“Hello! What can I help ya with?” 

The two friends-who-had-a-fight-but-got-over-it decided to stop by the weirdly nicknamed store called the cash building. Here, adventurers could sell their ill-gotten items attained from carving a monster's body. In most cases, the beast would be dead. However, some unsavory rumors were floating around about a select group of people who enjoyed ripping horns and claws off conscious monsters.

“Hello. We have some claws and two pelts from a giant rat. We’d like to sell them.” 

“Well, you came to the right place. Let me see em’.” 

Momo pulled the two pelts that still dripped a very tiny bit of blood as Servi pulled out the two sets of claws.  

“Thank you, but next time, please let the blood drip out completely before you come here. Seeing as you’re both Rank 10, there is no charge.” 

“I’m sorry, sir. I didn’t know it.” 

The older man behind the window smiled like he was looking at his granddaughter.  

“It’s no worries at all. You’re only beginners. Don’t let it get you down. Now. Two sets of sixteen claws are worth ten dupla each. Two pelts, one in decent condition, the other not, are respectively worth twelve and six dupla. That brings your total reward to 38 dupla,” the old man chanted something as the items were teleported away. He then counted out 38 dupla and put them in a small brown bag.  

“There’s 19 dupla in there for each of you. One ten, one five, and four one coins,” Servi reached to grab the bag and took out her share, then handed the bag to Momo.

“That’s a lot,” Momo said.  

“I suppose. Rank 10 quests usually don't pay that well. I guess this is a way to make a living, but I wouldn’t focus on it. It just doesn't sit right with me."

“What do you mean?” 

“Well, this is just my opinion, but I believe the point of Warden is to make the world a better place. Sure, you can live and make some decent money slaying monsters and selling their parts, and you might even help people that way by making the world safer. However, I believe that’s missing the whole point of Warden.” 

“What do you think the point is?” Servi asked. 

“Easy. Helping people. Accepting quests to save a family member from a den of goblins or killing an evil wizard terrorizing a country. That kind of stuff.” 

“I guess I agree, but we aren’t blessed. We don’t have the power or skill to do that.” 

“And that’s fine. I’m not here to say what you should or should not do. I’m just an old man who likes to ramble to the newbies,” he smiled, showing off the three teeth left in his mouth. 

“Well, thank you,” Servi said. Momo said her thanks as well as they left.  

Stepping down from the stone steps, Servi did a little people watching before they went back to the guild. Along the way, they talked about what skills they were going to learn.  

“I want to learn Magic Missile. It’s Non-Elemental. That meant it had no weakness. It's not strong against anything, but I guess that's a trade-off.” 

“I’ll learn Decoy. Well, it depends on what we can find at the shop,” Servi said.  

“Okay.” 

A few minutes later, Servi and Momo were standing in line at the guild. Servi had already given Momo her five flowers.  

It was about 2:30, and the guild was in its downtime. Those who woke late in the morning were gone, and those parties probably wouldn’t be back until nightfall. If the quest was far away, then they’d be gone for days or even weeks at a time. It was a bit quiet, and only one line was open as a result. Still, it wasn’t too much of a wait.  

“Next,” a familiar voice called out after the black scaled she was just serving left.  

“Oh, it’s you. Ummm…. Servi? And you’re Momo?” an Elf with red hair and purple eyes asked.  

“Hey, Claire. You remembered our names?” Servi asked.  

“I sure did. Since I don’t adventure out, I at least want to welcome our dear members by name when they arrive home,” Claire gently smiled. How odd, the ring that used to be above her gloved hand was no longer there.

“Oh! You’re the woman who registered me! I hope you’re doing well,” Momo asked. It took her a moment to remember Claire. If that bothered her, she didn’t let it show. Perhaps it was the years of experience under her belt. 

“I am. Thanks for asking. I take that you two are party members?” 

Servi and Momo nodded, and Claire clapped her hands gleefully.  

“Wonderful. Are you two are here to report a completed quest? Or are you here to take one on?” 

“To report in. We had an escort quest at Luqa village,” Servi handed her ID, the completion paper, and the five shiroblooms.  

“Oh, since this was a joint quest, I’ll need your ID as well, Momo.” 

