“I still can’t believe we won that,” Karla said as they reached the outskirts of Clearwater Temple. “And nobody died!”
“Blurgh,” Elia blurghed, still feeling physically ill. Nine deaths. It took nine tries until they finally cornered the beast. OSHA really had their work cut out for themselves with conjurers. Patia was right, though even learning the calm-sign first didn’t help with some accidents. “I think I still have some swamp in my lung. Next time I try to play the hero, remind me kindly not to. Preferably, with a metal pipe to the head. That’d hurt less. Ow.”
“Oh come on, miss Elia, your performance was staggering. Especially that double backflip, the jump between the jaws – when did you have time to train that?”
“I believe she said before that she improvised, no?” Nali said, somewhat despondent. She didn’t die this time, though collateral damage almost caught up with her.
She didn’t believe violence was an answer to anything, up until the creature was pulled screaming into a hole in the sky on its death. Frankly, that left everyone more than shaken, though Mouggen had it easy not showing it.
“I have to add that my scream was the perfect distraction.” Cesare was still somehow convinced that his contributions were central. Maybe they were. He certainly wasn’t remotely helpful the first eight times.
“Maybe next time, use your magic to pop its eardrums,” Elia grouched.
“Barbaric! I only use my music for fun, for drama, for music and dance. Have you ever tried dancing?” He made a swish-swish motion with his tail. “You have the flexibility, the finesse for it. I wasn’t aware a girl could bend that far.”
“Yeah, neither could I.” Elia said in a deadpan voice.
He held up his hands defensively. “Hey, don’t look at me like that, I didn’t say a thing.”
But he thought it.
“But you thought – hey, I was gonna say that.”
She was going to have to get used to being stared at weirdly with this crowd. It was a lot easier talking to herself when there wasn’t anybody else physically present. They’d learn, but what were the chances they would believe her as willingly as everyone else? Then again, Karla was good for one thing, namely hyping her up to the sky and above.
They wouldn’t have gone through this ordeal if she had just listened, of course. They also wouldn’t have met Nali and through her Cesare and Mouggen. Elia counted meeting them against her. More variables were always unwelcome, but for now, as they crested a pile of rubble and stood in the training grounds, now it was time for rest and relaxation.
“First things first, Imma get some pedecud. I’m absolutely starving.”
“Pedecud? Hah, you must be joking. That’s feed, for livestock.” Cesare made a face, one that Elia threw right back at him.
“Yeah, well eff you too bud.”
“Oh come on. I can’t win!” She left his japing in the distant as she marched towards the trader’s stall.
Mahdi was just polishing an essence when she plonked herself down in front of him.
“My, someone looks rather exhausted.”
“You bet, Mahdi-who-is-definitely-not-Harris.” Even saying that, her features softened as she basked in the safeness of this space. “Four times the usual, Mahdi.”
“Of course,” he said, pulling out two already warm bowls of cud. “Extra toppings all around. The others are still ‘cooking’, as it were.”
You have given: Soul x400
Soul count: x10,841
She took in the smell, hearty and with a little bit of zest. Oh yeah, this was worth any number of trials.
Leave some for me, I’m just as hungry as you are.
“Njom, njom, njom.”
After her two bowls were empty, she wiped her mouth and got down to business.
“So, Mahdi. You got any new uncommon souls since the last time I asked?”
“’fraid not. Still only the two for the body.”
“Would you be interested in buying?”
His eyes flashed. “Oh? You must have had quite the haul then.”
Only because no one contested her dibs. Karla was happy with the shards and souls she got, as was Cesare. Moggen took the one essence of sharpness it dropped, which would have been redundant for her [Cutting cutlery]. Nali had said that she forsook the pursuit of earthly treasures. She was awfully interested in the concept of boons though, as they presented somewhat of a grey zone.
‘Do you own your hand? What if you lose your hand and get a prosthetic? What if you get a bunch of extra tentacle hands, like Doc Oc?’
Anyways, Elia presented Quibbles, keeper of souls, who in turn presented the soul.
Soul of a stygian pike
The dark ocean was never meant to be explored. Those who dared look for a reflection of our world beyond the sky would soon know the folly. Yet with folly comes power and with sacrifice a choice.
The man was practically salivating over it. Elia gently pulled it back again.
“I’ll fetch the attendant to curate our catch, but it should be an uncommon at least.”
“That I can believe. The stygian pike – those things were always a menace before we made peace with the sky.”
“We?”
