Interconnected: Spliced Souls

During breakfast with Nimyra and Lucy, we further discussed the little party we wanted to have. The ball in Adenaford, held during the festival thrown on the anniversary of Lando's founding, was delayed until either the end of summer or the beginning of autumn. Having a small get-together with actual friends and not strangers sounded much better to me.  

Lucy was obviously free. Speaking of her, she sounded and acted a little more confident and happier this morning. Lucy confided in me. She said she wanted to try her best. She didn't want to disappoint Nimyra.  

Nimyra had clients today and tomorrow, but the Drow Elf was free the day after. When I brought it up to my friends after meeting at Warden, they decided that would be the day.  

And that meant we had about 50 hours before the party. "I know you're willing to pay for it, but doesn't it seem more meaningful if we do it ourselves? I'm talking about hunting for the meat, collecting the ingredients, and maybe picking a few berries? And then what we're unable to get, we can buy at the market just before it's time to head over," Momo said when we walked out of the guild. We accepted a quest to hunt some rather angry and violent piggies from a forest that once housed a drugged-out bear.  

Srassa asked if this meant we were cooking for ourselves, to which Momo happily and hungrily nodded.  

The young noble had never cooked. Srassa's tutor during the decade she was training prepared everything so she could focus on hardening her body. But Momo grinned and said it was time for her to become her culinary teacher. "I ain't the best cook, but I learned from my grampy. Hey, you think Nimyra would wanna help out?"  

I replied and said she was a decent chef. She always made breakfast without fail. It was always the same, but Nimyra was consistent. 

The only problem left was to decide what we would have. Meat was obvious. Since we were going after boars, pork seemed like a good option. Albert mentioned a reduced apple honey glaze he learned from Virin Keywater's personal chef. The ingredients were simple, and Srassa and Momo both approved, with the latter drooling ever so slightly. 

A standard tomato and basil fruit salad would be next. And if possible, maybe a baked fish here and there? Rivers weren't rare around this part of Lando. But Momo gushed about a juicy salad her grandfather prepared when baby tomatoes were in season. 

That just left dessert, and we came up empty. That could be decided later, but upon reaching a mile or two away from Canary, I was faced with a decision. 

How was I going to fight? I couldn't use any skills they'd seen me use before because they were locked away. Sure, I could explain the forbidden skills and [Necromancy], but would they readily accept me having the power to bring the dead back to life? 

Things of that nature just seemed like heretical knowledge. It was a 'forbidden' skill. It wouldn't take a genius to figure out it was called that for a reason. 

Last night, I visited my soul world and conversed with Albert about how to proceed. After brainstorming, we decided the best-case scenario was the following. After being captured, I overheard word of a scythe enchanted with the power of a skeletal revenant. It was wielded by one of the guards. While escaping with my rescuers, they cut down the man wielding the weapon, and I stored it in my ring when no one was looking. The scythe somehow locked away my other skills, yet the skeleton locked inside had the potential to be staggeringly powerful. 

That was the best we could come up with on such short notice. After asking my friends to follow me into the nearby trees, I made a fateful decision and uttered this false truth with trembling eyes. 

Because I wanted to trust them. I didn't want to lie to them more than I needed to. 

One day, though, I would tell them the unadulterated truth without clasping anything in a thin, foggy shadow of disguise. 

"Two people in the world know what I told you, and they're all standing right here. I... I didn't even tell your father. Maybe I should have, but I hope we can keep this between us. I trust you two." 

"And we don't wanna break that trust, right?" asked Momo. Srassa nodded and echoed her instructor. 

I felt our friendship deepen after experiencing another first together. The scythe vanished, and we continued to our destination. 

---

“Watch out! Srassa, it's coming for you!” Momo shouted, dashing to the right to avoid a deadly charge from an angry pot-bellied boar. It sped right where she used to be and fully intended on goring Srassa through the stomach.   

But her stance was strong. And her shield was solidly sturdy. She was pushed back a few inches, but her feet were steady. The piles of leaves surrounding her were blown away from the force.   

“Servi!”  

“I'm on it, captain!” Speeding from behind the young noble with armor seemingly too heavy for her body, I dodged to the left with my scythe raised to the sky– the shimmering sunlight sparkled beautifully off its rather dull edge…  

Which did very little other than inflict a superficial wound. But the blood gained filled the skulls on the handle and pommel. And luckily, the former was already filled up because this was the fifth target. My scythe's blade glowed a necrotic green. “[Summon Revenant – Twilight Maestro]!” I said, slicing the air in front of me after leaping back. From the gap between space and time came a skeleton with a few bruised and dented bones, who wielded a decayed rapier I had absorbed from one of the monotonia dens’ armories. 

I'd like to have used the enchanted weapons since we had a shit load, but they were destroyed when we swapped skill systems.   

“Woah… So that's a revenant thingy?! It's a skeleton… But it's so cool!!!” Momo retreated to my side. Srassa did the same after she kicked the boar's front legs out from underneath it. “But why Twilight Maestro?”  

