Among the city of Loften that was variably overgrown, drowning in tar, water, or fire, a certain air of peace hung in the abandoned streets. Grand trees, larger than oaks and thicker too, grew through whichever roof they pleased. Vines and ivy and so much more worked their way up decaying walls and down cold chimneys. Some of them were even in bloom from the constant glum midday light. Truly, it was a city fit for the gods.
That is, assuming the gods were broadly obsessed with botany. Elia did not get that impression when listening to Rye’s entertaining-but-too-long explanations about this goddess and that legend. As far as she figured, the only thing that got the gods to actually come down from their mountain was drama between members of their large family and giving undue attention to mortals that invented a new way of drinking alcohol.
It was a true story. The inventor of the straw, a bored matron of a much too wealthy house, was made an immortal for her exploits.
‘Or so Rye claims.’
But yes, the city was beautiful in the way that an old ruin was. It was the perfect playground for the pair of unlikely pals, as they Indiana-jones’d their way through a narrow back alley and out into a courtyard filled with dregs.
Elia emerged and immediately ducked beneath a duo of spear strikes. She twisted her body, struck the first dreg along the lower back, and decapitated the second one before rolling out into the open.
The remaining trio of undead noticed her only a hair later than she did them. Their sun-dried bodies creaked with every step, decayed city guard armor rattling in tune.
Can’t touch this! Rye called as Elia parried spear thrust with her buckler.
“You suck!” Elia yelled as after a moment of matching strength, she pushed the first to the floor.
Your fleas have balls and your horse is… a… mother?
You have gained: Souls x151
A spear thrust screamed across her chest plate as she was forced to back off. “Don’t fumble now Rye, we had a good thing going.”
She flourished her long spoon as the remaining two undead advanced on her.
Giant’s favored spoon
A spoon of steel made for the hands of a giant who failed to ascend. Sturdy, sharpened, and as long as a short spear. An odd choice for a weapon.
In her hands it was a lethal one. Another two spear strikes went to skewer her, but she danced out of reach with ease.
“Dang, they’re on the bounce. These Loften dregs are built different.” She kept the distance as they quickly moved after. Their spears were long, her spoon was short. Without initiative, she’d have to rely on her armor. A skirt of mail pads protected her hips, her repaired chestplate her chest and a pair of flared gauntlets her arms up to the elbow. Her pauldrons were mismatched and her neck dreadfully exposed, but that was the price to pay for cheaping out. It was enough against normal dregs. “Alright, I guess it’s time–”
–for a swap!
Elia’s shoulders slumped ever so slightly and Rye blinked. A much longer spear found its way into her hands.
Grug spear
A spear once used for hunting wild grugs, now a standard fare among militias and Loften’s guards. The wings prevent it from penetrating too deeply, keeping the tip from getting stuck or breaking altogether.
Alright Rye, remember the hierarchy.
“Initiative, reach, positioning, speed, strength.”
Attagirl. Now, go get ‘em.
Rye stopped retreating, eying the undead. A solid chestplate and helmet, rotten padding, and rusted mail along the limbs. A stroke to the face or neck were the only instantly lethal choices. Alternatives? Immobilize, then finish the job. Her own defense, well, normally Elia could take care of that. She had the parry boon, she controlled the shield arm.
“Elia? Could you stay back for this one? I want to do this–“
–on your own. Are you–
“–sure? Yes, yes I am.”
Figures. Was kind of expecting it.
Without protest, Elia squirmed back. Rye settled into a stance and pressed the advance. She flinched when a spear bounced off her scavenged helmet.
No magic? I thought you–
“Trained my butt off? Memorized constellations and mathematical formulas until they bled from my ears?” Another strike bounced off her chestplate. “Sure, I did it all. But Patia–“
–doesn’t think you’re ready. Whoop-de-doo.
The dreg swept at her legs. Rye hopped and the attacker lost an arm in return, shoulder skewered clean through. Its friend wasn’t idle and while Rye had been maneuvering to keep her target between them, it finally charged around and landed a solid strike that cut inches across her cheek.