“Us, the people of the empire, you understand.” He rubbed the bandages wrapping his arm. “The gods were always at war with one thing or another, peace was simply there to keep one foe at an arm’s length so they could focus their efforts on another.”
“Huh. Alright, lemme get him real quick.” She did, jogging up the steps and then nearly stumbling over Cesare and co’ on their way down.
Under his ministrations, the soul revealed its secret.
[Body] Soul of a stygian pike [Uncommon]
0/12,000 – Moderate increase to Strength and Finesse
0/2,000 – Minor increase to tenacity
“Looks like you are in luck,” Mahdi said. “That is a very strong uncommon soul.”
“Hummm,” Elia hummed.
This looks good. Oh, but we’d have to exchange it for our giant’s soul, no?
“Yeah. We’d gain a lot of finesse which scales with [Cutting cutlery], but honestly I don’t see it becoming any more useful than it already is. No… versatility. The only thing that can stop a good slash is half a foot of steel plate, or if I miss the joint.” She shook her head. “No, we’re selling this one. Oh, but now that I have you here: Attendant, what does tenacity do?”
The attendant beamed at her, switching from handsign to handsign. The action itself was almost as mesmerizing as the way it imprinted thoughts and ideas on her mind.
Wellll… I wouldn’t mind finding out what else those hands can do.
“Rye!”
What? Don’t tell me you didn’t think that as well.
She didn’t. Not at all. Not even a little bit. But she couldn’t say that, because Rye would always read between the lines instead of on them, nor could she bonk Rye for being terminally horny.
“Alright, so, tenacity. As I understand it, it increases your resistance to being acted upon by physical forces. Say someone cuts your skin. Higher tenacity will reduce how deep it cuts. If you fall from on high, your impact will carry the same weight but you won’t feel the impact as much–“
He made another few handsigns.
“But curiously, tenacity doesn’t reduce the speed at which you fall in the first place. Your body gets overall more resilient which begs the question, why didn’t our soul of the forlorn giant give us anything in that direction. He was pretty beefy. It would have made sense.”
The attendant shrugged. Mahdi poked the soul again.
“Perhaps – and this is just my own theory – your uncommon soul simply didn’t have the capacity to express itself any further? Don’t worry, perhaps it will show you a new face on another cycle.”
Elia quirked an eyebrow. “A cycle of what?”
Mahdi looked caught out. “Ah, well, there I go again, saying things that leave people like you confused, doubting themselves and thinking too deeply. Anyways, I wouldn’t worry, you’ll know soon enough. You are looking to fill your quartet, aren’t you?”
We do have a rather important empty spot among our vessels, yes.
Elia nodded. Mind was the only stat she didn’t have a soul in and with this uncommon she could trade for a common soul and possibly for something more. That something more was almost as interesting as the soul, considering she was still walking around with a plate and chainmail crop-top. Thanks to the space fish thing her chestplate proved unsalvageable. She had enough of the rigid ones anyways, the next one would be a more flexible type.
“Alright Rye, you’re up.” She took a breath and out breathed Rye.
Go get us a good deal. Mahdi’s practically salivating over the soul, maybe get us some armor, and a bag of fruit while you’re at it.
Rye’s smile turned innocent, like a drawer full of knives as she pulled Karla along. “Well, Mahdi, looks like you are in luck. I have found just the expert on armor and weapons I’d like in exchange…”
----------------------------------------
Rye left Mahdi’s stall with a kick to her step and humming a jaunty tune. She patted the place that felt fuller in her chest where her new armor fit snugly from shoulder to her knees. It was an eclectic mix of metal plates and mail strategically woven into a leather vest. Mobility took precedence over protection, which was why her shield arm had a much thicker protection than her sword arm, and the largest solid piece of metal was the thick gorget protecting her neck. The set even came with those little shield-thingies to protect her armpits with and a tattered cloak to keep her warm.
Yorivale set
The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
Armor of the watchmen of Yorivale, a land where the curse of the beast turned humans into scaled monstrosities. A tang of blood accompanies it.
Slightly protects against frigid and fiery conjurations.
Overall, Rye felt safe, more than safe even. Something like the heat of being drunk was pushing against her chest without making her feel inebriated. She felt powerful. Unstoppable.
Perhaps she should get that checked. That couldn’t be normal. It was only a common soul and the increases coming with it were just as mundane. As far as magic that changed her very being could be called anything less than miraculous.
[Spirit/Mind] Soul of a crystallized conjurer [Uncommon]
Soul of a conjurer who in his pursuit of immortality failed to keep up the correct balance. Whether he succeeded or failed, his soul remains and perhaps it will serve better than a chunk of ice.
