Chapter 21: Book One – Chapter Three – Part Four – Joining Warden, A New Friend, And A Loss Of Innocence.

With Servi leading the way and Momo following behind, the two nodded at Arty, who returned it. They officially entered the sewers.

Servi sighed at yet another wide tunnel to go through, but she walked through it anyway. To their surprise, there was not a door at the end but rather a large hole that led to two cement paths. A river, black and full of waste, excrement, and various animals' corpses, flowed between the two, and they all ran parallel to each other. At certain distances, rickety bridges connected the two paths, allowing access to the other side. Wooden torches and sunlight that flickered through the drainage gates above them provided the only light. Though by now, their eyes had already adjusted to the darkness. Tiny bugs littered the walls and ceilings as they ran away from the intruders. Looking up, Servi thought that the sewer roof was three, maybe four meters above them.   

“Ohh.... It stinks so bad!” Momo groaned out as she held her nose. She tried to breathe through her mouth, but then she realized she could taste the smell on her tongue. She gagged a little bit and coughed before accepting the truth that breathing through her nose would be the easiest solution.  

“Doesn’t this bother you?” she asked Servi, who nodded.  

“It does, but I’ve smelled worse,” she, of course, was referring to both the wide-area that burned to the ground when she lost control of Fire Wall and the literal bloodbath between the guards and the bees. The smell of urine, excrement, brains, guts, entrails, and whatever else had already made a home in her nostrils. Sure, it was malodorous, but Servi knew she could withstand it.  A moment later, to her surprise, the foul smell no longer lingered around her nostrils.  It was as if it completely disappeared.

True Immortality extends to smell, too.  I'm sorry it wasn't working earlier.  I imagine it'll take some time for your body to get used to it, Itarr said, answering Servi's unanswered question.

“I don’t think I want to know what's worse than this,” Momo said in response, lightly gagging.

Servi clapped her hand and changed subjects. “Okay, so depending on the enemy, we’ll change our formation. For rats and roaches, I’ll dodge and block with my stick. Meanwhile, you use your sword to stab them in their vital spots. For the bats, I don’t know. Do you have any idea?” 

“F-F-For the bats, I-I can try to think of something. J-Just give me some time.”  

She’s pretty nervous, isn’t she? Don’t worry, I’ll make sure she’s safe.  

“If we do encounter them, we can run away. After all, we only need sixteen rat claws and nothing else.  At the end of the day, it matters to me, at least, that we leave the sewers alive.” 

Momo nodded, her teeth chattering so much that she couldn’t speak. They began to walk with Servi in front. She held her staff horizontally rather than vertically because she thought she would react faster that way.  Their footsteps, not in sync, echoed lightly. The only sound came from the flowing river of waste to their left and Momo’s exasperated breathing. The two walked for about 40 or so minutes and passed four bridges, but the only thing they saw was each other and tiny bugs slithering away from them.  

Regardless of her nervousness, Momo kept both ears strained. Singi had better hearing than Humans, but not by much. She had told Servi this right after they talked to Arty, so Momo was on lookout duty. If she were to hear something, her job was to notify Servi, who would take up a defensive stance. Or rather, what she thought was a defensive stance. Servi had no experience in close-range combat. Her strengths lied in her usage of skills, but until she could ‘learn’ one the same way everybody else did, she was stuck using a staff. Perhaps after this, she would ask Momo to teach her to use a sword. After all, Servi planned to ‘find’ a sword in the sewers and use it.  The idea of using a single stick close to breaking was asinine. She wanted to ditch it as soon as possible.

Up ahead, Servi noticed a large hole dug into the wall. Momo tapped Servi, who turned around and saw her pointing to it.

“I hear something in there,” the Singi said quietly.  

“Alright. Here’s the plan. We'll walk up slowly, and you stop just before the hole. I’ll go in front and draw the monster out. It should follow me, so I’ll run out to the right. You’ll be behind us. Once you see an opening, strike with everything you have. Remember, we have three potions between us. That’s nine uses we have.” 

Momo nodded after hearing the plan.  

The two walked up to the hole and stopped before it. Quietly, Momo removed her sword from its sheath and held it in front of her. Both hands were on the hilt, but she was still nervous. It wobbled in the air. Servi, on the other hand, readied her stick slowly walked past the hole.