You want me to–
“No!”
Alright, alright, no need to–
“–get worked up?” She maneuvered until the disarmed dreg was in the way of the other again, then advanced with purpose, head low to the ground. She was rewarded with another solid hit, finishing it off at the neck. “Believe me, I will get worked up. I’m–“
–a knight, yeah, we’ve heard it before. And knights–
“–are supposed to be chivalrous, polite, stalwart, reliable and–” she struck as the second dreg did and felt her blow connect with its skull while its tip stabbed into her thigh. “– OW, fu-huck.”
Elia gasped. Rye shrunk together as the dreg’s strings were cut.
Rye, did you just… swear?
“N-no…”
Hah, you just said fuck! Yeees, welcome to the club of grown-ups.
“… I am so going to hell.” Rye sighed a whine, or whined a sigh. “My next boon is going to be terrible.”
She had already searched through most of the bodies when her conscience decided to remind her that stealing from the dead was just as much a sin as swearing. She moaned in frustration, but what was done was done.
You have gained: Bones of boons [Common] x2, [Uncommon] x1
Bone shards: [Common] x13, [Uncommon] x23, [Rare] x1
Five more uncommons and we can trade for enough to get a rare bone die. We got a good haul today, let’s roll a common.
Rye combined ten of her eleven shards together and hoped for the best.
You have gained: Impeccable reputation
[Mind/Spirit] Impeccable reputation [Common] [Empty Slot]
Many people know you and those who do only say good things. In your presence, no one can disparage, criticize, or verbally antagonize you if it would harm your reputation. Your subtlety determines how obvious this effect is to those affected.
“Awww, beans… hey, isn’t this–“
Mind control? Yes, I’ve noticed an ugly tendency for mind related boons.
Rye sighed before breathing in and breathing out. Then, Elia was back in control.
Yes, but these boons are getting weirder and weirder. Just last week you got one that allowed you to change the color of water while touching it.
“Ah, yes, but you forget that the gods hate me.” Elia found a bag full of wyckwax balls, though they were sadly all dried out.
I am starting to believe your inimical relationship goes two ways. Then again, I can’t help but think we are forgetting something…
The sound of well oiled, perfectly fitted plate armor reached her ear as Karla burst from the valley where they had just exited from, exploding a pair of wooden crates, planks flying everywhere. She had bricks tied to her armor and was panting like a marathon runner.
“Miss lady Rye, why did you leave me behiiind–” she whined in that whiny voice that made Elia not want to be around her, because she was whiny and also Karla. “Oh. Is it over already?”
“Yes! Faster next time,” Elia yelled. “Now, one hundred punishment pushups. MOVE!”
Karla immediately lowered herself down and began pumping. When Elia sat herself on her back she only slowed down for a brief second before soldiering on.
Come on Elia, be nice. She’s just like a little sister. I get the feeling that you are trying to be rid of her.
That’s because she was. Elia just… didn’t like how openly needy the girl was. How much babysitting she required. How she couldn’t do anything without exact and clear commands.
“Ninety-nine… one-hundred.” Elia kept on sitting on the girls back even as she finished. “Um, miss Elia? I can’t secure the perimeter with you sitting on my back.”
Elia. Please. Do it for me.
“I’d rather switch.” One second in, one second out. “Hi Karla! Sorry, Elia wanted to stretch her – our – legs and we kind of slipped on ahead.”
Great, blame the grumpy one.
Rye ignored her, instead watching Karla hop from one leg on to the other. How did she still have that energy after all this? “Is everything alright? Has Elia been too harsh on you? Would you like to file a complaint?”
After a moment of deciding she had nothing to say, Karla eventually opened her mouth. “Well, I believe you–”
She squinted, confused.
“Next time, I would like to–” She swallowed, head on a swivel as her eyes scanned the rooftops. “Is this a test!? Is there a dreg with an odd boon hunting us?”
Rye sighed. “I just gained a bad one. I’ll be rid of it at the temple.”