Momo handed it to her.  A question came to her mind. “If this is a joint quest, then is the flower collecting quest a joint quest too?” 

“Sorry, but no. Collection quests like that are reserved for one person. Usually, we have multiple copies of said quest available. Quests like defeating monsters or escorting a person are known as joint quests. The rewards are somewhat bigger, but they’re shared between the entire party,” she said as she dripped a liquid onto their IDs.  "Ah, I should mention that they can act like regular collection quests. For example, if we have two requests to defeat a couple of wolves in the forest, then there isn't a rule forbidding multiple members of the same party from taking them. In that case, the reward and Potential earned would be doubled amongst every party member involved."

“Interesting,” Servi said. Information like this was considered common knowledge. To her, it was brand new and the key to surviving in a world without any memories.

“Here ya go, Servi. Fifteen coins and seven Potential. Five dupla went towards repaying your loan. If you don’t mind, can I ask what skill you’re considering learning?” Claire returned Servi’s tablet with fifteen dupla on top of it.

“Decoy. I’m the tank of our group.” 

“Really?” Claire put a hand to her face as if trying to hide her shock.  

“Is that a bit surprising?” 

“If I’m being truthful, yes. Oh, but please don’t take it the wrong way. Usually, women prefer roles away from the front line of combat.  It’s really uncommon to see a woman in the tank position,” seeing how her action could be taken multiple ways, she further clarified what she meant.  

“I see.” 

“Do you have a shield?” 

“I do not.” 

“We were gonna look at the guild store after we get our rewards here,” Momo said, finally saying something after being silent. It was a bit childish, but she felt like she was being ignored.  

“That’s a good idea. Momo, can I get your flowers?” 

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Momo quickly handed her quest items to Claire. She gave them a look over and whisked them away by chanting something. Servi believed that it was a guild secret, and it had to be common knowledge. Not a single person made a big deal out of it. It was the same with the red liquid that they dripped over her ID. That signified that the quest was complete, but how did it reward Potential? She was a bit afraid to ask because it could be common knowledge, but she just let it rest in the back of her mind. 

Claire then took the same red liquid and dripped it to Momo’s ID. Afterwhich, she handed it back to the Singi with fifteen dupla stacked on top.  

“There you go, Momo. Five dupla went towards your loan as well. Is there anything else I can help you with?” 

Servi looked at her party member, who shook her head. “I don’t think so. Thank you,” Momo thanked her as well.  After walking away from Claire, the pair of friends started on a trek towards the second floor. That was where the closest equipment shop was located at.

“Let’s see….. You have 8 dupla left from this morning, 19 dupla from the cash building, and 15 from the quests we turned in.” Momo attempted to do the mental math as they entered the Warden-owned store. Fantastic displays of the most visually appealing weapons stared at the Singi through glass windows. She tried to complete her sentence, but her eyes and mind were elsewhere.

“I have 42 to spend,” Servi finished the calculations for her.  

“And I’ll pay for half.” 

Servi thought about saying something, but she didn’t. If she did argue, she believed nothing good would come from it.  

“Hello, ladies, back again? How are you liking your armor?” the same woman who helped Servi pick out armor approached them. “Speaking of which, how did you like my three little presents?” 

“This armor is amazing. It took an attack this morning and held up well. There's no damage whatsoever to my skin.” Servi pointed to her chest where the claw marks were, followed by the scratch on her arm.  “And thank you very much for your gift.” 

“Gift?” Momo whispered, tilting her head.

“My goodness. Are you alright?” asked the employee as she ran a timid finger down the scratch marks on Servi's leathered-covered arm. Her manicured nail lightly scratched at it, meeting resistance where the rat's claw managed to leave a little parting gift a few millimeters deep.

“I am. I gotta say, this thing is tough. I’m glad I bought it.” 

“That’s good to hear. I take you’re in the market for a shield?” 

“You guessed correctly.” 