Inside, a gnarling beast, just a little bit smaller than an adult male but heavier, hunched over a partially eaten corpse. Its fur, brown and stained with crimson, rubbed against the open ribcage before it broke under its weight. Having lost its scratching spot, the sizable rat growled with anger and thrashed around, causing the remaining claws on his left hind paw to break off.  A tail, littered with scabs and cuts, angrily whooshed as it slammed against the ground.  

Before Servi and Momo encountered this beast, he had just fought and barely survived a brutal fight with another adventurer. That was a few days ago, and his wounds were healed to the point where it was only slightly painful to move. But by no means was he ready to fight to the death so soon after recovering.

“HEY!” Servi yelled as she stood in the entranceway. Smashing the ground with her stick, the brown rat turned around and bared its fangs. Fresh blood dripped to the sewer floor, the noise drowned out by the rat's growling. From a distance, Servi spotted a silver dog tag in a nearby puddle of blood.  

You know, it would be a trifle to slaughter this beast. You still have Shadow Bind, Shadow Shot, and Shadow Trap to use.  

“I know, but we have to wait. Hey! You! The big stupid thing! Follow me!” 

The rat growled in response. It turned slowly limped towards the foolish girl who was stupid to enter its home alone. It couldn't wait to sink its teeth into yet another prey, tearing her innards away and quenching its thirst with her blood.

Servi walked forward a short bit and yelled once more before turning around and retreating to the right. The beast howled out in anger, dulling its senses. It was unable to recognize the scent of a second person. With another growl, it left its home and followed Servi.  

Now out of the hole in the wall, it bared its crimson-stained teeth once again as it stood up. On its hind legs, it was taller than Servi and Momo combined. The rat had hoped its towering height and bloody teeth were enough of a deterrent, but it wasn’t. Raising a claw, the rat swiped at Servi, who hopped back and avoided the attack.  It slammed into the ground, forcing tiny rocks to scatter about. Even though the rat was bulky, the attack was slow, and the aggressive movement reopened its wounds, further slowing it down.  

“NOW!” Servi yelled out as she ducked under another attack. She responded with a smack of her stick, aiming at the monster’s front left paw. The foe tried to dodge, but her attack was faster. It landed, and a few claws broke off and shattered like dust.

"Their claws are fragile! Attack!" she shouted. 

After recovering from her attack, Servi waited for her partner to act. Nothing.  

“Momo! Get him!” Servi shouted. Again, nothing. Momo stood there, shaking with her sword raised high in the air, and she was in the perfect spot to thrust down and put an end to the fight then and there.

But nothing, she couldn’t move. Servi dodged to the left, then the right. Next, a swipe came overhead, but she ducked to the ground. Again, she called out to her partner.  

“Come on, MOMO! I trust you!” 

Those three little words were the key to unlock the frozen Singi.

“AAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!” Servi heard an animalistic yell and froze.    

The next moment, the rat shook uncontrollably and collapsed. A thin longsword stuck out of the rat just above its tail. Blood flowed like a river from the wound, and due to its previous injuries reopening, the monster quickly lost the ability to stand. That was not due to the blood loss, but rather where Momo stabbed her sword. While she wasn’t aiming for it, she managed to damage the rat’s spine enough to where it had trouble controlling its body.  

Rapidly losing its strength, the rat tried its hardest to run away, but it never had the chance. With the end in sight, the beast tried to play dead. This was a common last-ditch technique of monsters who knew they wouldn’t survive. An important rule, if not the most important, was to make sure that the foe was dead. Some adventurers thought it was sacrilegious to further attack what they believed to be a corpse, but those who thought that way were either buried in a grave or became monster excrement.

The moment it faked its death and collapsed, Servi raised both hands and swung the stick down as hard as she could. With a mighty hit, the rat’s skull cracked.  The broken bone in its head rattled around its brain, inflicting further damage. Servi hit again, but her stick shattered on impact, leaving her with a weapon not even 30 centimeters long. Due to the two powerful hits, the rat teetered on the faint line of life and death. Using the last of its strength, the rat looked up at the face of his killer and bared its teeth one last time as darkness clouded its vision.  Not missing a chance, Servi ordered Momo to finish it.  

“Momo! Pull your sword out and keep stabbing! Finish it!” 

Momo closed her eyes and screamed. She pulled the weapon out of the rat and jabbed it back in. Over and over. The sound of meat and bone and organs crushing and scraping under its blade would forever remain in her memory. When she was done, blood covered her clothes, as well as her sword, which no longer had a silver blade. After the flurry of attacks, the rat's back was totally decimated. There was nary a hint of brown anymore. It was nothing but red.  With a final animalistic roar, Momo used all of her strength to swing the sword down for the final time, slicing down his back as the beast let out one last whimper. Falling to her knees, she forced herself to calm down. Adrenaline rushed throughout her body.  