“Oh.” The girl looked sheepishly to the floor where five undead lay dead. When she next lifted her head she had not a bead of sweat on it. The girl never tired from anything, not while running around in full armor nor fighting with her new and oversized round shield. “Are we not continuing on?”
Elia breathed out. She was rather done for the day and due to this encounter and an earlier one with a particularly fat boar-thing, they had enough souls for their planned expenses and some grub afterwards.
“Nah, we’re heading back.”
The girl deflated a bit. Elia had made sure that she didn’t get to do much at all today.
Elia…
Elia rolled her eyes. “Alright, last one back has to pay the first round of cud.”
----------------------------------------
You have given: Soul x800
Soul count: Soul x11.843
“Goddamn freak,” Elia huffed, entirely out of breath.
Karla happily munched on her two bowls of cud in the background.
Don’t be mean to her, Elia.
“Is it normal for people to run through walls these days?” She sat down on her own patch of grass out of earshot. “Something’s up with her. She sprints like a goddamn top of the line athlete while carrying half a ton in shields and armor.”
And yet you still demand that she takes detours, follows us with a hand and an arm tied behind her back or stays well behind as a rearguard. It doesn’t seem fair.
“It’s good training! She’s spoiled by her gear and souls, she needs to know a challenge before the challenge comes to her.” She shoveled a bowl of cud into her mouth before swallowing. Exploring the surrounding housing blocks was hungry work. Now, it was time to eat her food in peace, spend some souls and–
Elia…
She threw up her hands. “Fine, fine… I guess I also don’t want to share my souls and shards.”
She’s doing her best. She may have stronger souls or better gear from her no doubt privileged upbringing, but that isn’t all that’s to her. She needs a role model. She looks up to you, Elia.
If that was supposed to make her feel bad, it wasn’t working. Nope. Not one bit.
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Or, well, she looks up to me. I think she’s afraid of you.
“Good. Let her deal with fear. Better now than with the shit that’s out there.”
Her wooden bowls and tableware clattered together as Elia finished the last of her food. She made sure her annoying companion wasn’t going to follow after her (she was lying spread-eagled watching the clouds) and took the steep stairs up a terraced hillside until she stood atop the overgrown hillside garden.
She slipped inside the temple slash bathhouse and was immediately serenaded by Pim singing in the distance. Lim was more lucent these days, though she was still unable to get out of bed. A greater soul for the mind would have helped wonders, but merchants, as she had found out, didn’t like running charities or hospitals. Even for a common soul ten thousand was a bit too much for her taste and that was before factoring in the souls that needed to be invested into the ability increases.
“Alright, level up or boon exchange first?”
I’d like to exchange my boon, if that is alright with you.
“At the beauty-goddess’ altar?” Elia asked with a smug quirk of her lips.
N-no... ok, maybe next time, but I’d rather ask Kao-Joo, considering how much we’ve been traveling around.
A fair assessment. They couldn’t stay cooped up on the temple grounds forever. She doffed most of her gear before walking into the deepest pool. The great statue entwined by twin serpents was even more impressive when standing at its base. It wasn’t deep enough for her to swim and the lilies and swaths of duckweed growing about only furthered her desire to get this over with quickly.
Elia breathed in and Rye breathed out. Her hand offered a common shard which disappeared in the blink of an eye. There was the feeling of being watched.
“I greet you, oh Kao-joo, traveler of seas. I offer my [Impeccable reputation] and [No one knows] for an exchange. All things have a price, we offer our due sacrifice.”
Her breath was drawn out and the smoke converged.
The traveler of elegant seas notes your sacrifice
Choose one of three boons:
[Body] Buoyant [Common] [Empty Socket]
If you can’t swim and tend to fall in the water a lot, perhaps all you need is a little lift. Your body always has enough buoyancy to float when submerged in water.
[Sense] Sea snack [Common]
Through a life spent on jagged coasts, you always know where to find delectable morsels hidden between the shallows. When nearby, your instinct will alert you to edible seafood.
