Book One – Chapter Four – Part One – Trouble and Confusion

The night in which Itarr said she loved Servi had faded away, and a new morning was upon Canary. It wouldn’t be long until someone stumbled into the Old Onyx clothing store and noticed it was ransacked. Nor would the mysterious disappearance of everything inside the Rude Crystal stay a secret. Perhaps those in charge of investigating would make a connection between the two crimes, but none of that mattered to Servi or Itarr.

Servi was sound asleep. Throughout the night, she tossed and turned, but she never woke up, and Itarr was thankful for that. The Goddess remembered what Servi had told her. About how she just woke up in a strange place, about how she didn’t understand the language, and the fear in her heart when she was about to die.

However, that was the past, and this was the present. From this moment onward, Servi would never need to invite fear, dread, or anguish into her heart.

You have nothing to worry about, Servi. You won’t be alone anymore, and neither am I. I’m confident that you’ll be excellent friends with Momo, too. I’ll do whatever I can to support you.  

Though she said that, Servi was in such a deep sleep that Itarr's words passed right over her. A few minutes later, there was a knock at the door.

“Servi, it's me, Momo. Are you awake? It’s 9:00 am. Hello?” 

Servi, Momo’s at the door. You might want to wake up. 

No response. Servi was a heavy sleeper.  

“Oh no! What if she left during the night? Was it my fault? Was I too annoying?” Momo said, her voice a bit low thanks to the door blocking the noise, but it was still audible to Itarr.  

Using Telekinesis, Itarr gently nudged Servi until her red eyes slowly pried open. She sat up, and with a cute yawn, rubbed the sleep from her eyes.  

Good morning, sleepy.  

“Good morning, Itarr. What time is it?” 

Momo’s at the door.  

Servi's eyes went wide with panic when she realized she overslept. She rushed to stand up but slipped on the coarse blanket she had tossed away not even six hours ago.  Her head bonked the wooden floor, drawing a little bit of blood that was promptly cleaned up by Itarr.

“Servi? Are you okay? I heard a loud noise.” 

Servi got to her feet and used her ring to put on her leather armor while ignoring the throbbing pain in her head. She also took out her scratched sword and laid it against the wall.  

You might want to open the door. I overheard Momo wondering if you left her.  

“One second!” she yelled.  

Servi rushed to the door and opened it.  Momo's cute face welcomed her.  Her hair was tied in a ponytail, and her ears twitched ever so cutely. Her fluffy cat-like tail wagged left to right through the air. She wore a black sleeveless tunic with small leather reinforcements, black pants that comfortably hugged her legs and thighs, and red boots embroidered with a stylized black cat on the side. Her clothes from yesterday were nowhere to be found. Instead, it was replaced by something that provided way more protection.  Her bent chainmail was faithfully there. Grandpa’s sword dangled at her side, waiting to be drawn to protect its master.  

Though compared to Servi’s leather armor set, it was lacking in defensive properties.  

“Good morning!” Momo said as she flashed a smile. Her soft pink lips parted to reveal a stunning set of white teeth.  

“I’m sorry, Momo! I overslept. I’ll go get my sword.” Servi turned around and walked away.  

“Oh, it’s fine. Don’t worry about it,” the Singi replied. And in a tinier and quieter voice, like a mouse, she spoke, “I’m glad I didn’t wake up to find an empty room. We made that promise yesterday, and...” 

“Hm?” Servi said, returning back with a weapon in hand.

“Oh, nothing! I didn’t say anything!” Momo put her hands up and shook her head. Her face was a bit red, no doubt flushed with heat.  

“Momo, I’m really sorry.” 

“Seriously, it’s ok. I didn’t wake up myself until about thirty minutes ago.” 

That was a big lie. Momo was up bright and early at 7:32 am. Staring hard enough at her mirror to break it, she repeatedly dressed her hair up in different ways. First, it was long and straight, flowing like pink honey, but she decided against it. Then it was the twin tails. She did like that option but ultimately decided that it was too childish. Next up was the sideway ponytail. It was like a regular ponytail, but sideways.

She sighed and chucked. “Yeah…. This isn’t gonna work,” dejected, she sat back on her bed.  

Why am I even all worked up? I mean, it’s just hair… Does it really matter how it’s tied up or curled as long as it's clean? I guess I’ll just go for a ponytail.  

Servi spoke, interrupting Momo’s internal flashback. “I just noticed your hair is different. It looks good. And nice armor.” 

“Oh, umm. Thank you! I bought this a few months ago and completely forgot about it until last night. I figured this is way better than what I had yesterday. It’s more protective.” Momo smiled bashfully. Inside her mind, she was screaming with glee and happiness.  

“We have about an hour until they put up the new quests. Would you like to get some breakfast?” Servi said as she pulled a ten coin dupla from one of her pouches.  “I found this baby under my mattress. Maybe that’s a sign of good things to come?” 