“Good job. It’s dead,” Servi said as she walked around the corpse. Though before she did, she took her broken stick and jabbed it into the rat’s eye, twisting and turning until it couldn’t go any further.  

After witnessing such barbarous desecration, Momo crawled over to the river and vomited. Guttural sounds came from her mouth as she gagged. After she was done, she asked Servi why she did that.  

“It’s to make sure that thing is dead. What would we do if we turned our backs and walked away, only to be attacked from behind?  Out here, it’s us against them, and I’d prefer it if we survived, wouldn’t you?” 

Momo nodded silently, and Servi felt bitter. She didn’t mean to turn it into a lecture, and even though they've only met, she knew how Momo could be. The Singi was very emotional. That much was clear to see just from their short time together. When Servi was about to apologize, Momo spoke.

“You’re right. I wouldn’t have done that, and if you weren’t here, it would’ve killed me when I walked away. Thank you, Servi, for teaching me. I promise I’ll never forget this,” she had a determined look on her face, one that Servi had never seen before. Momo was resolved to get stronger. Servi didn't think Momo had what it took based on what she had seen, but Momo's declaration changed that. Servi saw that her friend was committed. It wasn't the Singi's words that did it but her actions.  The way her body subtly moved, standing tall and proud while never looking away from Servi's red eyes.

But now came the part that decided if she could stay with Momo.  It all depended on how she reacted to the rat's soul.

A red light slowly floated above the rat corpse, and Servi stood still. She froze completely, choosing to stare at the floating orb. It fluttered aimlessly through the air for a moment or two before being sucked in by her ring. Momo stared right at her, blinking.  

“….Momo, did you see that red light?” Servi asked.  

She shook her head as she got up off the ground. Her cute tail had dirt and blood on it, sullying its appearance. Wiping off the blood using a rag from her bag, she said, “No, I didn’t see anything. Did you?” 

“I thought I did, but it must have been my mistake,” Servi quickly said, but Momo smiled.  

Though Servi didn’t say anything about Momo freezing up, the same couldn’t be said for the girl in question. Underneath that precious smile and misleading exterior, she was yelling and shouting at herself.  

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COME ON, STUPID, WHY DIDN’T YOU ACT?! THIS WAS YOUR DREAM, RIGHT? THEN STOP BEING A PATHETIC CRYBABY!! YOU’RE WORTHLESS. YOU'RE A TOTAL FAILURE!! IDIOT!!  

Deep down inside, she desperately wanted to cry. She knew she was weak, but adventuring was how Momo thought she could overcome that. Her grandpa was the strongest person she knew, and she wanted a little bit of that strength. She hoped Warden was the pathway to achieve that, but maybe this life wasn’t for her. It was clear to her that she couldn't handle it when things went wrong. Fight for real was far different than sparing with her grandpa, after all. She didn't have to worry about dying because he could heal her right up if she suffered a wound or cut.

Regardless, she tried her best to keep it inside and not let it show, but there were times where she couldn’t, like the Warden incident from earlier. The thought of that woman touching and rubbing her greasy hands all over her body scared her, and she locked up from fear, allowing her frightened self to show. Thankfully, Servi was there to rescue her, and she was grateful for it.  

Her grandpa once told her that her smile was beautiful and she should show it off. So that’s what she did. She smiled, even though she was suffering tremendously on the inside. But it was like her to always be cheerful and act like everything was fine.  If she did that, it was like her grandpa was right beside her.

“So, umm... We need to get the claws, right?” Momo said, wanting to erase the growing silence. She picked up her sword and shook the blood off.

“Yeah. The description didn’t say the claws had to be in good shape, so that should be four sets right there. You do that, and I’ll look inside this hole. I thought I saw some dog tags, so I’m gonna go get that.” 

“Okay, but you’re not going too far in, are you?” 

“I’m not going to leave you. I’m going to be right here.” 

With a nod, Servi walked back to the hole the rat lived in. The corpse was there, with no face, hair, and a half-eaten exposed ribcage. She didn’t know if it was male or female.  

“Mmm, oh, there it is,” Servi walked over to a small piece of metal floating in a small puddle of blood.  “Mireya, Rank 10. The poor girl.” 