[Sense] Tastes like danger [Common] [Empty Socket]
You can taste danger on the wind. Greater precision and distance with greater sense of taste. Doesn’t work upwind and can be blocked by other smells.
Gee, wasn’t aware he was also the god of cheapskates
“Elia, no, don’t say that.” Rye braced for a smiting. When nothing happened she looked over her choices and deflated. “None of these are great.”
You sacrificed two commons, what did you expect? [No one knows] was a common, right?
“I think so? I can’t remember what it did at all.” It was a rather silly boon anyways. “We ought to eat less. I think it’s influencing our boon choices.”
Hey, [Sea snack] sounds nice. Mahdi’s pedecud is expensive as heck.
“Yes but no…” She sighed. “I think I’ll take [Buoyant]. It’ll help with those flooded streets we’ve been bumping into. Even without the armor I can’t swim. I never learned it.”
You have gained a divine boon: Buoyant [Common]
I mean, I can always swim for you.
What little elation she had felt at gaining a boon went out the window.
“Aw beans, could you have said that about five seconds earlier?”
Chill, the choices were bad anyways. Since we’re saving our uncommon shards to trade for eight rares, we could get a new choice of boons together with my [Watercolor touch].
Rye thought it through. In the end, it didn’t seem worth the risk, not when that was another common one. Maybe she could get a boon for sparkling hair or that would repair her purple skin from Rokokoko. Sadly, neither of those were more important than preventing her from drowning and Elia was vehement that they cut their hair for safety purposes anyways.
They swapped again and Elia stepped out of the pool to dry off and go get a level up.
She found the attendant boy sitting quietly with his feet in one of the pools. To her annoyance, her other half’s blush wormed its way on her face. He didn’t seem to care and with a single gesticulated question and answer, she knelt down and let the haze flow out of her.
Name: Elia (& Rye)
Age: 21 (allegedly) & 23
Soul count: x11.843
Bone shards: [Common] x0, [Uncommon] x23, [Rare] x1
Undead cursemark Overflowing.
Moderately diminishes body. Slightly diminishes sense and mind.
Vessels:
[Body] Soul of the Forlorn Giant [Uncommon]
Your Body is weak, like a sickly human. You have the constitution of an athletic adult.
[Sense] Soul of the Fane Eater [Uncommon]
Your Sense is slightly worse than the average human. Your sense of smell, touch and sight is average among humans.
[Mind]
Your Mind is above the average human.
[Spirit] Soul of a glazed lizard [Common] (Warded)
Your Spirit is strong, like a practiced lunatic. Your reservoir is very large, like a veteran war-mage.
Boons Elia:
1 – [Spirit] Psychometry [Uncommon] [Essence of Ego]
2 – [Body] Perfect Parry [Common]
3 – [Body] Cutting Cutlery [Common] [Essence of Keenness] [Essence of Rending] [Empty Socket]
4 – [Spirit] Watercolor touch [Common]
Boons Rye:
1 – [Body] Buoyant [Common] [Empty Socket]
2 –
The lack of empty spaces filled her mind with a subtle joy. Rye felt much the same and though it wasn’t much, the spillover between the two minds amplified it by a good deal.
“Alright, just keep on putting souls in until we get that increase to instinct.”
He signed a sign.
“Yes, I’m sure.” A moment passed. “But just to be safe, cap it at ten thou’, alright?”
He nodded.
“Thanks.”
Soul count: x11.843
Soul count: x6.843
Soul count: x1.843
[Sense] Soul of the Fane Eater [Uncommon]
Your Sense is slightly worse than the average human. Your sense of smell, touch and sight is average among humans. Your instinct is very sharp, like a predator on the hunt.
Level 1: 2000/2000 Minor increase to smell, touch and sight
Level 2: 10000/10000 Great increase to instinct
Ten thousand was just enough and the difference was immediate. Tiny details and hints suddenly magnified into grave portents of danger or luck. She realized Patia was impatient, though not the reason why. She remembered that the temple was exposed on its small hill, yet nobody ever seemed to attack it or even visit. She could see it now, that uncertain something whenever she passed one of the gods’ statues. They were watching, watching and waiting.