“Follow me, please. I'll take you to the shields,” the saleswoman turned using such a practiced motion. Servi and Momo followed her for a few moments until they came to a decent-sized display of shields.  Most were metal, probably of the iron or silver variety, while a few were crafted out of mahogany or oak wood. Regardless of the material used in their craftsmanship, they were evidentially shields. Such protective pieces of defensive gear were vital to a tank's success. But the ones in front of them were definitely out of their league in terms of price.  Even the cheapest one ran over 250 dupla.  While that price wasn't even a quarter of a percent of Servi's total wealth, Momo couldn't come up with 125 dupla to pay her half.

“May I ask your price range?” 

Servi was about to answer, but Momo did it for her. “Anywhere from twenty to forty dupla.” 

“That’s a broad range. Do you have any personal preferences? Big and tall? Small and round? Leather or metal?” 

“Preferably something metal. And a medium size. It also needs to have a place I can store my sword.” 

“I see. I see. A shield that has a sheath installed in it is rare, but I think we might have something,” the saleswoman scanned her memory as she mentally searched through a database of shields before she remembered something. She asked the two to wait while she fetched something that might fit what Servi was looking for.  

A minute or two later, while Momo was testing out the display shields, the employee returned. The metal heater shield in her hand was perhaps a bit too much, but she was determined to bring it to her customer. It was a good size, measuring 46 by 61 cm. It was a bit too big for Servi, who was around 179cm tall, but she could work with it.  

“Haaa….haaa.. here…you…go, ma’am,” the employee said, out of breath. Droplets of sweat flowed from her flushed face to her chin before dripping on her black uniform.  

The front of the shield was all black with a red-eye in the middle. Though it was painted on, it somehow gave the illusion of being alive as if it was about to start blinking. It looked evil and ominous, but none of that mattered to Servi.  

“Don’t ya think it’s a bit too heavy? And it looks scary,” Momo asked, but Servi had already reached out and grabbed it. The shield had two leather straps fastened to the back of it for her to latch onto, and a hollowed-out slot on the top allowed Servi to slide her sword right in. With a click, the handle of her sword stuck solid to the shield.  

“Hmm. It’s a bit heavy….” Servi used Soul Essence of Primal Combat and allowed her body to learn from her souls.  Then she practiced some of the motions. First, Servi bashed in front with her shield, then grabbed her sword from its shield sheath. Holding the shield close to her, she cautiously crept forward little by little, keeping her guard up as she quickly thrusted with her sword before jumping back and blocking an invisible attack.  

She did this a few more times, altering the combat motions' orders while practicing sheathing and drawing from the sword sheath. Soul Essence of Primal Combat would not assist her because her souls didn’t have any memory of performing the motion. Other than that, Servi was quite pleased with it. The weight issue wasn't an issue whatsoever.  Whenever her arm started to hurt from the weight of the shield, it would be healed, not even a second later. Besides, it wouldn’t be heavy once she leveled up her Absorption skill because it would grant her more physical strength.

Feeling pretty good about the shield, Servi returned her sword to its sheath. Afterwards, she turned around to see Momo and the employee staring at her with open mouths.  

“How much?” she asked, ignorant of the impressive shield display she had just put on.  

I think you may have overdone it.  

“Uh, Servi? That. Was. Incredible! I didn’t know you were good with a shield!” Momo’s tailed wagged hard.

If she’s this good, then I won’t have to worry about her getting hurt. But…..she’s so good... Soon, the dark thoughts invaded her mind, and she did all she could to force them away.

“Ma’am, there’s a bit of a story behind the shield. Would you like to hear it?”  

Servi nodded as Momo fought off negative thoughts.  The adorable Singi kept a practiced smile.

“The last owner of this shield was brutally killed in an ambush. A passing member found it and brought it to us. He didn’t want it and couldn’t find anyone to buy it, so he sold it to us. And because it looks so scary, we’re having a hard time selling it. It’s quite sturdy and is in good shape, however.” 

“The story doesn’t bother me.” 

“Very good. Well, the shield is 30 dupla,” the employee said.  

Servi took out the fifteen she got as a reward from the three quests and gave it to the saleswoman. Momo did the same. The lady walked away and came back a moment later with a receipt. With a thank you, the two left the store and chatted while descending to the lobby. The black and evil shield caught many gazes and glances, but Servi ignored them.

“Can I ask you something?” 

“Hmm?” 

