Origin A.R.S. (14 page)

“You too? I’ve considered bothering the slimes in the slime forest, but my spells require a lot of mana.” asked Scott.

“Ah, and that’s why you want the blessing.” said Rhea.

The sorcerer sighed. “I’m still trying to decide exactly where I should train next.”

Rhea rubbed her chin. “I may have a proposal for you, if you’re interested.”

“A proposal? But, Rhea darling... We’ve only just met. My heart’s not ready, and I have nothing to wear!”

She stared at him flatly for a moment. Scott thought that he had offended her, but a slight flush arose upon her cheeks. “No, you moron. I meant to say that we could form a party...”

“That would be great, but are we compatible like that? I mean, could we hunt and train in the same areas.” Scott certainly hoped they could!

“I’ll try to form a party with you... Will you join my party?” Rhea extended her hand to Scott.

He said, “Yes.” and took her hand. Nothing happened.

She blinked. “Ok, now you try it. I guess.”

“I’ve never formed a party before...”

“Ah, just extend your hand to me and ask me to join your party.”

“Rhea, will you join my party.” Scott extended his hand and she accepted the request by saying yes. This time a message screen appeared, followed by a loud musical fanfare with an orchestral theme.

<<< Rhea Ardente has joined the party! >>>

“You’re at a higher level than I am. Interesting.” said Rhea.

Scott smiled at her. He had more experience points, but she obviously had more real experience.

“Since you’ve never formed a party before, let me tell you how it works.” Rhea instructed Scott on the finer points of the party system and he nodded. They would share experience and ability points during fights, but there would be a single pool of Fayth earned. Monsters would spawn in larger numbers when faced with a party of adventurers, however.

Scott checked the party status and blinked.

<<< Party >>>

Scott Jacobs
- Human Sorcerer - Level 7 - [
Party Leader]

Rhea Ardente
- High Elf Arcane Blade - Level 6

<<<*>>>

“I had no idea that you were an elf.” said Scott in mild surprise.

Rhea sighed. “Yes, is that a problem?”

Her reaction made it seem like it should be a problem, but he did not see a reason that it would. “Not at all, I have just never met an elf maiden before.”

A brilliant scarlet color crossed the bridge of her nose. “You really don’t have a problem with it?”

“Should I?” asked Scott with a tone that bespoke mild confusion.

“Most humans do, in one way or another.”

“Why? You seem like a nice person.” He certainly got along with her easily enough.

Rhea smiled softly. “You think so? I’m glad.”

“Yeah, though for some reason I expected that an elf would have pointed ears.”

She smirked. “We do, I’m using a glamor spell.”

“Really? A glamor spell... does it change your appearance?” Scott took a shot in the dark, since that seemed to be what she was getting at.

“It does. Though, this one just lessens my overall appearance and hides my ears.”

“Lessens your appearance? Are you’re saying that you’re actually prettier than this?” Scott was honestly shocked! Was such a thing possible?

Rhea’s face turned bright red and she threw up her hands as though she intended to ward off his words. “Yes, but you don’t have to say it like that!”

“Sorry, I’m just surprised.” replied the sorcerer.

She shook her head briefly then bit her lip. “D-do you want to see what I really look like?”

“I admit it. I am extremely curious...” He was more than interested in seeing what she really looked like. However, he did not miss the extra stress that she had placed on the word ‘really.’ There was something about how she had said it that seemed a bit off.

The Arcane Blade laughed self-consciously then took a deep breath. She raised her hand over her head and a spiraling column of light appeared around her. When the light changed, her appearance did as well.

Scott gaped at her in open-mouthed wonder. It was impossible for someone so beautiful to exist! She practically glowed. In fact, she did glow a bit. He felt certain that if it were any darker in the room, he would be able to use her as a light source.

Rhea had longish tapered ears that peaked out through her shimmering waterfall of hair. Her jade green eyes sparkled in the dim light. She now stood as tall as he did, and seemed to radiate a quiet and beautiful strength. Instead of a simple traveler’s cloak she now wore a form fitting set of armor that accentuated her curves beautifully, while providing solid protection for all of the important parts. She wore wood armor as well, but her armor was designed with beauty and function both in mind.

“Why would you ever want to hide yourself...?” asked Scott. Who would want to hide such an appearance?

