Origin ARS (Origin A.R.S. Book 2) (17 page)

Scott raced forward into the horde of battered and beaten monsters. It should be certain death for the man. Even though the horde was greatly weakened they did out number him to a massive degree. They were at a higher level and had a bonus from their captain’s presence. He did not care about any of that, however.

He hurled his boomerangs forward to attack a nearby archer. The attack was successful, but it was just a ploy. The moment that his hands were free he launched his burn spell toward a thick concentration of goblins and sent them flying with explosive force. Over a dozen of them died from the attack, but he did not slow down.

Scott jumped up and caught his boomerangs in mid-air before launching them again. By now the goblins had reached him, but they found that the sorcerer was far from the easy target that they had hoped. Even one or two strikes from his weapons or magic would be enough to finish them off individually. They had all reached a critical state and there were no healers or healing items available.

~ I was just a little fairy, alone and unremembered... ~

The piano score rose to new heights as Scott ducked and dodged around spears. The goblins were doing their best to wear him down, but the momentum was with the sorcerer. If they pressed in with great numbers he would unleash one of his spells and make them pay with their lives.

Scott deflected a spear thrust, rolled around the shaft via a quick spin then launched a palm strike into the chest of the spear wielder. Sensing danger he leapt forward and then through the guard of another goblin lancer then performed the same attack. This time he accompanied it with a cast of the freeze spell. The goblin’s torso froze solid due to the close proximity.

Several archers took aim, but to their horror the sorcerer quickly turned with the frozen goblin and used it as a meat shield. The arrows impacted harmlessly against the deceased body of their comrade. It had not turned to light because of the freeze spell and could be used as a physical object till the power faded.

~ I needed you. You needed me... I was imprisoned by love, and you friendship set me free--eeee...! ~

The musical score, such as it was, continued unabated. Scott moved to the side and caught the arm of an attacking goblin. He moved forward then rotated his arm in a quick motion that flipped the creature over. He stabbed downward to finish it off and it exploded into motes of light.

Scott cried out in pain when an arrow impacted his lower back. The armor kept it from penetrating deeply, but he still lost a little health.

The goblins became more careful. They had regained their senses and began to circle him like wolves. Squads of goblins came at him now. The archers stayed at range, while spear goblins and shield goblins came at him in small waves.

Spears struck out toward him, keeping him at bay. Shield goblins took their chance and raced in to bash him. Sometimes they succeeded. When they did, he would be stunned for a short time and take several quick hits that whittled down his health. Scott’s health had dwindled to the half way point again by the time he found a chance to break the encirclement.

A shield goblin burst forward in a blur of leather and metal. Scott saw it moving toward him and immediately jumped up then kicked out with both feet. He did not kick the goblin away, however. Instead he used the momentum of the onrushing monster as a springboard to hurl himself higher into the air. Arrows flew, but missed the agile sorcerer altogether. He performed a lazy seeming backflip then thrust his hands forward. “Burn!”

The explosive force sent dozens of massed goblins flying away. Most of them turned into motes of light. When he hit the ground he immediately moved into a dancing and swaying pattern that made his movements too erratic for the goblins to comprehend. He blocked a sword strike with his boomerangs then dropped one of his weapons before he slammed his free hand forward to impale the creature in its right eye using his gauntlet.

The boomerang returned to his hand just in time to be used against a goblin that had leapt at him from the nearby ramp. He had been backed toward that area once more. The boomerang slammed into the jumping goblin’s chest quickly overwhelming its remaining health. It became nothing but light and dust before it even came close to reaching the man.

An arrow impacted his shoulder and dug in deep enough that it drew blood, but did not impede his motor functions. It hurt, but he ignored it. He already had several arrows in his collection at the moment anyway.

Scott jumped up onto the shoulders of a nearby goblin and used it as a springboard to reach the platform above. He quickly performed a flip using his hands and flipped completely up and over the rail. Instinctively the goblins rushed forward and Scott used that instinct to his advantage.

He took several hits from arrows in the process but it did not matter. He unleashed explosive hell on the massed monsters. Burn spell after burn spell rained down. Unlike the third platform, the first platform was at just the right range for such a tactic. Blood and charred remnants of goblin gore rained down upon the area, blanketing the place in the destroyed remnants of his foes.

He lost over forty of his remaining mana and reached a critically low point. He only had a few spell casts left. Still, the death from above tactic had thinned the monsters greatly.

Blood leaked from his many wounds, both major and minor. His vision faded in and out. It grew cloudy at times and then cleared up suddenly. Scott knew that he had to end the battle soon. At this point his body was doing the equivalent of running on fumes. Only sheer tenacity, and perhaps a touch of insanity, had kept him going.