“Okay,” and with that, the two went up to the fourth floor. Just when Servi thought Warden's pricing made sense, it didn't. For some reason, she couldn't use a meal ticket for breakfast. Instead, she had to pay the waiter when they came to the table. On the plus side, it was pretty cheap. An entire breakfast was only a paltry five dupla.

I will never, ever, ever understand this. The prices of items and their value do not make sense.  

Speaking of breakfast, Momo had toast with strawberry jam, a pancake, and a glass of milk which came to the low price of only one dupla. Servi had the same breakfast. After eating, the two chatted for a minute or two.  

“Momo, I have a quick question.” 

“Hm?” she replied after drinking a sip of her milk. 

“I’m curious. Why is breakfast so cheap and dinner is expensive?” 

“That? I was a bit confused when I heard the reason from my grandpa. Since the Warden offices are like a base for us adventurers, some important things, like a bed to sleep in and breakfast to eat, are cheaper. But that also meant that other things are more expensive. Really, it’s not ten dupla for both a bath and dinner. It’s ten for just the food. The baths are free if you ask. My grandpa says that they make no mention of it because they want to make extra money, so they price the two together, even though one is free,” she explained. 

I'm not getting the best feeling from Warden. Itarr said.

“I see,” Servi glanced at a clock hanging nearby and saw that it was a few minutes before 9:30.  

“We have some time to kill. What do you want to do?” Servi picked her glass of cold milk and drank the rest, finishing it off with a refreshing "Ahhh." 

“Umm…. Is it alright if we practice our skills? I talked to a receptionist this morning, and he said there’s a practice room on the second floor. There are wooden swords and bows and arrows. Basically, all kinds of weapons. He also said we can practice any skill that is Rank 9 or 10."

“That sounds good to me. Can I stop by my room first? I want to drop my sword off.” Servi glanced to the bent blade that laid across her leathered lap. “I don’t have a sheath for it.” 

“Yep! Are you ready to leave?” 

“I am.” 

Servi and Momo got up and walked down the stairs to the third floor. Servi opened her room and dropped her sword against the wall. 

Shall I absorb it when the door is shut? 

“No. Keep it there for now. We have extras in the ring,” she said silently. Well, even if she did speak louder, it wouldn’t matter. Momo remained outside Servi’s room and didn’t come in. She didn’t know why, but Servi didn’t feel like she had to say something about it.  

“Sorry about that. You ready?” Servi said when she stepped outside. She locked the door and put her key in her pouch, which Itarr promptly absorbed.  

“Yep!” Momo said. She was humming and lightly shaking her head to the rhythm. Her pink ponytail whooshed around with every single movement.  

“Let’s go,” the two friends descended down the stairs to the second floor and looked around for a sign that said ‘Training Hall.” After finding it, it was after the shop entrance, and near the end of the floor, they walked over and entered.  

The big room was divided into four equal squares. One square was solely dedicated to archery. Bows and wooden arrows were hanging on a wall. At the other end of the small section were a row of hay bales that housed paper targets. A Dwarf and two Elves were currently using it.  

“Haha. Try again, Quark. Just practice what we do,” said an Elf with black hair and pale skin. With a form only describe as perfect, he nocked an arrow and drew the string back. He took a deep breath and exhaled, letting go of the bowstring when his lungs had no more air. It was fast as it flew through the air, though not as speedy as Servi’s Shadow Shots.  The arrow landed with a silent thud as it struck dead center.

“See? Just like that,” the Elf said.  

“See? Just like that,” the Dwarf, Quark, said in a mocking tone. “Look, lad, I’m a Dwarf. We ain’t so good with stuff like this.” He held up the bow. “Our muscles were built fer tanking. Give me a shield an’ a hammer, and I’m good to go.” 

“Calm down, Quark," said the other Elf. Though his body looked slim and feminine, his voice was deep. His skin was the color of dirt, which made him an Earth Elf. “I agree that being a tank is perfect for you.  However, it’s not a bad idea to be acquainted with other types of weapons. When we’re out there, adventuring and completing quests, you never know what could happen.” After preaching his gospel, the Earth Elf went back to practicing his archery.  

Quark looked down and sighed. “Aye, you might be right,” he nocked another arrow and resumed his practice.

Momo mentioned to Servi that she never used a bow before.

“Same here,” Servi said, “but sure, we can try.” 

The next square over was dedicated to melee weapons. There were wooden swords, shields, spears, axes, and clubs hanging on weapon racks. For the most part, the weapon square consisted of Humans and Dwarves with a few Koena mixed in.

The third square was dedicated to Rank 9 and 10 skills only.  Servi overheard someone chanting the incantation for Protection. Next to him was a Koena who was messing about with an ice rope that suddenly appeared in his hands. Servi wondered just how helpful something like that would be.

