That work?”  

Albert nodded and returned to my ring, and I followed his advice while getting the ship ready to sail back.