Chapter 19: Book One – Chapter Three – Part Two – Joining Warden, A New Friend, And A Loss Of Innocence.

Walking around, Servi spotted all kinds of armor and weapons and supplies such as rope, oil, and bandages.   

A decent amount of Warden members looked around at the different merchandise, so Momo and Servi decided to join them. First, they made their way over to the clothing section for a moment. It was divided further into two more departments: one for males and one for females.  

As Momo and Servi were chatting and looking at clothes, an employee walked up to them.  

“Hello, ladies, am I correctly assuming that you are searching for armor?” she asked in an overly cheerful and enthusiastic tone. The employee was sharply dressed. A form-fitting blouse and black pencil skirt hugged her mature body, catching the lustful gaze of both men and women.  

“That’s right. I joined today, and I’m looking for a decent set. I was attacked earlier, and what I have on is all I have to my name.” 

“Oh my, how tragic! Well, come with me, and I’ll get you armored up. Are you looking for something light like what your friend has on, or do you want something a bit heavier,” she pointed to Momo, who smiled and patted her tail.

“I was thinking about a set of leather armor. Something flexible and not too heavy.” 

Honestly, Servi wanted to grab something and leave. All she wanted was something that covered her body.  

“Of course,” the employee took her by the hand and led her over to three mannequins that displayed three sets of armor.  

The one that caught her eye had a brown chest plate that came over the shoulder. It came with a thin green undershirt.  A fluffy cloak, the same color as the shirt, had a little hook to attach to the back of the chest plate.  Two leather greaves sat on each forearm, and the hands were protected by black gloves. The pants were brown and reinforced by four leather plates, two for each leg, and they were held against the wearer's waist by a belt with two pouches. A black boot protected each foot from the elements. Underneath all of that, a thin piece of chainmail offered a final layer of protection.  

 Servi didn’t need to see any other option because she had made her choice.  

“I’ll take this one. How much?” Servi asked, interrupting the employee. She lost her composure, built from years of working, and stuttered.  

“Umm..it’s...30 dupla,” she struggled to get the words out.  Servi said that was fine.  

Usually, a customer wanted to see more than one product before deciding on something.

“Excellent choice, ma’am. Now, if you can come with me, I’ll measure you. We have a few sets of this armor package in storage, but we need your size to grab the right one,” Servi nodded and followed the employee to a changing room. She closed the curtain, and the employee asked her to get undressed.  

She thought that was a bit weird, but she began to manually undress.

Standing naked, Servi watched as the employee retrieved a measuring tape from a nearby table and started the process. Reflexively, she used her arms and hands to cover her chest and crotch.  

The tape was cold and soft, which surprised Servi as the employee measured her bust, waist, hips, and other areas. After she was done, Servi's cheeks were the same color as an apple.

The employee picked up on that. “We’re both women.  You don't have to be embarrassed. Anyway, you can get dressed. I’ll head to the back and get your armor, then you can change into it," she said with a smile.

“Thank you,” Servi said, putting her scraps of clothing back on. She left the breastplate she had acquired unequipped and off to the side. 

“You’re very welcome.” 

After waiting for her to get dressed, the employee left the changing room and returned a few minutes later.  

As she sat the armor pieces on a nearby table, the employee passed a few matching pairs of pink, red, white, and black underwear to Servi, who confusingly stared at them.  

“Consider that a gift from me,” she said with a wink as she left the dressing room.  

Servi thanked the woman and undressed again.

She grabbed the pink panties and raised her leg, sliding it through. She did the same with her other leg. The smooth material felt good as it slid up her thighs, and Servi was happy that she finally had underwear on. When she undressed, the employee probably noticed that she didn’t have any and gave the undergarments to her out of pity.  

Next was the matching pink bra. She wrapped it around her ribs and hooked it. Then rotated it so that the cups were in front. Next, she put the straps over her shoulders while setting her rich bosom, big and soft in her hands, in the cups. After making some minor adjustments and making sure that nothing was twisted, she looked in the body mirror, and for the first time, she thought she was cute. The pink underwear enriched her porcelain-like white skin, which sharply contrasted against her black hair and red eyes. It brought a gentle yet sad smile to her face. She felt like it wasn’t her, but at the same time, the girl knew it was her. It was a paradoxical feeling, like being at home in a body one knew they didn't belong in.