Should we take her body with us? 

“Might as well. I’ll give the poor girl a burial, eventually,” Servi stored the body and dog tag in her ring, and afterward, she took out a sword she had absorbed earlier. 

What is the sword for? 

“My stick broke, so I’m gonna say I found this.” 

With that, Servi walked out of the hole and found Momo hard at work declawing the dead rat. Sweat dripped from her face as she hacked and slashed. 

“Here, let me help. I found this in that hole in the wall,” Servi jogged over to Momo.

First, Servi used her sword to cut the entire paw off, then she laid on it the ground. Next, she started to slice off each claw individually. Afterwards, Servi placed the now removed talons in her item pouch and stored them in her ring. She then repeated the process for the second paw. Momo, having seen how to do it, started on the last two footpads. She had a little trouble at first and vomited a few times from the squirting blood and smell, but it was a good try. She did much better the second time around.

“Servi, did I do a good job?” Momo asked as she presented her eight claws. Not really knowing what she was looking for, Servi nodded.  Momo flashed a cute smile.

“Oh, I can hold onto the claws. This bag belonged to my grandpa, and he had it enchanted with the Dimensional Storage skill. It's waaaay bigger than it looks," Momo spoke with such happiness that it was easy to tell she loved him dearly.  

“Are you sure?” 

“Yep. I keep a bunch of stuff in here, and I don’t have to worry about things getting dirty. The enchantment keeps things separated.” 

“Well, thanks. Here you go,” using the pouch as a proxy, Servi handed Momo her eight claws.  

“So we have sixteen, right? And we need….16 more? Yep, so we need to kill one more rat,” Momo said after checking her ID. It was pink, just like her hair, and when she dropped it, it exploded into pink dust that her body absorbed.

“So, do you feel a bit more confident? I know it can be scary at times.” 

Momo looked at the ground for a moment, then she held her sword in front of her. “I don’t really know. Maybe I do a little bit? It felt weird knowing that I was purposely causing pain to a living creature, but I know that if I didn’t, then I’d never get stronger. And I told my grandpa that I would. I don’t want to disappoint him. So, Servi, I’m glad you’re here with me. If you didn’t say anything, then I probably would have frozen up and died. Thank you very much.” 

“You are quite welcome, Momo,” Servi smiled at the Singi, who wagged her tail adorably. Servi continued. “Now that I found this sword, I can focus more on attacking.” 

“That reminds me, was there a dog tag in that hole?” 

Servi nodded and reached in her pouch. She pulled the blood-soaked tag out and handed it to Momo.  

“Mireya… How horrible… Did that sword belong to her?” 

“Probably. It was next to the body. I’m sorry, but I’d like to keep it. I can adventure in Mireya's place. By using this sword, it’s like a piece of her is with us.” 

That's a good lie.

Servi nodded to Itarr, but thankfully Momo didn’t notice.

“That’s so sweet of you. I’m sure Mireya would be happy knowing that her sword will be used. It might even save our lives,” Momo started to teared up but immediately stopped. If she wanted to be strong like her grandpa, and she did, the road was going to be long and hard and full of trials and dangers. 

Momo changed the subject, turning it from a deceased person to a dead monster. “What are we gonna do about the corpse?” Servi wanted to absorb it, but due to the current circumstances, she couldn’t.  

“I’m not really sure. We could dump it in the water or leave it. I’m not sure if we can sell the fur.” 

“Can we leave it here?” Momo asked. When Servi said they could dump it, she saw her party member shudder.  

“That’s fine with me. Now, let’s go. We have one more rat to kill, and then we’ll have enough claws for the both of us.” 

The two left the body and kept walking past the hole. Soon, the pair of friends heard the sound of battle. They weren’t alone down here.  

“What do we do?!” Momo asked, her face full of anxious anticipation.

“Calm down. First, we decide on whether we want to help or not. I assume that you do?” Momo nodded.  

“Okay, let’s rush over and see if we can help.”  

Servi and Momo broke into a sprint, but it turned out Momo, and Singi in general, were faster than humans.  

While they ran, Momo thought about the previous battle.  

Servi said she had no experience, but she didn’t even flinch when fighting the rat. She didn’t throw up like me, either. It’s like she’s done this before. I want to ask, but I don’t want her to be mad at me…  

She shook her head.  

No! I can’t be thinking about that now. She’s my first friend. I’m sure she has her reasons.

And with that, the two ran towards the source of the noise.  

 

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