~ But we’ll keep on fighting...  The heart wants what it wants...~

Scott realized that the song was still going. He smiled a little before getting back to work. Over half the goblins were dead now, well over half of them to be precise. He could not be certain of how many actually remained, but he doubted that there were more than fifty.

Even one or two would be enough to kill him, though. With his mana so low, and no means of restoring his health, the battle could still go either way. It had taken an army due to his tactics, Ero’s sacrifice, and blind rage, but the goblins had worn him down. They could respawn little worse for wear over the course of time. He would lose a massive windfall of experience and loot if he died. The wolves had hunted the bear, and though the pack had been thinned the bear was weakening.

Scott dodged an arrow and took sight of his goal. He needed to reach the captain. He had tried to get to him periodically throughout the fight, but there had been too many of the goblins. Now, he might be able to do it. The sorcerer pointed at the captain then made a come-hither gesture with his fingers.

<<< * >>>

You have decimated the goblin ranks and impudently called out their captain! Karsh has become enraged. His power has grown slightly.

<<< * >>>

The lyrical musical score stopped. The music changed once more. It became a boss battle theme complete with high-octane heavy metal guitar riffs and synthesizers as back-up.

The goblin captain took out a massive meat cleaver and pointed it at Scott before running forward. The captain had apparently had enough. He would join the battle on his own. “Meat!”

Scott snorted at the eloquent battle cry then launched himself from the platform. He threw both of his boomerangs toward the oncoming beast. The captain batted them away easily, but that did not matter to Scott. He had the opening that he had hoped for; he unleashed one of his precious remaining spells at the moment that the monster seemed to be the most off balance.

The burn spell exploded just short of the captain, but it was enough to send the monster flying. Goblins attempted to come to their captain’s aid, but they died uselessly. Scott was done with the small fries. The goblins were slightly higher level than him, but their weakened state combined with Scott’s uncompromising position evened things up nicely.

Scott caught his boomerangs then performed a spinning kick that shattered the last goblin archer’s bow just before it crashed into the hapless monster’s chest. A Spear reached out to take him down. He used his weapons and sweet martial arts prowess to break the shaft of the weapon just before he hurled one boomerang out to finish off the monster. One hit, maybe two, is all it would take to bring them down at the moment. That had been the case since Ero had made her presence known and Scott would make her actions count.

A shield struck him in the back. He was sent flying forward. He was not stunned by the attack, however. Luck would not be that unkind to him this time.

He performed a flip in mid-air then launched his boomerangs out to tag two more goblins. He landed solidly while taking a knee. His boomerangs returned quickly, and slapped into his hands in a fluid simultaneous motion. He took a moment to smirk at the shield bearing goblin who had inadvertently helped him take out two of its compatriots. The beast realized that the sorcerer was mocking him and shouted in outrage.

Scott would not have lied if you had asked him, however. Despite the fact that he had not received a stun from the shield attack it had hurt. He had lost twelve of his precious remaining health points. He was just outside the critical range now.

The captain came raging toward him, meat cleaver reared back for a deadly blow. Scott was under no delusion that he would survive even one solid strike from the thing in his current situation.

The cleaver screamed down for a killing blow, but the sorcerer performed a quick spinning sweep that allowed him to avoid the attack altogether while knocking the monster off its feet. It only did three points of damage to the overly large goblin, but it was enough to give Scott a chance to survive.

The captain roared then rolled over and slammed his cleaver down toward Scott’s prone form. A small crater was formed as rock and dust shot up. However, the sorcerer had already rolled away.

Scott felt pain lance up from his thigh and turned to destroy the spear wielding goblin that managed to pierce his armor and punch a hole in his leg. He did so easily, however the damage was done.

<<< * >>>

Due to your injuries your speed has decreased by five percent.

<<< * >>>

The one thing that he could not deal with right now was a lack of speed! He moved with a slight limp now and the goblins sensed his weakness. The captain regained his feet and pointed his cleaver at Scott. He roared and the other goblins ran over to Him. They formed tight knit ranks, shield goblins to the fore, with spear goblins just behind them.

It would have been a decidedly deadly tactic against a normal fighter or even a mage who had to chant. However, it was both useless and stupid to use against a sorcerer. Scott was incredibly thankful that this so-called captain had chosen to be stupid.

Scott immediately lashed out with his burn spell then hobbled forward a few steps and did it again. Half the goblins died in those two strikes, but Scott was also reduced to only two possible spell casts remaining.

The captain gestured and the remaining goblins ran toward him en masse. They no longer cared for rank or structure and they spread out a little as they ran. Scott decided to use one of his two remaining spells to punch a hole through the center of the line via an explosion, then ran as quickly as his injured leg would allow.