After that, she absorbed her newly bought armor and used her ring to equip it. Crouching and stretching, the armor was neither too tight nor too loose. It was nearly a perfect fit. It was a little tight, but it wouldn't cause her any discomfort. After making a few minor adjustments to the belt, Servi took out the bag of coins from her ring and stored it in one of her pouches. Then she picked up the discarded metal breastplate and carried it under her arm. Before pulling back the curtain and walking out, she stowed the rest of the underwear in her ring for safekeeping.

“Servi, you look like a whole new person!” Momo clapped as Servi walked out of the changing room.  After doing a little spin to show off the new armor to her new party member, the pencil skirt-wearing employee wandered back over. 

“She’s right. How does it feel? Is it too tight or loose? We do have more sizes in the back,” the employee asked.  

“It feels perfect. I’ll take it,” Servi said.  

“Very well. What else can I help you with?” 

“Well, I was planning on getting a spare set of regular clothes and a weapon, but I only have 20 dupla left,” Servi reached in her pouch and took out 30 dupla.  The employee graciously took it. 

“I’m sorry, but a set of clothes and a weapon would run more than 20 dupla. Now, if you want, you can take out another loan,” the woman said.  

“Servi, I can lend you the money. How much do you need?” Momo said as she opened her bag. Servi shook her head.  

“I appreciate it, but you don’t have to do that. I’ll just take another loan.” 

“Alrighty, but if you need some money, let me know!” Momo spoke with a happy tone, but the subtle frown on her face didn't match her voice.

“Very well, follow me over to the counter, and I’ll have someone prepare the money and the loan document while you two look around.” 

The two nodded and followed the employee. At the counter, she told a younger employee to prepare a loan of 50 dupla and the document needed. While he did so, Servi and Momo gathered around a rack of clothes.  

“Servi, can I help? My grandpa said I’m good at picking clothes!” Momo energetically said as she swiped through the shirts, blouses, pants, and skirts. All the while, her tail never stopped swishing through the air. "Err-- I'm sorry! I mean, we're strangers, so why--"

“I don't mind.  I lost everything I had, but this is the perfect time to get a new wardrobe.  Truth be told, I don't know that about fashion. Thank you, Momo,” Servi smiled at the Singi, who was full of energy.

"Oh, umm...you're welcome!"  

Servi sat down on a bench while Momo searched through the racks. After all was said and done, she picked out two outfits. One was a frilly red dress that came to just above Servi’s knees. When wearing it, she felt like a princess. The other was far more casual, a red and white button-down shirt with black pants accompanied by blue overalls. Momo also picked out a pair of red-heeled shoes to go with the dress and a set of black-heeled boots with black socks to wear with the overalls. 

"I hope you like them!" she chirped. 

"I do. Thank you, Momo," Servi said, smiling. 

The two friends brought the outfits up to the counter where the employee was waiting.  

“The two outfits cost 20 dupla each, for a total of 40. You have 20 dupla leftover from before. Adding in the loaned 50 and removing the 40, you have 30 dupla left to spend. If you want a health potion, that is 10 dupla. A stay at the inn upstairs is another 10. That leaves me with 10 left to buy a weapon. Now, we do have a weapon that cheap. It’s a staff located over there,” the employee pointed over to a literal wall of weapons and went to retrieve a potion from behind the counter but stopped when Servi started speaking.  

“How important is the potion? I was gonna ignore it and use the extra 10 towards a good weapon.” 

“It is important if you don’t have any healing skills. There have been many cases in which a person lacked the Skill Energy to use Remedium, and drinking a health potion was the only thing that kept them alive. In addition, we also have a few Skill Energy Potions in stock. As the name suggests, they accelerate your Skill Energy Regeneration. However, they are 25 dupla for one," the employee put a bit of caution in her voice. It was almost as if she had seen that exact scenario happen in front of her. 

“Fine, I’ll take a health potion,” Servi begrudgingly said. After thinking a bit, getting a potion was perfect. Right now, she was supposed to not have any skills, and she had to keep immortality a secret. So if she got hurt, she could use the potion as a pretext for her immortality.  

“I’ll take two!” Momo said as she threw up two fingers.