The elf maiden sighed softly then leaned forward and gently placed her finger under Scott’s chin. She lifted her hand slightly, moving his open jaw back to a closed position. “Humans act strange around elves...”

“I see.” Scott understood her point now. It would be incredibly hard not to stare at her, much like a child who wants to stare at the sun.

“Plus, there are other issues for joining adventuring parties with humans.” She admitted.

“Really?”

Rhea softly released a pent up breath. “You don’t seem to know, so I’ll tell you now. Elves require more experience points to gain a level than a human. We can’t wear common metal armor such as iron or steel. We have to wear magical metals such as mithril or adamantium if we wear metal at all. This also means that we can’t us weapons forged from those common materials and we take extra damage from them.”

“I see; anything else?” asked Scott without a hint of concern.

She blinked then stared at him. “Isn’t that enough? It takes longer for us to gain levels, and our equipment is expensive early on.”

Scott shrugged. “I have no issue with either of those things. I’ll happily hunt lower level monsters with you for as long as it takes. I’m in no great rush. I want to learn as much as I can about this world, and all the things in it.”

Rhea was honestly surprised by his attitude. Humans and elves rarely got along at low levels, at least as adventurers. Elven entertainers were quite popular in human towns, but elven adventurers were not as welcome among the human adventurer circuit. Shop keepers and the common populace did not really care, so much. “You say that now, but when you start to chomp at the bit due to a desire to hunt higher level monsters...”

He shook his head. “I’ll just learn skills and work on developing my stats. Also, hunting weaker opponents means that I can farm them for money. I’d be a fool to abandon my first companion in this world.”

The elf maiden squinted at him. He kept mentioning his desire to see the world, and speaking of the world as though he were unaware of simple things. It was decidedly odd.

Scott grew self-conscious at her scrutiny. Why was she staring at him, not that he minded her looking at him.

“You are a strange human.”

He looked at her then shrugged. “I’m just me. I do have a question, though.”

Something had been nagging at Scott since Rhea had been revealed as an elf. The fact that her race was seen in a negative light by humans bugged him.

“Yes?” she asked.

“Why is there such animosity between human and elf if people can reincarnate into other races?”

She scrunched her eyebrows together and stared openly at him. “Reincarnate into other races... Where did you get that idea?”

“It was something that I had heard... is it wrong?”

“No one can do that except for...” Rhea titled her head to the side. Her eyes widened comically then she turned to stare at the statue of Origin. She rapidly looked back and forth between the statue and the decidedly odd human.

Scott took an involuntary step back, but the girl immediately leapt toward him with fire in her eyes. She leaned left and right while checking him over for clues to her suspicion.

“Yes, no... Are you? Probably not... but...” She started and stopped her statements frequently while inspecting him.

“What...?” asked Scott. She was acting extremely strange.

“You are, aren’t you? That explains it!” Rhea threw her hands up into the air then clutched them to her impressive chest before doing a silly little dance.

“Uh...”

She shook her head at him while grinning like an idiot. “You’re a champion. It’s OK! I won’t tell anyone. You do need to stop acting so odd, though.”

“Well, I...” began Scott.

However, Rhea cut him off by giving him a hug. “It’s been so long!”

Scott wanted to question her, but the sudden pressure of an absurdly attractive girl pressing against him stunned him to silence. She had not seemed like the type to hug random guys.

“Is it true that you can’t die?” asked Rhea suddenly. The sparkle in her eye grew to intense levels.

Scott was going to say something, but a reminder from Mid rose up within him. Rhea was his new companion, but he did not really know her. “I’m not sure what you’re talking about...”

She pouted at him then sighed. “I guess you don’t trust me. It’s OK.”

He did not feel like she was trying to deceive him in any way, but he was not sure what to say. He had been cautioned to keep quiet about his nature for his own good. Though, it had not been a commandment or anything.

“If I was one of those... champions that you mentioned, why would that make you so excited? I don’t even know what they are.” It was true. He was one, and still had no real idea what his true purpose was in this world.

She smiled a crooked smile. “Champions are heroes of the people. Selfless guardians appointed by the gods to protect the people of this world, all people.”

“Really? So, that’s what a champion is supposed to be?”

She muttered, “Like you don’t already know.”

Scott winced and turned away from the vision of loveliness. “You know... I’m curious about them now. Can you tell me more?”