“What did she mean by gift?” 

“Oh, that? Well, when she brought the armor set for me to try on, she gave me three pairs of underwear after seeing I didn't have any.” 

“Aww, that was sweet of her,” Momo smiled, the niceness of the employee tugged at her heartstrings.  

“Thanks for paying for half, by the way. I appreciate it. I’ll pay it back by being the best tank I can.” 

“You’re welcome. So what’s next?” Momo said, taking a seat on a nearby bench. 

“I was thinking we go into the sewers and kill some more rats. We made good money from just two of them, and now with my shield and our new abilities, I think it’ll be easy.” 

“That’s right. I was gonna learn Magic Missile,” Momo said as she took out her ID and learned it.  Magic Missile was a skill that launched a compacted ball of Non-Elemental energy.  It was 6 Potential, leaving her with only one. Servi did the same but learned Decoy, which forced enemies to only attack her. It was a valuable skill, but it could also aggro the attention of unwanted monsters. Many parties had met their horrific end because of a tank's fatal misuse of it.

“I’m so happy!! It’s my first offensive skill!” Momo shook with excitement.  Her tail displayed the same kind of excitement. 

“Why don’t we go try it out?” To which Momo nodded. The two got up and made their way over to the door, leaving for the second time. As they rounded the corner of the building heading towards the sewers, they came face to face with Nimea and his party.  

He said something snarky and annoying, trying to get Servi's attention, but the pair completely ignored him. They entered the hallway leading to the Rank 10 base as Nimea’s ranting and raving got quieter and quieter.  

“Good job ignoring that jackass.” 

“Thanks,” Momo said, grabbing ahold of the door when they reached the end. With a pull, it opened up, and she allowed Servi to walk in first. She thanked Momo and nodded.  Now in the base, Servi and Momo made their way to the other end of the room. The door located there was the second entrance to the sewers. It led to another hallway, but to get there, they had to get past Arty.

“You're back to abandon another helpless person to their death?” he smugly said as he gripped his weapon.  

"He died?” Momo asked, looking at the floor. She had a hint of sadness and regret in her heart. 

Should I be sad? He was gonna attack me, so I shouldn’t be upset. Does that make me a terrible person? It was his fault, right? We shouldn't be blamed for his death.  

“That he did. You know, when we found him, all dead and ripped apart, we couldn’t find any equipment. Not a sword nor his armor. Nothing. And here you come in with a fancy evil-looking shield.” 

“Hey, we bought this not even ten minutes ago. We didn’t steal anything,” Momo said, defending Servi and herself.  

“I mean, you two let a man die, so I’m not surprised you two turned to thievery.” 

“I’m gonna have to stop you right there. Have you ever thought it’s your fault? That maybe if you woulda been faster, then he’d be alive? Don’t blame us.” 

“Just leave and get out. Go somewhere else and don’t come back here,” Arty said before turning away.  

“Look, Momo, don’t listen to him. It’s not our fault whatsoever. He attacked us, and we totally had the right to kill him, but we didn’t. What happened to him after we left is none of our business.” 

“You’re right. I’ll stay focused,” Momo said, obviously putting on a false face of courage to disguise her weak heart. 

“Good. Like Nimea, just ignore everything he says.” 

“I will,” Momo said. Servi opened the door and allowed her friend to walk through first. The time from the hallway to the sewers itself was a bit tense. How could it not be? Especially after being told that they were directly involved with someone’s death. It didn’t bother Servi all that much, considering the number of lives she had taken, but it was different for Momo. Still, the Singi had to be strong. If she wasn't, then she would probably never forgive herself. After all, to be an adventurer meant to take the good times with the bad. Not every quest would be flawless and perfect. She would meet friends and companions as she traveled, and some of them would likely die.  Some might even perish before her very eyes.  If she stopped and cried for every death, then she knew she would never grow as a person. 

“Alright, try out Magic Missile,” Servi said when they reached the sewers proper. She held up her shield, and Momo did the math. The dark and foul running river of sewer water flowed beside them was their only audience for this experiment.  

“You don’t mean…..for me to attack you?” 

“That I do. I want to get a handle on this shield, so I want you to attack me. Either with your sword or Magic Missile.” 