The fourth and final square was dedicated to one on one practice matches. It was surrounded by glass walls to prevent any outside interference. 

“So while we wait for the archery square to open up, what do you want to do?” 

“Is it alright if I practice using Lurk and Dazzler?” Momo asked.  

“Sure. This gives me a chance to try out Protection.” 

The two walked over to the skill square. An employee wearing the guild uniform approached them and explained the rules. After agreeing to them, the employee nodded and walked back to his post.  

Momo chanted the incantation for Lurk. “Oh, the Darkness above who slumber in a place further our universe. I pray to you. Grant me your power of Lurk!” Shadowy light appeared above Momo and slowly wrapped around her.  Within a few seconds, the shadow took the form of a cloak that hooked itself around the Singi's neck.

“How does it feel? Do you feel sneaky?” 

“I don’t really know. Maybe I need to level it up some? Maybe it works differently on monsters than humans?" Momo turned back and forth.  The cloak followed her, but it didn't feel like it added any weight to her body. 

“That’s right, young lady,” Servi and Momo turned to look at the direction the voice came from. It was the Earth Elf with the feminine body but a deep voice.  

“Lurk is a skill that uses the shadow to distort the senses. Sight, smell, hearing, feeling, and tasting. It only works on monsters.” The Elf continued speaking while smiling. “It's a skill that's already strong from the get-go. You could increase its level and power it up, but it's not that worth it.  I recommend stopping around level 6 or 7.  Anything higher isn't worth the Potential." 

“Oh, thank you. I didn’t know that." Momo clapped her hands and thanked the mysterious Elf.

The Earth Elf smiled, flashing his bright teeth.  For a moment, Servi thought of him as a predator.

He said, “You are most welcome. Oh! I have yet to introduce myself. My name is Nimea, and as you can see, I’m an Earth Elf. Over there is Quark and Aemi, my sworn brother. This town is our base of operations for the time being. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask.” 

“Thank you. My name is Momo, and this is Servi. We joined yesterday,” Servi waved and smiled, but deep down, she had a bad feeling.  

“What lovely names. Miss Momo, Miss Servi, it’s a pleasure meeting you. If you wouldn’t mind, could you tell me what weapons you use and skills you have? 

“I don’t mind, do you?” she asked Servi, who shook her head.  

“I use a sword,” Momo pulled it out and showed Nimea, “and I know Lurk and Dazzler.”  

“Ahh, Dazzler is an interesting skill, to say the least. The ball created from it breaks and produces a noise that instantly angers any monsters that are nearby. Its range isn’t that good, but that’s a good and bad thing.” 

Nimea nodded to Momo and looked at Servi.  

“I also use a sword, and I know Protection.” 

“Ahh, so you’re the tank of the group?” Servi nodded. “Then if I can ask, why don’t you use a shield?”  

To which Servi replied, “I can’t afford one, but I’m quite good at dodging attacks.” 

“That may be so, but what if you were to take a fatal hit that you couldn’t dodge?” he narrowed his eyes.  

I really don’t like the look in his eyes, Itarr said.

“We don’t plan on taking any dangerous quests until I have a shield. Isn’t that right, Momo?” 

“That’s right…? Oh! Yes, that’s right," she said, slightly startled. 

“I see. Well, I don’t know what I would do if a beautiful flower like Momo gets hurt because you were poor. Why don’t you take a loan?” 

“I already have two.” 

“Ah, so you’re poor and a chooser of bad financial decisions?” 

“Really?” Servi said, the anger showed through her red eyes, and Momo became scared. It was the same look Servi had when she put her sword to that boy’s neck in the sewers yesterday.  

“Servi, it’s ok. I’m not gonn—” Momo was interrupted as Nimea put his hand around her. She was visibly shaken.  

“Yes, really. Momo, if you join our party, you can be sure that you’ll be protected. Quark is an excellent tank, and my brother is the best Archer in our village. So how abou—” Nimea was interrupted by Servi.  

“If the Dwarf is the best tank and your brother is the best Archer, as you claimed they are, then why are you a member of the party?”  

Seems like everywhere we go, we find a person I want to kill, Servi thought.

The slightest frown appeared on his face.  

“I could say the same to you. What can a girl, who’s supposed to be a tank, do with nothing more than a sword and a single, potentially unleveled skill? You’d probably run and turn tail at the slightest sight of danger.” 

“You wanna go, Elf?! I’ll show you danger." Servi cracked her knuckles and neck.

“Let’s go, Useless. The arena's empty,” Nimea said as he took his hand off of Momo, who then took the chance to move away from him.  

“That’s enough! Don’t call her useless! She saved me yesterday!” Momo said a bit louder than she wanted. An employee came over and scolded the three for making a scene, giving them a warning. Aemi and Quark glanced at them and shrugged before resuming their archery session. The same couldn’t be said for other people. They all stopped what they were doing and stared.  