But that didn’t unsettle her much at all. It was obvious in hindsight, Rye’s fear and respect for the gods weren’t born from superstition. No, what irked her more was that worry she couldn’t place, that inkling of a feeling like a single note of doom scratching at the back of her mind.
And then, they both placed it.
“Oh shit,–”
I know what is wrong,–
“–we’re merging.”
----------------------------------------
Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck.
Rye sighted her target, the damnable Todd, bane of her training at arms. She called a sphere of ice from the little Viln branch constellation and let it harden until it was as large as two fists put together.
Fuck, fuck, SHIT, fuck.
It had a hollow and within it she placed a swirling stream pulled from the amethyst river and twisted it in on itself like a knot before coating it with clingy twin-lover influence. Then, with practiced ease she lifted her spiritual grip at a precise point and let it fly, finishing the sign of calm as it had barely left her hand. It hit the dummy perfectly in the head, knocking it back like a frosted pendulum. The dummy immediately jumped out from its mounting and sped towards her.
‘I’ll try for the legs. Five or six ought to be enough.’
Aaaaugh, everything was going peachy, I should have known something was up. I should have been more suspicious. When did we start finishing each other’s sentences? I’m gonna die for real and it’s all because the world decided to boil me even slower this time.
“Can you be quiet for a moment?” Rye asked as she pelted Todd with ball after ball. By the fifth his zig-zagging hops proved insufficient. He finally fell over, broomstick iced against the ground. “I appreciate you worrying about our collective future, but there’s nothing we could have done differently or no way we could have known.”
Stop saying ‘we’! We’re not an ‘us’, it’s just ‘you’ and ‘me’ in here.
Rye didn’t exactly see the problem. There were just much more important things to be worrying about, like practicing her magic until Patia determined she was fit to cast it under combat circumstances. Souls were also a constant worry, together with Karla they nearly ate a thousand worth in food every day and finding easy pickings was becoming increasingly risky. She’d seen some of the creatures lurking around in this urban forest, even if she had all of Elia’s strength and skill she’d make a wide berth around them.
“If we become more similar, I can only hope you gain some of my better traits and I some of yours.”
There was an exasperated noise, like someone breathing heavily into a pillow.
It’s not gonna stop at similar, Rye. We’re literally going to become one person. Whoever’s left after that won’t be me or you. It’s ego-death for the both of us.
Ah. Well, that was slightly more worrying. Slightly enough for Rye to sit down. Slinging balls of stellar ice all day was hard work, yep. There was nothing to worry about, there was no existential crisis approaching, nope, no siree. She was just tired, physically exhausted, yup.
In out, in out, in out, in out. Like the ocean, vast and endless, move but be immovable.
“Maybe once we have all four vessels filled with great souls, things will look up. We are missing one for the mind.”
… I like the idea, but I’m not sure it’ll be that easy.
“Oh, pshaw, everything will be just peachy Elia. I’ve got you after all, masterful Elia, awesome Elia, queen of blades, wildcard ace and stalker of the undead day.”
There was a dismissive huff and more muffled sounds. Yep, she was definitely weak to compliments.
“The best, the best,” she hollered with a smugness weaving into her magic, “Elia the great, Elia the wonderful! And don’t forget you have me too, me and my magic!”
With a flourish and a cut of flow, the conjured ball of ice blasted into Todd’s rusted helmet-face, icicles growing sideways off the back. He slumped to the ground, unmoving.
… I think you killed him.
“OH NOOO! TOOOODD!”
Upon inspecting the training dummy from up close, it became thankfully evident that he was not dead. The most obvious hint was when he nearly stabbed Rye’s eye out before chasing the overconfident mage up and down the training grounds with aimed whacks and whaps of his staff. Only after her legs and behind felt like they were on fire did he consider the scales balanced and waited for her riposte.