3,200/3,200 Moderate increase to Reservoir
4,400/4,400 Moderate increase to Concentration
Not that they were unwelcome. Interestingly enough she could have put this hybrid soul either in her Mind or Spirit slot, assuming she had any space in the latter. While the increase to reservoir simply added to her overall spellcasting pool, the additional concentration would help with more than just magic. Her mind wasn’t a razor, it was more like someone had taken a well-used and trusty axe and given the blade a good sharpening.
She could study for longer. The effect would count double if both her and Elia studied at the same time. That was, if she found a way to corral her to do so. Elia wasn’t the most diligent, not when it came to magic. Patia had claimed it was something fundamental that she couldn’t convince herself of. Sometimes people like that existed, those whose minds were anathema to certain types of magic. The only way she could ever conjure would be with the help of boons.
“Hey Elia.”
Hmm?
“Do you feel any different?”
No. A bit sharper, maybe. Why?
“I more meant for–“
–the merging business. Yeah, no, I–
“–can still end our sentences for each other. Beans.” It was never that easy. “I thought this would do something.”
Well, it did what was written on the can. We were just hoping it was the easy fix for the little, itty-bitty crisis of OUR EGOS DYING MORE AND MORE EVERY SECOND AAAAAH!
Rye winced. “Please, not so loud. You’re drowning out my happy vibes.”
Elia made an exasperated sound.
Goddammit, that’s exactly what I mean. Since when do you know what a vibe is or how to use it in that context?
“I just pick things up quickly,” Rye mumbled. She had stopped halfway on her way to Patia. Right, she wasn’t her student anymore. All she would do was be a bother. “So, what now? Greater souls didn’t help. Things will get worse from here on out.”
I… have been thinking.
“Oh, do you do that?”
Elia prodded her mind and she prodded right back. The mental poke-battle devolved until they both had a headache, though that was quickly fixed with a plum-flavored sip of bowl water.
I think a big problem is that we have been sharing near one hundred percent of our time together. We’ve had the same experiences and some of the same emotions bleeding through our connection. Different nature, same nurture, of course we’re getting more similar.
“And you think that’s what’s causing all this?”
Well, I’m sure it’s not helping. If we turn our consciousness off while the other is in control, we should either stop the merging process, or slow it down enough until we can find a permanent solution.
“Like getting you a body.” Rye sighed. “You know, barely a few months ago I would have wanted to get you a body to have you out. Does it sound weird that I’d rather you stay a bit longer? Elia?”
There was no answer. She was enacting her idea already, putting the theory to the… test.
More outsider turns of phrase. Great. Elia could have warned her, but no, she just had to do everything by herself. She was still there, but muted, in the background. The missing presence in her mind reminded herself of how large the breaking world was, and how small she was.
She sat down on the stairway to the baths, distracting herself by watching the movement of people below. The attendant was busy cleaning Todd the training puppet. Mahdi was busy admiring his shiny new soul in a jar. Karla, Cesare, and Moggen were somewhere up top, no doubt making good use of the baths and other facilities.
Maybe she should peek a bit. Should she peek? No. yes. What if she did it respectfully? She could just walk past and hope she could sneak a glance. Curiosity was killing her because she wanted to know what kind of man Moggen was beneath the mask. A different kind of curiosity was asking herself if the rest of Cesare’s chimera body was the same smooth, hairless pink as his face.
Soul count: x6,311
She jumped as her hand swiped the air. “Elia, why do you keep doing that?”
Just keeping track. Mahdi paid quite a lot of souls to make up the difference between uncommon and common soul. I’ve been wondering about whether or not we need a new weapon and if so what kind.
“Well stop it, it makes me uncomfortable. You’d think it a distraction with how often you use the breath. Warn me next time.”
Hmm, sure. By the way, miss I-want-to-be-a-hero’s staring at us again.
A good few steps up the stairs Karla stopped like a dog caught in the pantry, she noticed the girl’s stiffness, the averted gaze, and above average levels of fidgetiness.
“Karla, is everything alright?”
“Y-yes?” The Karla near shrunk back. “Is there a reason I shouldn’t be?”
Well, there were many reasons. Most if not all of them started with how the last excursion had gone. With how Elia chafed against Karla’s increasing insistence to ignore her good advice, callous as she may sometimes seemed. The problem went so far that when they happened upon three strangers, Karla looked downright relieved to have someone else to cling to. This was only going to get worse. The tension would mount until at some point one side snapped and broke them apart.