“A revenant needs a name when you summon them,” I explained and partly lied, watching Albert stand toe to toe against the angry pig. The boar was pretty weak, but Albert had lost all his skills. He only had the memory of combat etched into his body over decades of fighting but without the strength of a trained, honed body supporting him…Albert was pretty much starting over from zero. “He said his name was Twilight Maestro. He said I could change it, but I didn't want to.”  

I know how dangerous this can be, but I don’t intend to bring Albert out in front of anyone I couldn’t trust. And Twilight Maestro is better than Puppet Master. 

“I still can't believe you have something like this,” Srassa confessed. “I've studied many different fighting styles and have researched magic, but I've never heard of anything even remotely similar to what I'm witnessing.”   

“Grandpa told me a lot of crazy stories, but man…” Momo added her thoughts.    

I asked if they feared me, but both vehemently shook their heads. It felt nice…but it also hurt because this was a false truth. Would their reaction change if they knew I raised Twilight Maestro from the dead?  

Maybe.   

Maybe not.   

I didn’t want to risk it.    

Together, we watched as Albert dealt the finishing blow. He was still agile, even as a skeletal revenant, with enough strength to finish the job.  

The more he fought and spilled blood, the quicker those bruised bones were replaced by healthier-looking substitutes. That confirmed another of my hypotheses.    

[Necromancy] was all about inflicting and healing from damage. You had to stay on the offense, but getting hit wasn't an instant death because you recovered every time your weapon cut flesh.    

“Servi,” said Albert when he approached me. The decayed, rusted weapon held in his bony grip somehow fit the image of a stark white skeleton.   

Srassa and Momo were almost mystified that he could talk. He greeted them each by name and a noble bow. Luckily, his voice was far removed from what he used to sound like.    

“A talking skelly? I think I've seen it all,” joked Momo. She held a hand out and introduced herself. Albert was surprised, but he shook it. “I guess Servi's told you about us, huh? But I'm looking forward to fighting with you, Twilight Maestro.”   

“Yes, same here. Umm… I– I hope we can get along!” Srassa tried to slightly bow, but she went too fast and bonked Albert's head, causing his skull to roll off. “Waaaaaa!!! Servi– Servi!! I'm sorry! Omigosh!! What did I do?! What do I do?!?! The head just bounced off!” The color drained from the noble girl’s skin.   

She looked like she was staring death in the face.   

Albert calmly walked to his head, picked it up, and plopped it back on his neck with a bony chuckle. “ Oh, ho ho ho! Losing my head is not something to be afraid of. I'm sorry if it frightened you.”  

“Take it easy, girlie. You didn't kill our new friend,” Momo said, comforting Srassa.   

“Alas, I’m already dead. Oh, ho, ho, ho!” chuckled Albert. Without being under the firm hand of [Geas], his personality began to show.    

It was a little amusing, but I didn't laugh. I thought I saw Albert crack a grin, but maybe it was my imagination.   

Albert's skeletal body soon glowed green, and he returned to my scythe. The glowing skull on the handle also dimmed, and I heard his voice echo in my head a hair later.   

The time limit is short, but I don't think anything is restricting you from calling me out without delay. If you had the necessary resources, that is.  

Yes, I believe you're right about that. There should be an upgrade to extend the time indefinitely. However, if you had a ring… 

It boiled down a ring… 

I need to get him one.   

When Srassa calmed down, we continued after I absorbed the animal's corpse. Albert said he would field dress and have it ready whenever I needed it.   

But something extremely odd happened when we turned in the quests. SP—Skill Points you gained from the guild after completing a quest...  

They were different than the Soul Points I acquired after killing something.  

The two didn’t stack, though. I saw both listed on my Skill Phone. I wasn’t on the [Warden Skill System] anymore, so why give me something I couldn’t use? 

Unless...maybe I could still use it? Itarr believed there was a workaround somewhere, but she didn’t know what it was.  

I took a risk and asked Claire to switch my Skill Path to Mystic...  

It worked because I saw fifteen spells and abilities divided into five tiers.   

I changed my Skill Path back to Rogue, and it worked because I saw fifteen more skills divided into five tiers. The toggle I once had to freely switch between them had vanished.  

Why could I buy something I was forbidden from using? And I should’ve been on the [Forbidden Skill System] from the get-go because I purchased [Lover’s Blossom] weeks ago.  

Why was that the only skill available then? And why didn’t it snatch me away from the [Warden Skill System]?  

There were just so many questions that didn’t have any answers.   

There had to be a loophole somewhere. If not, were those mysterious entities who taunted us doing this to instill false hope in us? To make us waste time collecting something we couldn’t use? 

That was the most likely scenario. 

---

And so, the next day came upon me. It was filled with hunting, dishing, picking, harvesting, and most importantly…  

Fun!  