The captain was waiting for him, as though he knew that the sorcerer would do exactly what he did. He swung his massive blade back and forth in a manner that was more like wielding an axe than a machete. Scott could feel the force of the wind from the motion but it did not discourage him.

He narrowly avoided the captain’s next strike and used the moment of opportunity to slash downward with his left gauntlet at the same time that he slammed his right hand up to try and skewer the monster under the jaw. Karsh pulled his head to the side, released his weapon, and shoved Scott away with all of his considerable strength.

Scott went flying and landed roughly in a tangle of limbs. His health dropped by twenty points and left him in a severe critical state.

<<< * >>>

Your wounds have deepened. It is impossible to run quickly. Walking will be difficult.

<<< * >>>

Karsh laughed and reached for his cleaver. The laughter stopped when two blessed boomerangs slammed into him. One hit him across the arm, and the other smacked him in the face. The damage was negligible, but the result was explosive. The captain screamed in outrage and snatched up his weapon.

He raced toward Scott and the remainder of the goblin horde watched in anticipation of the finale. They knew better than to get in the captain’s way.

Captain Karsh reared back to deliver the finishing blow with his massive weapon, but doing so left him critically vulnerable. Scott thrust his hand forward and shouted, “Freeze!”

The spell was aimed at the monster’s left thigh, which was at nearly point blank range. The entire force of the attack entered that single limb according to Scott’s will. Due to the strain on the body, the limb shattered and Karsh was knocked off balance. A bright red number two-hundred twenty flared above his head. The attack had been considered a critical hit!

Stunned for several seconds due to the sudden amputation of its limb and subsequent disorientation from the fall, Karsh could not stop the badly injured sorcerer from rising up to claim the giant meat cleaver for his own.

Scott reared back and raised the weapon high above his head. He brought the blade down with great force, hoping that it would do more damage than his own attacks had done. His spells had hurt the monster whenever they had hit, but his physical ability was not equal to the monster’s higher level defense.

He had neither sword skills, nor axe skills. He would be at a severe disadvantage if he tried to equip a weapon like the cleaver in battle. However, this was no longer a battle. It had become an execution.

The sorcerer slammed the machete down atop the monster’s neck with all the strength that his exhausted limbs could muster. Due to his lack of sword skills he did little damage. Despite the weight of the blade and a strike directly to the neck, he did not kill Karsh in a single blow.

Scott did not have the strength left to lift the blade again. Instead, he leaned his own body weight atop the blade and pressed downward as strongly as he could. The overly large meat chopping implement slid through bone and flesh in a sick display of murderous intent. The captain’s head popped off amid a spray of blood, much like a teenager might pop a pimple.

The moment that the captain died, his morale enhancement effect ended. The remaining goblins screamed in pain and terror then died due to the health adjustment. Their stats, including health, had been bolstered. However, since they were all in critical condition the adjustment meant that their health went negative. The death of Karsh and the end of the morale boost had led to their own deaths.

Scott panted atop the decapitated corpse for a moment then leaned back and sat down. After about a minute passed he struggled to his feet.  A thought occurred to him and he raised one of his hands. His boomerangs returned to him, and he dropped his left arm in exhaustion. However, his right arm remained in the air despite his desire to drop it. The moment after he retrieved his weapons an explosive fanfare erupted all around him.

<<< * >>>

Absolute Victory!!!

You have single handedly defeated an army of monsters of equal or greater level than you! You will receive bonuses and a title! You defeated five hundred sixty eight monsters and the known murderer
Karsh Six-Fingers
!

EXP + 52,433

Fayth + 87,000

Ability Points + 712

Item(s) Acquired:

Rusty Machete X 412

Cracked Spear X 67

Broken Bow X 22

Wood Arrow X 240

Tattered Leather Armor X 324

Goblin Fangs: X 67

Cave Rat Fangs X 48

Cave Rat Pelt X 219

Cave Rat Tail X 210

Cave Rat Eyes X 65

Bat Wings X 12

Spider Web X 14

Spider legs X 37

Special:

Goblin Soul X 16 [
Rare
]

---

You have single handedly defeated over five hundred opponents of equal or higher level during a single battle. You have earned a title.

The Unbreakable

Despite the overwhelming odds and difficulties, you used tactics and a high-level battle instinct to defeat your enemies. No matter what they did, you were able to counter them in one way or another. Thus, you have become known as
Scott the Unbreakable Sorcerer
.

This title will influence how monsters treat you in the future.

Your health increases by 25

Your defense increases by 25

Your intellect increases by 10

Your luck increases by 5

<<< * >>>

<<< * >>>

You have gained several levels at once!