“Elia, you need to talk it out with her.” Rye slunk back into the mindspace, shunting Elia to the forefront. “H-hey, wait, wuh – oh, that feels weird.”
Maybe this way you can salvage the damage done.
“Wait, wait, wait, what did I do?”
Nothing you intended. Your bluntness can be a challenge on its own. I’d rather you use it as a hammer to fix things than break them. Go on now. If I can learn how to poke things with the pointy stick you can learn how to talk to people before your relationship crashes and burns.
Elia felt a blip, then realized she couldn’t force Rye to the front when she was hiding behind unconsciousness.
“Beans,” she said, then swore again.
Karla was still standing around like an insecure puppy. With a groan and a sigh Elia waved her down. Here was to hoping the right words would find her, preferably now instead of later under the shower.
“Um, miss Rye?”
“C’mon Karla, we’re going on an adventure.”
“Oh. But we just came from one, miss… Elia?”
“Bingo.” Elia gestured for her to follow along. “We’re off to find the temple’s secret.”
Karla perked up. “The temple has a secret?”
“Of course! Every temple has one. It’s uh, a treasure room filled with… a secret compartment. And other… stuff. Just follow me, I won’t bite or ambush you in the bushes.”
“Kay,” the girl mumbled.
They walked around the hill in a counterclockwise manner along small paths running down terraced gardens and small vineyard. Every couple dozen steps a small chamber was built into the hill with rough rocks stacked upon each other. They checked every of the chambers but only found farming tools and rotten containers. By the fifth, Karla finally broke the silence.
“If you want me gone, you can just say so.”
Elia looked at her, digging through a heap of compost for treasure. She said nothing at all, egging Karla on with just a look.
“I know why you always weigh me down and send me running back and forth. It’s not just weight training, you don’t want me around when things get dangerous. You don’t trust me to pull my weight.” She stood up straight and for a moment gave off an air of imperiousness. Elia felt like she was staring at a dissatisfied poodle.
“I…” Elia began, but bit her lip. Phrasing her thoughts nicely was hard, harder even than fighting magic and monsters. “I think that you have many strengths, Karla. You’re physically strong, you’ve got tenacity out the wazoo, you know a lot about every type of armor and sword. I would have bled out without your first aid."
“Then why? Why are you treating me, the tank, as if I’m made of glass? You’re the scissors and the paper, and you can’t even allow me to only be a rock?”
She felt a weight on her mind, and not just from the biting remarks. Rye was listening in. She could call on her whenever. But Elia would do things her way first because her other half was right. She couldn’t evade dealing with people forever.
“I only want to make sure you’re safe, make sure you don’t die out there.”
“It’s not safe out there!” Karla yelled. “And you won’t tie me down to ‘protect’ weak ol’ me. I get enough of that from my aunt, I don’t need a bigger cage!”
Elia recoiled. She’d never seen Karla genuinely angry at anything or anyone, ever.
“I don’t trust many people, you’re right about that,” she mumbled. “And you’re right that you’re not safe. The scissor beast cut your shield like butter; the deer thing would have torn you in half.”
“But it didn’t!”
“It did!” Elia shot back. She’d seen it, she’d seen the face Karla made when her invincibility was shattered. There was no way communicating that without giving away her time loop business. That was the one thing that stayed between her and Rye.
“What do you mean it did?”
Do you need help?
“No.” She rested her head in her hands before smelling a whiff of the compost still sticking to it. “I have many boons, Karla, as you may know.”
Karla nodded.
“What I’m about to tell you stays between you and I, got that?” Elia breathed in, then out. “I can see the future.”
There was a silence again. She half expected the girl to storm out and laugh at the ridiculousness. Instead, her features softened as she took on a confused, yet believing tone.
“Like an oracle?”
Elia swallowed. “Yup. Not very far, but I can see, feel, touch. I saw you die. Felt your blood on my hands. Many, many times. I don’t put you in the back because I think you aren’t useful. I do it because I know this city is screwed seven ways upside down, that there are things out there that can kill you, despite your armor, your rare souls, and your Ferrini’s.”
The girl stroked her bone-white vambraces.
“I died?”
“No. Yes. Ugh, see, this is why I didn’t tell you, you wouldn’t believe me.”
Well, you ARE telling a blatant lie. At least it’s less complicated than the truth. Wonder how long you can keep it up.
Karla sat down next to her. “So, in these futures you see, I die?”
