Fell Champions

There was so much Sami needed to talk to Otter about, but other things seemed more important in the moment. That was how it had always seemed to work in the past as well. 

Better discussion of boundaries, and her own worry she was pushing too far? No, that could wait another week, there was an important E-Sports event to practice and run scrimmage for. Talk about Il-Su’s unhealthy crush on Mayumi? Better to avoid it altogether and let him figure things out. A conversation about how her mother had rejected her even in death, no, better to talk about literally anything else. 

But now Sami had a problem. And she didn’t know where to rank it in the grand scheme of things. Was it more important than Juala’s funeral? The political machinations that were threatening to tear the Silayan Islands apart? Otter’s so-called ‘plan’ that she was giving no indication of willingness to share? Rua’s kidnapping? 

That one in particular was at the forefront of Sami’s mind. Only once before in her life had she become so enthralled by another person in such a short amount of time. 

The fact that this Kirhaela woman had beaten Rua in a fight troubled Sami, considering how easily Rua had bested her. Kirhaela’s Pact had to be ironclad, and her skills formidable. 

Part of Sami itched to test herself against the woman. 

But that was a problem for another time. The problem now was about conversations, and when to have them. Specifically, about mouthy pieces of metal she’d found in her travels.

As in response to her thoughts, she once more heard what was becoming an increasingly larger annoyance to her senses. “I’m telling you, stay the feck away from that woman, she can’t be trusted.”

“The fact that Otter discarded you despite a deal that was struck tells me more about you than it does about her.”

“She doesn’t even fecking know me!”

Sami sighed, and wondered why she’d kept this strange piece of metal with her. No, she knew why. She’d done it because she was a gamer. And when a gamer came across strange and interesting items, they hoarded them until a use could be found for them. Even if they were annoying and could talk back to you.

She knew all about the piece of metal. Well, at least, the story that she’d told. She couldn’t remember her name, referring to herself as ‘Unit 003,’ which Sami had decided to just shorten to Three. Sami knew that Three was inhabiting a piece of a Vexurian, a mobile armor golem that enslaved Pact-holders to become near-invincible shock troops.

A Vexurian that was slowly regenerating. The small piece of metal had originally been about the size of her hand when she’d first retrieved it. And while it wasn’t noticeably bigger, it was increasing in size. Sami had taken measurements to be sure, and had noticed that the edges of it were less jagged, more smooth. 

Right now, the shard of metal stood on the nightstand table beside the bed she’d been assigned. She stared at it, and got the odd sensation it was looking back at her. 

“We should talk about the rewards I’m going to give you when I get my body back,” Three said. 

“I’m not giving you to Vex,” Sami said. 

“It’s where I belong. She’s my body, I’m her mind. Probably her soul, too. That soul crystal of hers in her heart is probably empty right now. That isn’t healthy.”

“Oh? Lots of people running around without their soul inside their soul crystal?”

“Well, not a lot. But I’m, like, hundreds of years old. I’ve seen things. It’s happened. Never ends well, let me fecking tell you.”

“I thought you had no memory?”

“Eh, it’s slowly coming back. Bits and pieces. Nothing important.”

Another lie, probably. And delivered quickly, and sincerely. Sami was usually good at picking out lies just from tone, from when social deduction games rotated back into the streamer meta, but nothing about the delivery felt like a lie. But something was off in the way Three’s story kept changing. 

She was a habitual liar, Sami was certain. The kind that slipped between lies and truths as easy as breathing, even to their own detriment. 

But the problem was, discerning what was truth, and what was lie. 

“What happens to people without a soul?”

“Invasion, mostly,” Three said. “Lots of little parasites could get in, try to fill the void.”

“What kinds of parasites?”

“I don’t fecking know, I have gaps in my memory that’re wider than a Silayan’s twat. Bad ones.”

“So, that’s what this is? I give you to Vex, you go back into your body, and this is all for her own good?”

“Better than the alternative. And if that ain’t enough to get you to do it, think about how awful it fecking is to be stuck in a piece of scrap. I’d rather scrape my skin raw every morning and take a bath in salt water. Wouldn’t wish it on even that pink-haired slut.”

“Careful,” Sami said.

“Oh feck off, I hate her, but like I said, I won’t do anything to her. When it comes to my revenge plans when I’m back in my body, she’s not even a footnote. I have others I wouldn’t mind visiting pain on much more.”

“Another of your reclaimed memories?”

“They come and go, don’t you–” her voice faded out into silence.

Sami sighed, and debated on whether or not to leave the conversation there. There was only a certain length of time Sami could communicate with Three before having to renew the connection via her Steelsinging. She didn’t have to do anything elaborate, or even affect the shard directly. It was just enough that she used it in proximity.

Sami sung a soft note, and Three’s voice filled her mind once again.