“Very well. If you two would like to look around, I’ll go and bag this up. Also, your loan is ready, so when you pick a weapon, come back here, and I’ll get you all squared away,”  

Momo pulled out one dupla from a tiny pouch that she retrieved from her messenger bag.  It had a ‘20’ printed on it, and she handed it to the employee, who gave her back a receipt and two potions. Bright red and in small vials, it reminded Servi of blood trapped in test tubes. According to the employee, a single tonic was equal to three uses of Remedium. She also mentioned that rapid use of one within a short amount of time decreases its effectiveness. After thanking the employee for the lesson, Momo deposited the two vials in her black bag for safekeeping.

Hmm, it appears that different coins have different values. Itarr was right. Dupla came in denominations numbering 1, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 500, and 1000. However, most people would only ever see coins up to 100. 500 and 1000 were reserved only for nobles, royalty, and high-ranking Warden members.  

The two made their way over to the weapon wall and started browsing. The mightiest weapons for sale had unique effects.  One red sword contained an enchantment to launch a ball of fire when swung.  There was a beautiful bow Servi saw. It was blue, like ice, and sharp icicles dangled from the two limbs.  The string was a solid piece of flexible ice, created by the ice spirit living inside. Any arrow fired from it took on the properties of ice. Unfortunately, it had an asking price of 30,000 dupla.

The higher-end weapons had the best display, and they were in the center of the wall.  The cheaper weapons were located further away from the center. Ranged weapons, like bows, arrows, magical staffs, and wands, were to the left. Close-ranged weapons like swords, daggers, physical staffs, and axes were to the right. But the less desirable weapons were nowhere within her range.  A rusted sword with a chipped blade ran more than 20 dupla.

“I don’t think there’s a weapon for 10 dupla,” Momo said as her ears drooped. She looked hard.  Tiny droplets of sweat flowed down her neck and into her chest. Wiping herself off, she looked over at Servi.

“There has to be. The employee said there was so it has to be her—oh found it,” there it was, hidden amongst swords and axes: a wooden staff around a meter and a half long. A sticker with the number ‘10’ was taped to it. Servi went to pick it up, and it felt just like she thought it would. Cheap. But Servi had a plan. If she could kill a rat, she could use her ring to take out a sword and pretend she found it. 

“….Are you sure you want this?” Momo asked as she walked over. “It’s just a stick that looks like a staff. I can give you some money for a better weapon.” 

“Thank you, and I appreciate it, but I’ll be fine,” Servi said. She went quiet for a moment, then continued. “If I do get in trouble and the weapon breaks, you can save me, right? And when I get a proper weapon, I can save you if you get in trouble. Besides, if I can distract the rats, you can finish them off with your sword, right?  I’ll put my trust in you.” 

Momo brightly smiled. “That’s right! You and I are friends and party members,” she puffed out her chest and put a hand to the hilt of her blade. “I’ll watch your back, and you can watch mine!”  

“That’s right. Now, let’s pay for this and get a room at the inn. After that, we can finally start the quest.” 

Momo nodded, and Servi carried the stick-like staff up to the counter where the employee was standing.  

“Now is this all?” she asked with a perfect smile.  

“Yep,” Servi replied.  

“Okay, so you gave me 30 for the armor, and here is your loan,” she placed a small bag that held 50 dupla on the counter. “The two set outfits plus the shoes are 40. The potion and weapon are another 20. Combined together, that brings your balance 60 dupla. With the 50 dupla from the loan, your total is 10 dupla.

Servi retrieved 10 dupla from her coin pouch and laid them on the counter. The employee took the coins and the bag, replacing them with a document that Servi signed. With a quick snap, an ember of fire the size of a dupla erupted to life above the employee's finger.  After asking for Servi's ID, the employee burned the document and allowed the ID to absorb the ashes that fell.

Servi picked it up and saw it had updated to say ‘Loan Amount: 100 dupla.’ After this, the woman gave Servi a receipt. Servi stored it in her pouch and absorbed it.

Servi realized that she could use the pouch as a proxy to store and retrieve items from her ring. As long as they were small enough to fit in the pouch, that is.

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Servi received her bag of clothes and the potion, which she put in her second pouch. She thought about storing it in her ring but decided against it.  If possible, Servi wanted to keep as many of her unique abilities hidden.

With one hand holding a bag of clothes and the other grasping a staff while carrying the metal breastplate, Servi left the shop and went to the third floor with Momo.  