“Some.” She sniffed. “Others, it’s me doing the dying. I’ll be honest, it’s mostly me. You’re a surprisingly hard nut to crack without anything directly countering your armor.”
They sat in silence for a while.
“Well, that’s that. You know my big secret. Go,” Elia made a shooing motion, “have your adventure with Cesare and Mougen. Save the world or some such nonsense. I’m sure you’ll do splendid. Chain boon, great gear, royal blood, blood magic. Really, you’re JRPG-protagonist-levels of overpowered. If anything, I’ve been dragging you down.”
She returned back to looking through broken tools. Maybe she would find some loot, find that one shard she was missing for her blue boon. It was quite confounding her why Karla hadn’t left yet.
“If… hypothetically speaking… I was to try and save the world, would you be at my side?”
“If you help me and Rye get separate bodies.” She snorted dismissively. “Of course, you’d need to know how.”
“I know someone who might. I know a man who does soul transplantation, makes machines come to life.”
Elia blinked, belatedly realizing the implications. “You want to stick me in a machine?”
“Only if you want. Uncle Kasimir made some really pretty ones. He’s old, but if he asks you, tell him I told you that he’s the foremost expert on souls and spirits and also my favorite uncle. I’m sure he could make a body to your specifications if you asked.”
H-hey, if that works, then maybe we could help the Wolf get a new body as well?
“Uh-huh.” Elia found what she thought was a bone shard in the pile, but it just turned out to be a normal tibia. Useless. “And what if I said I wanted to kill a god, would you still be my friend?”
Elia, that’s blas–
“Yes.” Offered her hand. “So, want to save the world?”
She drew the most incredulous look from Elia. “What?”
Karla beckoned her closer, drawing her knees to her chest.
“Since you were so candid with me, I’ll let you in a secret of mine.” Karla took a peek outside to make sure she wasn’t being followed. “The gods are at fault. They have stewardship over the world’s great forces, yet they failed their duties and let it turn to tyranny, the world and themselves. I know how to fix it. Or, well, my mother did. She told me that no one else can, no one but me. I’m the chosen one. Princess Karla of the maroon pact. Of course, my aunt wants to keep me locked up until I’m ready, but I can’t wait any longer. I have to help. And if I have to save the world to do that, well, prophecy says I’ll get around to that at some point whether I like it or not.”
Elia stared at her for an odd moment or two.
“Karla. Are you… part of a cult?”
“I wouldn’t call it a cult per se, but…”
It’s definitely a cult. A heretical one at that.
Elia chuckled, a grin some might call nasty splitting her face. “Alright. Sure. I’ll take you up on that offer. If and when you try to save the world, I’ll help you.”
“And if you try to kill a god, then you will have my shield.”
Elia nodded wisely. “And you will have my spoon.”
Karla giggled. “Alright then. Friend-hugs?”
“Uh, no?”
Karla hugged her. Elia didn’t really know what to do, so she stiffly patted her on the back. When they separated, Karla at least looked the picture of happiness.
That hug was so awkward I thought you were gonna stab her. Going to. Frick, I don’t wanna – want, to merge.
“Let’s hope our stop gap solution works.” She brushed her hands off and pulled herself up on a shovel. “Alright, enough of this charade. Let’s head back outs–“
The pair jumped back as the small room shook. Dust and dirt trickled from the ceiling. A grinding sounded out from all around and they watched as the wall lifted back. Elia and Karla gaped at the unlit hallway and at the secret entrance in front of them.
“Oh my gods, I knew you weren’t lying about your boon.”
Elia groaned. Rye stuttered in disbelief.
I don’t know what surprised me more, that Karla’s a little heretic or that whenever you open your mouth, crazy things start happening.
They explored the underground ruins, finding them empty of everything besides dusty urns and bones of someone who must have been fed through a woodchipper. Overall, the feeling of mystique and adventure made up for the general lack of loot.
“Huh. I never thought exploring a ruin without constant fear of death and undead could be so… pleasant.”
And not a single instance of grave robbing in sight. What a pleasant date.
Elia let Karla walk ahead for a bit, before turning to the side. “You are not framing this as a date. Karla’s barely eighteen, nineteen, whatever. That’s still two–… that’s four or five years younger than you.”
Ah, two what? How old again did you say you were?
Elia grumbled. Rye was just messing with her again. “I’ll tell you one day, as a reward. But only if you get your head out of the gutter and stop trying to ship me with people.”
Alright, alright.
They shared a moment of quiet.
I’m still allowed to ship you quietly, aren’t I?
“Oh shove off!”