“--that cock has everything I’m gonna do to him coming, let me tell you. And if he isn’t still alive, I’ll visit it on his kids, or his kids’ kids, whatever generation’s around. Turn him into mash, then feed him to a feckin’ targ, then feed the targ shite to–”

“Enough,” Sami said. 

“Ah, right, I do carry on sometimes. Point is, the annoying bint with the good throwing arm is safe from me. I probably woulda done the same thing in her spot.”

“You know that ‘annoying bint’ views Vex as a daughter, right? And so does Rua. They wouldn’t be pleased with you trying to steal–”

“Reclaim!”

“--their daughter’s body. And I should add, I’ve sworn Sua’noa to Otter. I won’t go against her desires, even if it wasn’t the obvious moral choice to not do so either way.”

“Moral.” The metal vibrated ever-so-slightly on the nightstand, in some kind of odd approximation of a snort. “Lemme tell you what’s not moral. Not even giving my body a choice in whether to take me back or not.”

That was an interesting line of attack that Three hadn’t made before. She was learning. Sami was certain of it. Three was used to manipulating people into getting her way. She just had to make sure she didn’t fall for it.

“And why would Vex volunteer herself to what I assume is, at best, mind death for her as you replace her?”

“Reintegrate. We’d merge, probably.”

“Probably?” 

“I don’t know how it fecking works, I don’t think anyone’s done this before. I’m making educated guesses.”

“And you’d likely be the dominant portion of the merge.”

“Why, because I’m older? I wouldn’t be so sure. I don’t exactly have my whole self at the moment. ‘Vex’,” the air quotes were obvious in Three’s tone, “probably has more life experience than me, from what I’ve been able to glean. I’ve got so many holes in my mind, she might win in a mental wrestling match, if it came down to that. For now, anyway.”

Sami kept her face blank, even if she wasn’t certain if Three could actually see or not. Something in her wanted to pick up the piece of metal and rush it to Vex right that moment. If Vex had an advantage now, and if being without a soul was potentially harmful in the long run, it made sense to do it sooner, rather than later, particularly if Vex could win against Three.

But that was a trap, and Sami knew it. This was the lie she’d been waiting for, the manipulation Three was setting her up for. Three wanted nothing more than to merge right now, because she was lying about how much of her mind was available to her. 

It was in Vex’s best interest to keep them separate for now. 

“And,” Three said, “if I were in my body again, I’d be able to help old mum free from her predicament.” 

“No.”

“Are you sure? I’d be the best soldier you could ask for in this kind of–”

“No. For two reasons. One, I don’t trust you. And two, what would happen if you merged with Vex, got your full power, faced Kirhaela, and somehow lost?”

“Oh, I wouldn’t go anywhere near the bint. Gracewarden. Don’t remember ever encountering that Pact before, and have no desire to go near it now. I’m sure she has tits out to the skies and an arse you’d bleed yourself to use as a pillow, and that’s the kind of danger I wouldn’t put myself against if it meant losing my free will a second time.”

“How did you lose it the first time?”

“Oh, now that’s a story for the ages.”

“And you’d like to share?”

“Well, I fecking can’t, because I don’t remember all the bits to it. Wouldn’t be right, sharing a story you can only feckin’ half-recall.”

This wasn’t going anywhere, just like their previous two conversations. It was difficult getting alone time with Three. While no one else could hear her, Sami had to talk out loud. And it felt like Three was a resource. If she brought her up to Everett or Otter, they’d just toss her into the ocean and be done with it. 

Or just forge her into a flashy piece of gear.

That thought had flitted through Sami’s mind as well. But there was no guarantee a blacksmith could do anything with the piece of metal.

But… did she even need a blacksmith?

Even as the idea came to her, a status window popped up in front of her.

New Pact Ability Unlocked

Forgesinging

Cost: 10 Will

Bend metal to your will into the shape you desire.

Sami blinked, and then allowed herself a small smile. She sang a soft note, testing the edge of the ability. Not using it, but preparing it, and knowledge flooded her mind. She instinctually knew how to handle the ability, what it could do, and more or less the mechanics of how it worked. 

She crossed the room and retrieved one of the two swords she had acquired in her journeys. She’d steadily replaced the weapons she’d accrued as she’d travelled, killing bandits and slavers, always going for the weapons that best suited her. Length, weight, design, quality. So many swords had been discarded and replaced due to poor maintenance. 

Even these two that she now had were barely to her taste or fighting-style. It was difficult to practice kendo when you were stuck with a sword with a more Western-style hilt. It tended to bump into inconvenient places during some of the more traditional sword stances she favoured. 

She really could use a katana. It was just her preferred weapon. And this would solve one particular problem.

“Three,” Sami said, “I think I just found a use for you.”

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!