Level 7 -> Level 13

<<< * >>>

“Hell yeah!” exclaimed Scott. He could feel his health and mana being restored as he gained six levels at one time! He had to check out his stats!

<<<
Status
>>>

Name:
Scott Jacobs |
Class:
Sorcerer |
Race:
Human

Title:
The Unbreakable

Age:
18 |
Level:
13

EXP:
55,609

Next Level:
611

Ability Points:
731

Health:
60[144] |
Mana:
40[138]

Attack:
68[347] |
Defense:
87[328]

Strength:
69[69] |
Agility:
63[48] |
Accuracy:
43[68]

Intellect:
81[81] |
Luck:
32[32]

<<< * >>>

“Whoa, not bad!” Due to his bonuses, new title and passive level up increases, he now had greatly increased his abilities. Something seemed a little off, though. Why had he gained so many levels? Did something change? Normally, the experience required would double with each level.

That was not the strangest thing, however. Scott looked down at the corpse of the goblin captain, Karsh. It had not dissipated into light. For the first time there was actually a body left behind. Further, he had not automatically gained any loot from the captain. If he had, it was pretty poor equipment.

Scott unequipped his boomerangs then leaned down and took the meat cleaver in his hand. He opened his inventory screen then tried to manually place it inside. He was delighted to see that he could take it. He eyed the corpse then had an idea.

The sorcerer decided that since the body had not disappeared, he should try to remove the equipment manually. He started with the helmet that the goblin captain was wearing. It was not an epic piece of loot, but it was a pretty sturdy leather helmet.

One by one, Scott looted the corpse in the old fashioned way. He stripped items from the corpse by hand. Soon, nothing was left but a pair of striped underwear. They refused to come off, and honestly Scott chose not to put too much effort in removing them.

“Not a single piece of rare equipment in the lot... What a shabby boss monster.” Scott snorted at the corpse then wandered back toward his camp. He intended to rest there for a while before he headed back to town to sell his loot. His armor needed extensive repairs, his inventory metaphorically groaned under the strain of so many items, and the mine bonus would end soon anyway.

Chapter 9: Just Tell Him

The day wore on in a way that was slow and frustrating. Origin, unable to break free from the shackles of her family life, was forced to endure cover signings and meetings that she did not care for in the slightest. They had real public relations people for that sort of thing. Yet, she was forced to make her presence known for the good of their gaming empire.

The goddess sighed softly then pretended that she had a headache. She was fairly certain that she should have one given the stresses of the day. As a goddess she did not need to eat, sleep, or have headaches unless she wanted to do so. It was one of the reasons that the gods enjoyed games and mortal lifestyles. They felt as though it provided more substance to their eternal existence. A life that existed without struggle was one that could be quite unfulfilling.

She blew a stray hair out of her face then looked down at the table top. She had brought her favorite possession to see her through the annoyances that came with being the heiress to a gaming empire. It was a little toy ring, just a silly little thing.

Origin smiled at it and remembered how she had come by it in the first place. She stroked the cheaply made plastic bit of jewelry and thought of the one who had given it to her.

“Weren’t you supposed to throw that thing into Mount Doom?” asked Silence from the other side of the table.

The goddess looked at her brother, a frown artfully crafted upon her lips. “Do I look like a hobbit to you?”

“Well, you are shorter than me.” countered her bratty older sibling. He gave her a sarcastic smile as further evidence of his intended tone.

Origin snorted at him then tucked the ring back under her shirt. She held it there like a necklace. The string was just a shoelace that Scott had chosen to use. Her tiny adolescent finger had not been big enough for the toy that he had earned her when he was victorious at that crane game all those years ago. Now that she was in her normal adult form, the ring would fit easily. Yet, she kept it on the string because that was how he had given it to her when they had met on that beautiful day.

“Do you really miss him that badly?” asked the grim reaper, a smirk on his lips.

The so-called ice queen looked away from him and sighed once more. She did not feel like dignifying that with a remark. Didn’t he have souls to count or something?

“I noticed that you received a priority alert not long ago... Was it from him?”

“Why do you even care, Silence? All you want to do is tease me, anyway.” replied Origin. The goddess of love looked down at the table and stuck out her lower lip slightly.

Silence seemed confused for a moment. After a short space of time passed, he asked her, “Is that really what you think?”

“Why wouldn’t I think that? It’s all you’ve done since I first met him.” she replied.

Silence shook his head slowly then said, “I’m just worried about you. It has only been a few years from his perspective, but it has been several decades for you. It is not healthy to obsess over a guy who you barely know. Not for either of you. ”

“I know. I know that...” Her eyes grew narrow and then her eyebrows gently rose upward as she tried to process a complicated emotion that she could neither name, nor truly understand.