Rhea giggled softly then ran her fingers through her hair in a shy manner. “Sure... champions are eternal heroes. They can never die, and they undertake quests and journeys that would be certain death for a normal person.”

Scott had to admit, that it did sound like his skill set. He did not know if he was eternal like she claimed, but he did have traits that claimed that he would be resurrected if he died. “So, what would someone do if they were faced with such a creature?”

She shook her head. “I don’t know. A champion can just keep coming back even if killed, if the old stories are true.”

“I see.” said Scott.

Rhea looked up at him then tilted her head to the side again, this time in an attempt to look at his turned face. Was she embarrassing the great hero? That was rather adorable, really.

“You said that it had been so long? What did you mean?” asked Scott.

“Huh? Oh, yeah... I haven’t seen a champion since I was a small child. You... They are an extreme rarity in the world.”

“Oh, so there is more than one of these people in the world?”

“Yes, each god or demon can have a champion. Even the goddess Origin can have one, though her champion is the most special.” She gave Scott a sidelong glance. The sparkle in her eye grew several levels in intensity.

Scott could not help but turn to look at the statue. Rhea’s eyes lit up once more as though she had scored some sort of victory. “What makes that champion so special?”

“Origin’s Champion is the guardian and defender of all life in this world.” she replied.

“Really? Wouldn’t they have to hunt and kill a lot of things to become strong, though?”

“Yes... but that is neither here nor there. Everything that lives has to do that in some respect or other. Besides, monsters respawn anyway.” replied Rhea dismissively.

He looked down at her smiling face then winced. Was he really supposed to be such a person? He just wanted to go on adventures and meet random interesting things, then kill them for their loot. Why did he have to be saddled with some sort of hero thing?  Maybe she was wrong about that?

Also there was one other thing. She was still giving him a hug. Scott wondered how long it would take before she recalled that bit of trivia. He certainly did not mind, but it still felt odd that some random girl was hugging him in such a friendly manner. She did not even know where he had been, he could have diseases and stuff! Yet, when he looked down at her wide and innocent eyes he had to admit that it felt nice to receive such a warm and heartfelt hug.

The groan of effort, the strain of muscles as they unleashed a powerful thrust, and the sweet release of completion; these were things that a girl like Rhea desired most in this world. The elf maiden continually worked her body in a relentless and feverish effort. A soft sheen of sweat poured from her as she writhed, whirled, and moved in the graceful ancient rhythm that her people were known for throughout the world.

She finished with a triumphant cry then began to pant heavily. She was completely spent from her intense exertions.

Scott clapped his hands happily then called out, “Wow, that was great! Such form and precision...”

Rhea’s face, still flush from her hard training, turned an even brighter shade of red after the compliment. She sheathed her sword.  “Thanks, I train every morning when the sun rises and every evening before it sets.”

“Really? Does it do anything for your stats?”

She eyed him critically. “Not everything is about stats, you know.”

He looked at her curiously and she continued, “Stats only reinforce what you can do. Someone who trains daily will always be better than someone who relies solely on their stats, unless there is a major level gap.”

Scott nodded. Training his body might be a good idea in the coming days. He would not increase his stats, but he might be able to become better able to use what he had to work with. “I see, so every little bit helps.”

“Right.” replied the girl before sauntering over to him and sitting next to him on the grass. She had become quite friendly with him in record time.

The sorcerer smiled at her and she smiled back. It was strange to meet such a friendly girl in the middle of nowhere, but it was also sort of nice. He offered her some water and she took it gladly.

“I suppose fewer humans train this extensively.” she said after taking several large sips of water.

“I’m not sure...”

Rhea leaned against him and sighed. “Elves have to train. We require a lot more experience per level to make up for our lifespans.”

Scott resisted the urge to pet her head that he suddenly felt. He did not know her like that, and to be honest he was not used to such casual closeness. He had not been with anyone since Sarah had ditched him several months ago. “Is the experience difference really that big?”

She looked up at him with her big green eyes; their innocence and almost incandescent nature were quite alluring. “Yes.”

“How much of a difference is it? If you don’t mind me asking?”

She bit her lip a little and looked down at the ground. She muttered something softly and Scot blinked.

He had barely heard it, but he thought he understood. “Ten times as much?”

“Yes... What a normal human adventurer could gain in a year would take me ten years to achieve.”