“Wow! This place is so big! Is this really the inn?!” Momo said with sparkles in her eyes. It’s true. The inn rather sizable because it spanned three floors. The 3rd floor had the check-in counter, the 4th floor had the kitchen and dining tables, and the 5th floor had the bathing area. Though it was a floor away, the food, which was in the process of being baked, grilled, and fried, smelled heavenly and divine. Momo started to drool a little as she thought about the feast above her. When Servi pointed this out, she went red in the cheeks and wiped her mouth with a cute handkerchief she pulled from her bag.

I'm starting to like Momo.  She's cheerful and happy.

“Same,” Servi said under her breath.  

There was a line to check-in, so Servi and Momo headed to the back of it and chatted while they waited. 

“So what made you want to join Warden?” Momo asked.  

“Well, I needed some money and a place to stay. And I guess getting stronger wouldn't hurt. The last thing I want to do is get attacked and lose everything again. You said you joined because of your grandpa? 

You're committed to the lie, aren't you? I guess it's a good cover story.

Servi ignored Itarr.  

Momo nodded. “Yep! When he wanted to join Warden, this is where he went. I wanted to follow in his footsteps. He’s super strong and powerful, you know," she said with a smile. Her blue eyes seemed to glow even brighter whenever she spoke about him.  A few seconds later, the Singi continued to smile, but she fidgeted her fingers together and acted like she wanted to ask a favor.

Hmm, I think she wants to ask you something.  

“Momo, is everything okay?”  

“Umm, if it's not too much trouble, and if you don’t mind, I was maybe thinking that we could get strong together. I mean, from what I heard from my grandpa, it’s good to have a friend to train with. You know, so we can motivate each other,” Momo went red in the face and spoke faster. “But that’s if you want to. I don’t want to pressure you into doing anyt— Ouch! I bit my tongue…” tears welled up in Momo’s blue eyes.  

Servi giggled. “Momo, I think that’s a good idea.” 

“Are you serious? Yay!!” Momo softly smiled, and she wiped the tears from her eyes. 

Crying over that, huh? Servi thought before she spoke. “I am serious, but we can talk more about that later. Right now, let’s focus on getting a room and finishing the quest," she figured it couldn't hurt to make friends in a city. After all, even a newborn baby had more information than she did.

“Right!” 

And with that exchange, Servi and Momo were next in line. The Innkeeper, a stout dwarf, stood behind a counter that was almost as tall as he was. His red beard flowed down to his chest, and a ripped shirt exposed his thick brown arms grown strong by a lifetime of mining.  

“Welcome to the inn! The name’s Rakred, can I help ye with anythin’?” 

“I’d like a room,” Servi said, handing him 10 dupla. “Oh yeah, how much for a bath and food?” 

“A bath and a meal ticket will run ye an extra 10.” 

“I’ll just take the room.” 

“Ye sure? Our meat is from a farm not that far away, and it’s always fresh. The fish is caught daily from that lake right on down the road. And our baths have a healing property that washes away stress. Also, ye can get quite a lot of food from a food ticket. An entrée, two sides, and a drink. Ye sure ye don’t want it?” 

“I’m fine. Besides, I don’t have the money,”

“Aye, here’s ye key. The room number is on it. If ye get the coin for a meal or a bath, come back.” 

Servi thanked him and sat down on a nearby chair while she waited for Momo.  

“What about a bath and dinner?” Momo asked when she walked over. She had a metal key and two pieces of paper in her hands.  

“When we finish the quest, I’ll use the reward for that. And yes, I know you can loan me the money, but I’ll be fine. I’ll trust in our ability to finish the quest.” 

“Right! So what now?”  

“Let’s put our stuff up in our rooms, and we can meet downstairs in about ten minutes. That sound good? 

“Yep! So I’ll see you in ten minutes?” Momo asked.  

“Yeah.” 

Momo waved and went to the fourth floor, while Servi stayed on the third and walked over to her door.  She opened it after setting a few of her items on the floor.

Is this worth 10 dupla? To be honest, I don't understand why things are priced the way they are. I can understand why dinner and a bath would cost the same as a room, but why would two sets of clothes be more than that? Shelter more important than clothes, correct? 

“It's far more important.  But still, Claire should have known that 50 dupla wasn’t enough to get started,” Servi said, staring at a room that wouldn't even be worth the stick she carried.

The room was probably twice the size of the prison cell-like seal that contained Itarr. A mattress laid flat on the wooden floor. It was accompanied by a small dresser pressed against the wall. That same wall held a small window, which let in beautiful sunlight. A single thin blanket sat in the middle of the floor.  