Momo wanted to argue against it but didn’t. So she started to chant the incantation for Magic Missile.  

“Oh, the Non-Elements above who slumber in a place further than our universe, I pray to you. Grant us your power of Magic Missile!” Momo held her right arm out, palm open and facing Servi. Using her left hand to support her right arm, a white transparent mass of energy appeared before molding into a thin cylindrical shape.  

“Fire!” She said as the energy launched out and made a direct course for Servi. She put up her shield and didn’t bother invoking Soul Essence of Primal Combat. She held it sturdy as the Magic Missile collided with her new gear. It hit harder than she thought and even pushed her back a few centimeters, but after a few seconds of propelling against her, the mass of energy disappeared and faded into nothingness.  

“You ok?” Momo asked.  

“I’m fine. That was a bit harder than I thought. But I’m happy. We know this shield is strong, and we know that your Magic Missile can do some damage if it was able to push me back.” 

“Is the shield ok?” 

“It is. I don’t know what it’s made out of, but it’s sturdy and strong. Shall we get going?” 

“Ok.” 

“Oh, let me use Protection first.” 

The two walked through the sewers, making sure not to cross over any of the bridges that linked the two walkways together. If they just travel in a straight line, then it’d be impossible for them to get lost.  

Now having activated Soul Essence of Primal Combat, Servi scanned the area in front of her and saw something move. It was a rat, hulky and brown.  

“Momo,” Servi whispered. “There’s a rat about ten meters in front of us. Go ahead and use Lurk and prepare a Magic Missile. I’ll use decoy and take their attacks. Depending on how effective your skill is, I’ll attack. If not, then it’s your choice. You can prepare another one, or you can attack his back. If you do decide to come in, use Dazzler and throw it at me. The noise should mask your footsteps. Alright?” 

“I understand. Be careful, ok?” 

Servi smiled and put a hand on Momo’s shoulder. 

“I promise,” she said with a smile as she drew her sword and made her way towards the beast. Momo began the chant for Lurk and Magic Missile.  

Servi waited until she was close, about two meters away, before she used decoy. Because she was so far away, she didn't bother with the chant and used the skill the only way she could. 

The rat instantly turned around and snarled. A bit of meat dripped from its mouth onto the dirty sewer floor.  

Seems like this one has been eating.  

“Yep, but it’s no trouble. I need to get around this thing, or else Momo won’t be able to use her skill.” 

Following the afterimages, Servi danced and dodged and even blocked a few attacks. The claws scraping against the black shield produced an ear screeching noise, but she stayed strong. Finally seeing her moment, Servi ducked under a swipe and rolled forward, her back now facing the rat.  

Duck now! 

“Thanks!” she said as she ducked again and spun around, her shield raised high to meet another attack. At just that moment, a white cylinder-shaped mass of energy shot out from eleven meters behind the rat. It flew fast through the air and lodged itself in the back of the monster.  

“GHHHHAHAHARLRLL!!!” It noised in pain. The Magic Missile landed right above its tail, though Momo didn’t aim for it, and the attack punctured in deep enough to break the spine. Servi took this chance to swing her sword down, nearly beheading the rat. It couldn’t play dead with his head hanging on by just a bit of skin, so Servi didn’t worry about double-checking.  Hell, she didn't need to because a red soul made itself known when she started to skin the beast. 

“Good job us!” Momo said as she caught up with Servi, who was almost finished with the pelt. She was happy and excited that her skill was helpful, and her tail let Servi know it.  

“Good job! You were awesome!” She said, stand up and handing the pelt to Momo, who took it and stored it. Servi deposited the claws in her pouch and then the ring.  

Embarrassed by the praise, Momo asked a question. “So are we gonna continue?”  

“Yep. Unless you’re tired?” 

Momo put her hands up. “No, I’m not tired. I was just wondering. Shall we get going?” 

“Sure. But this time, let’s try something different. You open with Magic Missile, and I’ll use Decoy and charge in. Between the pain and wanting to run away and my Decoy, it should be distracted long enough for me to finish it off."

The two friends still had some time left in the sewers, so they decided to hunt some more.