“Nah.” said Scott.

“You doubt my word?” She looked at Scott critically.

He smirked at her. “No, but you won’t take ten years to do it.”

She sat up and pouted at him. It was both adorable and slightly terrifying for some reason. “Are you trying to make fun of me?”

“No, not at all. I just don’t think it will take ten years for us to reach that point.”

Rhea started to say something then stopped. His choice of words had been interesting. “Us?”

“Yes, us. We’re comrades now aren’t we?” asked Scott.

The heated anger fled from her then and she sighed. “Yes, we have chosen to become... comrades. That doesn’t change the nature of my race, however. We’ll have to spend a lot of time hunting together to keep me moving at a decent leveling pace.”

Scott bumped her with his shoulder and she leaned to the side. “Already growing tired of my company?”

She bumped him back then said, “Not yet, you silly human.”

They were quiet for a moment, but Rhea decided to break the silence by asking another question. “If you don’t mind saying, how long did it take you to reach level seven?”

Scott shrugged. “A little over a week, I think.”

She leaned away from him then openly stared at the man. Her genuine surprise was quite intriguing. “A week! That’s, how is that even possible?”

“Well, I was level five after around a week. I somehow ended up pissing off the grass rats enough that the gods summoned an overlord on their behalf. I killed the overlord.”

Rhea’s jaw fell open. It was a most undignified sight, but she did not care. He had to be lying, but the way that he had said it was so casual that she could almost believe it.

Scott raised his gauntlets. “An armorer in Victory Stations turned the fang I collected into these gauntlets by combining them with my steel claw gauntlets.”

The elf looked the item over carefully then looked back up at Scott’s face. “That... you really killed an overlord? You said that you were not able to find an adventuring party...”

“Yeah, it happened by accident and I was alone. It’s not really that big a deal.”

“Not a big deal?! Overlords are powerful creatures! Even low-level ones can kill entire parties of experienced adventurers! How could you have killed it alone?”

Scott shook his head. “Pure luck mostly. I could barely damage it. I nearly died. However, I was able to stun it with my flash spell just long enough to fire a burn spell straight down its throat. The explosion was a critical hit, so I emptied the rest of my mana into it then beat it to death.”

“I see.” Rhea placed one of her delicate fingers to her chin then acquired a thoughtful expression.

The elf girl gave Scott a critical and curious look then rubbed her chin again. “Hmmm...”

“What are you plotting?” asked Scott.

She shared a wide smile. “It took me a month to do what you claimed to have done in a week. That’s actually quite fast for my people. It seems that we are both quite capable.”

“Seems so, though I have never faced anything stronger than that giant black grass rat.”

“Still, better than anything that I have faced... maybe we should go fight those slimes soon.”

“I’d love that, but I still have that mana issue. I need to train my spells.”

Rhea shook her head. “We should be fine. I can make health and mana potions, and use my spells to enchant our weapons.”

“You can make mana potions?” Scott could not believe it.

“Yes, is that so strange?”

“What kind of class do you have, or did you use lore rings?” Scott was honestly curious. He had assumed that she was some sort of spell-sword. She would use magic and sword-skills. Potion making was alchemical in nature.

“Ah, you don’t know about elves! I had forgotten. We have a natural knowledge of monster, mineral, and plant lore. We automatically have the ability to develop low-grade natural remedies. Our shamans and alchemists develop the upper-tier abilities in that direction.”

“I see, so it’s a racial ability?”

“Yes, just as our classes are inherited for the most part.”

Scott asked her about that bit of trivia and she happily explained the nature of elves. They all began life as one of several elven classes. Every elf could use at least a little magic, and had innate casting abilities for different powers based on their racial subtype. High elves tended to be arcane blades or shamans. Forest elves were known to be archers more than front-line fighters. The various sub-species of elves had their own specific abilities as well.

“I bet that elves have pretty high stats and strong skills for their level, though.” Scott did not see the need to take longer to gain a level to be a bad thing.

“Sometimes... A properly trained elf of the same level as a human would prove to be a tough opponent for the human.”

The pitiably human sorcerer did not doubt that at all. If he had to spend ten times as long hunting those grass rats, he would have farmed ability points by the thousand! Sure, the cost to raise stats would have risen to an obscene amount by now, but he would still have the stats from previous upgrades. Things might have even worked out to the extent that he could easily hunt monsters several levels higher than he was.