Well, you have a window,  Itarr said. She was referring to four glass panels nearby, but they were so dirty and small, it was impossible to see out of them.  

“Such a pathetic room,” Servi said out loud as she walked inside and closed the door. Dust flew up and tickled her nose, causing her to sneeze.  

Are you going to leave your stuff here? 

“Not in a million years. I don’t even think I’ll sleep here,” Servi stored her bag of clothes and breastplate in her ring but left her weapon leaning against the wall.  

So we have a few minutes… What do you think about Momo? 

Servi walked over to the blanket. It was small and thin and wouldn’t even cover her body. Sighing, she picked it up. It wasn't smooth to the touch, and it felt gritty, like sandpaper. Tossing it on the bed, she plopped down on it. 

“She seems like a nice person. A bit overly happy and chatty, but I like her.” 

Were you serious about training with her? You do realize that you’re stronger than her, right?  

“I am if I’m using skills, but I guarantee that she’s better than me with a weapon. To be honest, I have no idea how to use that thing,” Servi pointed to her staff that was more of a weak stick. “I don’t know if her sword is for show, but I’m hoping she can teach me something.” 

I see.  

Servi sighed. “This might the start of a beautiful friendship, but I swear I need to keep an eye on her.” 

Oh? Why? 

“Did you see how she kept trying to loan me dupla? If I had ill intentions, I would've taken advantage of her. I’m afraid someone who is evil might take advantage of that kindness.” 

Fair enough. Momo does seem to be naïve. I don’t know how much I’ll be able to help, but I’ll keep an eye out for her as well. I must admit, she’s growing on me.  

“Thanks. Anyway, shall we get to it? We have a quest to complete. 

Very well. Is there anything I should do? 

Servi stood up and stretched. The lumpy old bed hurt her back. Suddenly, an idea came to her mind.  

“Just wondering, but can you use skills?” 

A fist-sized Fire Wall appeared in front of her.  

Our souls are interconnected.  I can use any skill you can.

“I want you to keep an eye on Momo. If she’s in danger, then I want you to protect her.   

I can do that, but what about you? 

“We're immortal, remember? I can take care of myself, but I probably won't be able to keep an eye on Momo in battle.  If something sneaks up on her, make sure she doesn't get hurt.” 

Very well.  

With her stick in one hand, Servi left her room, locked it, stored her key in her ring, and went downstairs.   

Looking around the lobby, Claire no longer manned the signup desk. Instead, she was seated behind one of the eight windows. The tables and desks littered around the floor were all filled to the brim with warriors of all Ranks. Servi correctly assumed they were used for parties to meet up and get organized before going out on quests.  She wondered if that would be her someday in the future. 

I guess it would be nice. I have no memories, so I don't really have a commitment to anything. That doesn't mean I don't want to regain my memories... I do...but I don't even know where to start. It really does feel like I'm in wonderland, surrounded by mystical beings and otherworldly races. I'm going to have to watch what I say because common knowledge is something I do not have.

Seems like the place is starting to get full. Itarr said. Servi nodded.

“I’ll take this seat next to the stairs.  We won't miss Momo that way.” Servi sat her butt down and hugged her weapon like a teddy bear. Seeing the mass of bodies, some of which were made up from scales and fur, nearly hypnotized Servi as they hastily wandered back and forth between tables and the quest wall. It didn't take her long to realize Kobolds had booming voices.  It was like listening to a bear or some other large beast growl. Likewise, Singi, more often than not, had the highest-pitch voice and couldn't seem to stand still longer than a few seconds.

Koena and Humans were in the middle in terms of voice pitch, and they were generally around the same height. The only differences were visual, with one having skin and the other scales. Dwarves and Elves were a different story, with one being taller and slimmer and the other shorter and stubbier. The two races couldn't be any more different if they tried.  One enjoyed the calmness that nature brought to the world, and the other lived to mine, uprooting the calmness Elves yearned in the search for rocks and quality jewels. In the past, it wasn't uncommon to see rolling gangs of either race assaulting or committing crimes against the other in the name of some grudge that couldn't be left alone. In the present, however, most displeasure shared between the two had died out somewhat. Only those living in the most remote part of the world still harbor hatred for each other, meaning it wasn't something most people needed to concern themselves with.

I’ll also keep a lookout.  Itarr said, joining Servi in casting a watchful eye for their new friend's face.

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