After being involved in the Canary Incident for the better part of a week, I had forgotten how refreshing it was to venture with my friends. Walking and chatting, fighting monsters, completing quests, gaining SP I probably couldn’t use, and earning money…  

The cycle was just fun. I couldn't describe it more than that because it wasn't needed. We even held a fishing contest at the river four hours away from Canary, where no one would bother us because Srassa invited Albert– Twilight Maestro– to join in. It involved killing a few fish to get the resources– they definitely wouldn't go to waste– but the skeletal figure soon emerged, sporting a spiffy new trench coat I had bought him. It was all black and incredibly stylish. Skeletons didn't have private parts, but I still wanted him to have something.   

“Hey, couldn't you walk around town if we bought you clothes to cover yourself? It's gotta be cramped being in the scythe all day,” Momo said, casting out a fishing rod she had stored in her bag. She certainly made friends with an undead skeleton substantially quickly.   

“Perhaps,” replied Albert, who fished with a hooked string tied to one arm he held with the other. “I cannot remain materialized for long. Disappearing in front of many people would cause undue stress and invite unneeded trouble.”  

“That's a good point.” Srassa had her own fishing line. She crouched, put a squirming worm to the hook, and tossed it into the stream.   

I was on gutting duty. Albert's detailed instructions were precise and easy to follow. It was easier than I thought to chop them into equal filets. Itarr created a food pantry in the tower, so we worked like machines.   

So efficiently and without waste.   

But above it…  

It was just fun and relaxing to my heart.   

We left the river with enough to feed ourselves seven times over, but then it was time to collect some berries. The obvious choice was Lucoa Village, just two hours away.   

Albert returned to our soul world and remained there for the rest of the day. Svelte, our client, called out to us from his field. He jogged over with two bales of hat strapped to a makeshift backpack. Once we explained we came to purchase the ingredients for the salad we wanted to make, Svelte was more than happy to gift us two baskets of fruits and veggies after we followed him to his house.   

“The harvest has been exceptional this year,” Svelte explained. “We've had no choice but to give some away to anyone who even looks at the village lest we allow them to spoil and go to waste.”  

After thanking him, we chatted and caught up about the local events. He saw the smoke rise from Canary and wanted to know if we were okay. It wouldn't do much to tell him about my ‘capture,’ so I didn't bring it up. Srassa and Momo didn't bring it up, either. Itarr wanted to know, and Albert explained it to her.   

It would cause unneeded stress because the event is behind us?  

That's correct, Itarr. There are times in which less is more. Even if something isn't a secret, you are very rarely required to tell everyone you see.  

The sun was more than halfway through its trek in the sky when we departed Lucoa Village. After discussing, we agreed to buy something sweet from the market instead of baking our dessert for the party. It also wouldn't hurt to buy anything else we needed that we couldn't personally get. 

Srassa had gotten into the habit of having one of her carriages bring me to the Crimson Grotto. She said it helped her sleep at night, knowing I made it home safe and sound-- especially considering she and Momo always tagged alone.   

“We'll be here a little bit after noon, okay?”  

“That sounds good to me. The pork needs a few hours to really soak up the flavor. The longer it takes, the juicier it'll be,” I replied to Momo.   

“I cannot wait. It'll be delicious, won't it, Ms. Momo?”  

“Oh, definitely. And it's gonna be even better because we prepare it together. Good night, Servi. And you too, skelly man.”  

Srassa said her farewell, and I hopped out. Once the carriage left my view, I waved to the two guards and walked to Nimyra's apartment. She was naked and relaxing on the couch with a colorful drink in her hands, staring at a book in her lap.   

Her smile was otherworldly. It was gazing and nearly mesmerizing, and I was so happy it was here to welcome me home…  

Because I'd come to know something. Sure, it was hard to make meaningful connections after less than two weeks. But for someone who didn't even know if she had anything or anyone important in her life… These days felt like the best I'd ever experienced. Just the warming way my heart fluttered when wrapping my arms around Nimyra's soft, warm back.   

Or Lucy's cute smile when she thought about what life would be like at Adenaford Academy. Nimyra was the one who taught her to read and write– well, it was a Myrokos-controlled Lucy, but her true self understood the lessons and managed to learn via a pretty impractical method.   

But she could advance herself. Better herself.   

And that man I walked in on Nimyra sucking off? She told me the plans for the orphanage were looking very good, but approval permits were delayed because Canary no longer had a duke overlooking the duchy.   

But something told her it would be approved because Canary needed something to improve its reputation and status. The incident started because the slums were designed to be a series of shit-hole areas with near-labyrinthian underground interconnected chambers.    

Life would be different if the slums were treated like the casual district. However, with proper care, there would be apothecaries and healers, people to teach reading and writing to those who lacked that vital ability. It wouldn't surprise me if the orphanage was part of a bigger deal to fix the slum's problems.  

An overhaul was needed.  

The money was there. The people were there. It was that until there was a reason to spend those resources to better something, nothing would ever get done. The status quo often had no reason to break if an incentive wasn't offered.   

Things were looking up.    

And I had more than one reason to smile big as I locked the door behind me.