“Rhea, do you mind if I ask you something personal?”

She made a little strangling noise then looked down at her hands. His sudden request had startled her. “You can ask...”

Scott tried not to notice the almost obscene level of cuteness she was radiating at the moment. Instead, he asked his question. “Why exactly aren’t you in an adventuring group with other elves?”

That question had plagued him since the moment she had mentioned her proposal to join together and form a party. If elves have so much trouble gaining levels compared to other races, why was she seeking to journey with him?

“That... Well...” she started to fidget a little. From her demeanor it became obvious that she was uncomfortable answering the question.

“It’s alright, you don’t have to answer. I shouldn’t have asked.”

“No, it’s nothing bad. I just... Well, I’m a girl. You know that, right?” She looked at him with a curious expression. It was as though she doubted that he did know that obvious fact.

“Uh, yeah. That’s not exactly something I would fail to notice.”

Her cheeks took on a rosy color and she smiled gently. “I’m just entering my second century of life. Many would consider me still to be little more than a child.”

She would be seen as a two hundred year old child? Scott wondered if elves aged at one-tenth the rate of humans since that was how much experience they required. What would a few decades as a toddler be like? The idea of being in high school for forty years also bothered him greatly.

Rhea looked him in the eye suddenly then took a deep breath. “I am not a child! This journey proves that and... And...”

“And?”

She shook her head. Suddenly, she reached out and gripped his arm tightly and looked him in the eyes. “I am not a child, alright? Remember that I am not a child. I just... well... This is the traditional time in a young elf’s life where she goes out and experiences the world...” 

Scott wanted to ask questions about that, but he was afraid that he might upset her. Instead, he sat quietly and simply listened as she went into detail about the customs of her people. It was not until she said something a bit unusual that he could not hold back.

“Elven mating season?” He stared at her like she had grown a second head. Had he heard that right?

She threw her hands up and waved them around spastically. “You don’t need to say it so loud!”

Rhea began to hyperventilate a little, but managed to calm down after a few rapid breaths.  Quietly she leaned in and said, “Yes! Every four years after we reach adulthood, an elven maiden will undergo the velvet madness...”

“Velvet madness?” asked Scott in surprise, and a little too loudly for Rhea’s liking.

“Quiet!” She smacked him on the arm in a desperate attempt to silence the man. How could he speak such a vulgar thing so loudly? The shame of it!

“I’m sorry, I just don’t know much about your people and I’m interested.” said Scott sincerely.

“It’s ok, I guess. I... don’t mind if it’s you.” She bit her lip gently then looked away.

Scott could not take it anymore. She had been quite friendly with him, a bit too friendly. He did not want to be mean or rude, but he wanted to know the truth. “Why?”

“Why?” she asked curiously.

“Yes, why? Why do you not mind if it’s me?”

She clenched her hands into fists then whispered something that Scott did not manage to make out. When he mentioned that he had not understood her she took a deep breath then said, “I... prayed for you...”

“You prayed for me?” What exactly did she mean by that?

Rhea nodded slowly then wrapped her arms around herself. “Yes. For longer than you might know... I have prayed for you... for someone to love and cherish. That was the real reason that I was at the shrine. I could finally have that prayer answered. I could finally go on an adventure with someone who I could cherish...”

That admission made Scott feel like garbage. He could not know if it was true, but it certainly explained her overly friendly demeanor and cute little attempts at trying to get to know him. He did not understand it, though. “That’s... Rhea, why would you need to pray for that? You’re such a sweet girl... I’m surprised that you don’t have a line of admirers waiting for you.”

She winced visibly then shook her head. “I... don’t want to talk about that. Is that, OK?”

Scott could not resist attempting to give her some sort of comfort. He placed his hand on her shoulder. Rhea jumped a little in response after he did so, but then she leaned her cheek against his hand and started to rub her face against him.

What was he going to do with this girl? She seemed so innocent and pure that it made him feel like a dirty asshole just looking at her. Yet, she honestly thought that he was the answer to her cherished prayer for someone to love. What kind of shitty goddess answered such a sweet girl’s prayer, with well... him?

“You’re a really nice guy.” Rhea said suddenly.

How would she even know? She assumed a great deal about him based on the answer to a prayer. “Not nice enough to be the answer to your prayer.”