“See what you did?” Nimea said, pointing all around him. “You’re making a scene!” 

“She didn’t do anything wrong! She saved me yesterday! More than once! And she offered to be a tank with nothing more than a stick! Would you really do the same?” Momo said. Servi was impressed. This was the same Momo who cowered when faced with Mossi but sprung to life when Arty insulted Servi. And here she was doing the same thing.  

“Ha! Of course, I would. After all, I am blessed by a Major God of Wind,” he chanted and used a skill called Pixie’s Gust. A small gust of wind swirled up and down his finger before disappearing.  It wasn't an impressive skill.  

Momo's growing displeasure couldn't be contained anymore.

"We aren't!  We aren’t blessed, so we didn’t start with skills. And she still offered to be the tank! All we had were a few potions between us. She did that for a complete stranger. Why would I ever go with you? My grandpa said to find someone I can rely on, but I don’t feel that from you,” Momo had tears running down her face.  

Servi walked up to Momo and hugged her. She was proud of her.  She knew it couldn't have been easy for Momo to say those things.

“Thank you for defending me,” she said. Momo tightened her grip for a moment before it loosened. She almost hit the floor, but Servi caught her in time.  

Servi adjusted her grip until she had Momo in a princess carry. She supported her back with her left hand and the area under her knees with her right hand. It was then she realized just how light Momo was.

Don’t be alarmed, Servi. She’s just unconscious. I imagine that outburst was a bit too much for her, but I think I spotted a pattern. Every time you’re insulted, she defends you. When she does that, I feel a bit of energy coming from her.  The strange thing is that it feels familiar, almost like it came from me.  Perhaps that energy is the reason why she passed out? I wouldn’t worry about it.  She'll wake up in time.  

With her friend sleeping for a bit, Servi stared daggers at Nimea.  

“Please, I can defend her better than you can. Fight me in the arena over there. The winner gets Momo.” 

“Momo is her own person.  She's not some trophy to be passed around.  Besides, she wanted to be in my party, not yours.” 

“Face me, you coward!” 

“No,” Servi said as she walked away. Her destination was anywhere but the training area.

Nimea said awful things as she walked away.  After his tirade was over, he went back to his brother and Quark.  

By the time they reached the door to leave the training hall, Momo slowly awakened.  She locked eyes with Servi and smiled.

“Grandpa...?” she said groggily.  

“Hiya, sleepy.  Sorry, it's not your grandpa.  It's me, Servi,” Servi said, with no hint of malicious or any sort of negative emotion.  

“If I’m this close……” Momo turned her head and saw the ground. Then she saw Servi's arm, and more importantly, what they were carrying.  

With red cheeks, she internally screamed.  

Momo, you did it again!!! Why do you always lose consciousness at the worst moments?!?! She’s probably gonna think less of you!! 

“Umm…Servi? You can put me down," her spoken voice did not match her internal voice. 

“Are you sure?" Servi asked. 

“Yes, I’m sure,” Servi maneuvered her hands and let Momo down.  

“Did I pass out again?” Momo looked around and noticed they weren't in the training room anymore. 

“Yes, you did.” 

“I’m sorry,” Momo's eyes stared at the ground.  She couldn't face her new friend.  

“Don’t worry about it. Do you remember what happened before?” 

“Not really.” 

“You defended me. That stupid guy was saying mean things about me, and you totally defended me.” 

Momo looked up. “I did?” 

“That’s right. You were so cool. You were like, ‘Servi's not useless,’ and ‘ you wouldn’t have done that,'” Servi said, teasing her. It worked well.  Too well. 

“…..” Momo's tail wrapped around her waist as she buried her face in her hands. The warmness of her flushed cheeks could fry an egg.

“Thank you, Momo. Really. Both for yesterday and today. You defended me when people insulted me, and I want you to know that I appreciate that. I really do.” 

“You’re welcome…” Momo said, revealing her face and lowering her hands. Her tail unwrapped itself from her waist, then wagged back and forth, accelerating in speed. She tried to be bashful, but a flash of pink lightning covered in fur betrayed her.  It was stated that a Singi's tail was more honest than their body. Perhaps it was true?

Grandpa!! I helped Servi!! 

Servi glanced at the clock and noticed that not even ten minutes had passed by. It was only 9:40.  

“So, how about we go back and train?” Servi asked.

“What?” Momo said, confused.

“He doesn’t own the place. It’s for everyone, right? I still haven’t tried out Protection yet.” 

“But what if he tries to start trouble?” 

“Then we ask for an employee to come over. That’s what we should’ve done in the first place.” 

“Okay! Let's head back then!” Momo smiled.  Her pretty ears twitched gleefully.