“I think I have toiled enough for the day.” She wiped the sweat from her forehead before seeing Karla descend from the baths above. “Oh, look at her go. She must have something really important to say with the way she’s skipping steps–“
She tripped.
“– and oh no. KARLA, WATCH OUT!” It was already too late, and Rye could do little more than watch her tumble down from terrace to terrace, through the bramble bushes and the vineyards until with a clinkering thud she gave the nearest house a new airhole.
Rye immediately motioned towards a ladder, but a tingle in her arm stopped her.
Don’t. Let her stand up on her own.
“She just fell five meters – sixteen feet.”
And the last time it was twenty-two and she had little more than a bruise to moan about. You shouldn’t baby her, she needs to stand up alone.
As if on cue, the sound of shifting roof tiles signaled that Karla was not unconscious. It filled Rye with pride to see her simply brush herself off and made for the ladder with dignity.
No complaints. A real stand upper. Rye would have loved to have her as a little sister. Of course, once she was on the floor Rye practically flew all over her, checking for wounds and bent bits of armor. Not that her armor ever bent or broke.
She’ll never learn like this.
“Shush you, allow me my worries.” Not every lesson had to be learned with a death on the dot. “And you are really alright Karla?”
Even Karla was starting to show a hint of discomfort. “I-yes, thank you for your concern. I was just… checking for falling damage.”
“Well, if you say you’re alright.” She paused to look at the map Karla was holding. “Did you find any promising spots?”
Karla did her best impression of a bobblehead figure. She spread the map on a nearby flat stone, a faded rendition of the district sown with circles and crossed out circles. They’d been very busy this past month. Two months? Three? Timekeeping was hard without a sun to set and rise. Maybe it was missing. A worrying prospect, one Rye didn’t enjoy meditating on, though it ought to still be around considering the constant half-light the city was bathed in.
“We can mark off the ocean-ward city streets.” Karla struck one through with a red chalk-like rock. “Similarly, we have explored the nearby areas flame-wards, tar-wards and mountain-wards.”
The girl looked up at Rye who encouraged her to continue on.
“Our choices are twofold. Firstly, we may ‘loot’ and explore the nearby areas we have forwent so far. The poisonous sewers. The suspiciously silent place. The one with all the barking.”
Oh, yeah, no. None of those are a good idea, we knew that even without a boost to our instincts.
Rye nodded. “And the other one would be to go further afield, away from the temple.”
They both stayed silent for a while. The temple had a sort of pacifying effect on the surrounding area. None of the bigger monsters bothered to wander close and most of the dregs were barely on the level of a militia captain. They had found no knights so far, neither tarry goop nor demons, dragons, and sundry. That could all well change should they go further away, but eventually the time had to come. Life could not go on without risks and they had ample time to prepare.
“I believe you should make the choice.” Rye said, which startled Karla.
“I, well… I prefer to defer to your wisdom, oh lady Rye…”
“Not a chance.”
“O-oh. Ok. N-now, when I was still at home, my wards instructed me to beware of drifting too close to legion territory. However, I overheard some dregs muttering in their sleep – they do that sometimes – and, well, I appear to have found the location of a dungeon.” Her finger swerved along the map until it arrived at a place due south of their position. “Here. The academy of lunatics. The lunatics are a dangerous bunch, reckless and godless conjurers the lot of them. If we raid their lair, we should get at least a single uncommon soul for trading.”
She stared up at Rye with her hazel eyes, waiting for a sign. It went unsaid that Karla knew Rye needed one more soul, or that she didn’t want one for herself. Rye was half convinced the girl wouldn’t even mind all that much if they gave her a smaller share of the loot and souls. She must have had a very easy life living in her tower, unaware of what she was missing out on. or maybe she just had all her boons filled up with good ones already?
Rye. Say yes. Say we’ll go.
Belatedly, she realized she had been staring for too long.
“Yes. Thank you, Karla.” She stood up and turned away so Karla could beam without shame. “I will correspond with my teacher then. Prepare the wyckwax, the toad’s rations, and the other things. We are going on an adventure. And this time it will be good.”