Origin ARS 4 (2 page)

“Yes, mistress. Shall we make offline contact?” asked the masked man.

“Please do. Report your findings to Gambol. Once contact has been made, relay the discussion to him as well. I won’t be able to deal with guild business for a few weeks.”

The ninja sub-ordinate inclined his head, but before he left, he said, “Community service, huh?”

Sharde sighed. “Yeah, sadly so.”

He nodded once more then faded from sight. He had to get to work.

“He seemed like a nice assassin for hire.” said Scott.

Sharde glanced at Scott then smiled. “He is one of the best in the business, actually. You might want to look him up sometime on the classic server if you ever need information, an assassination, or have to deal with people camping your corpse. He won’t come cheap, but he’ll always get the job done.”

“So, I would just look for him specifically?” asked Scott. One never knew when they might need the help of an expert assassin.

“Sure, but you would be better off finding me, so I can add you and my darling sister to the preferential client list.” said Sharde.

Scott nodded then asked about her guild. It seemed like she took things a bit more seriously when it came to the classic server. As it turned out, she already had a Sharde avatar there. She only played in this world when she was bored or when she had a contract to fulfill. Unlike Rhea, she would not need to transfer her character over.

“Our guild works a little differently there. I’ll explain it all once I finally meet you there, but who knows maybe you’ll want to join.” said Sharde.

“Join your guild? I’m a sorcerer, not an assassin.” said Scott.

Sharde pouted at him. “You don’t want to spend many hard and exhausting hours serving under me?”

Rhea coughed loudly then gave her sister a look. Sharde winked at her in response.

She turned back to Scott. “Anyway, if you want to hire someone from the guild just let me know who they are, and what you need. I’ll be happy to charge you a small fortune to kill people on your behalf.”

“Sure, what’s his name?” said Scott. He chose to disregard the thoughts that had popped into his head when Sharde had mentioned long hard hours serving under her. Nothing good could come of those images.

“Just call him Shade. He doesn’t reveal his real in-world name for roleplaying purposes.” said Sharde.

Scott nodded. “Alright, I’ll try to remember that name if I ever need to have someone assassinated.”

“Great! I can’t wait to see how you fare in the classic server.” said Sharde.

Rhea smiled at her sister then nodded to Scott. “Me too. I was worried that it would be too much for you to handle if we had gone there from the start, but I think you can do it.”

Scott nodded. “I can understand that, though the system seems easy enough to work with.”

He continued after a brief moment to collect his thoughts, “But if I were to have been killed every time I stepped outside of town, it would have been a problem. The fact that I would have to start over at level one because my corpse rotted after three days would have had a mental breakdown after a while. At the least I would have probably become the sort of person who was fearful of leaving town.”

“Yes, exactly. You’re in a better position now. You have friends, associates, and will have a small buffer in the form of enhanced stats due to reincarnation. It won’t be as much of a surprise, and you know what is at stake.” said Rhea.

She was glad that Scott had so easily accepted her reasoning. There were many different things included in her decision to bring him to the casual server first. Yes, it cost them a little time but not much.

That short space of time would not have allowed him to achieve the same stat growth in the classic server that he would achieve through reincarnation in the casual server. In the end, it was for the best.

Chapter 2: Pregnant Faux-Pause

A pleasant meadow was a sight that many would find both lovely and relaxing. Animals at play would often cause a similar feeling among those who witnessed said play. However, the feeling that coursed through the body of the sorcerer who sat atop a nearby tree limb was not one of relaxation. It was a far more violent sensation that he felt at the moment.

Scott sat atop his perch and watched the Arvulfs at play. He had never really taken the time to enjoy the wildlife of this world. He had spent far more time murdering it for fun and profit. Even now, he had to restrain his impulse to attack the furry sacks of experience points that playfully wrestled with each other below.

He had not chosen to bear witness to their lifestyle solely out of a desire to see more of the world. This too, was part of his training. Tomorrow they would head out to begin the mermaid rescue operation. The queen had been contacted and forces had been mobilized. She would handle the rescue operation in regards to the larger strongholds of the Shar-Shar. Scott and his crew would handle the inland operation as some of the girls had been sold off to a private buyer in Eizen.

Today, however, Scott had decided to further his tactical training. He had to train not only to become stronger in this world, but in preparation for the next. He was strong enough to defeat the Arvulfs by spamming his spells, but he might not be able to defeat a similar beast in the classic server if he did not learn to actively use his observational skills.

He tilted his head to the left and watched the Arvulfs at play. The largest among them was the leader of the pack. The others seemed content to leave that one alone. However, they frequently nipped and barked at each other. Every once in a while two or three of the smaller ones would circle one of their larger pack mates then use flanking strategy to divide its attention.

The bigger Arvulf would fend off one or two attacks, but the third attack usually managed to land a nip somewhere on its furry body. Scott rarely saw a damage number higher than a one or a two float above the head of the injured Arvulf, but that did not seem to matter. They smaller members of the pack had made their point.

He considered their actions carefully and as the hours passed he learned many things that could have helped him in his earlier fights. The Arvulfs seemed to focus on a hierarchy system that involved team work. The larger Arvulfs were team leaders and something akin to a wolf-like tank. The smaller, probably younger ones, acted as main attackers. In game terms, the small ones were some sort of damage per second pack members, while the big ones were sort of the main tank. The only ones that seemed to use their lightning attacks directly were the big ones. The smaller ones seemed to use their lightning elemental energies to increase speed and buff their damage.

Scott nodded. It made sense. Every time he had gone after the big alpha in an Arvulf pack he had taken more damage from the smaller, faster, members of the pack. Arvulfs, even in the casual server, were intelligent enough to create a proper attack team. When they attacked another monster in the wild, the biggest Arvulfs raced in and drew all of the aggro, so to speak. They kept the other beast’s attention while their pack mates encircled their opponent. They would then rush in and attack once or twice quickly before they ran out again.

He had personally witnessed them take down a Gold-Horn Bear like that, a creature that was easily twice the level of the lead Arvulf. The combination of short-term paralysis from the lightning attack, and the small but numerous wounds that the pack inflicted had worn it down over the course of a few minutes.

Scott wondered briefly if he would have survived his encounters with the Arvulfs if he had not been a magic user. His resistance to magic was much higher than a warrior class. How did the other classes deal with such things? He wondered if most people just changed their equipment or learned special skills. Was that something he should focus on more once he transitioned to the new server?

***

A soft laugh echoed throughout the area. Rhea nodded her head gently then said, “Sure, I would love more lemonade.”

Ero giggled sweetly then gripped the handle of the pitcher tightly. She heaved herself backward and her tiny little muscles began to strain. Her wings fluttered rapidly and she cried out in a passionate voice. “Waaaaah-ah!”

The pitcher of lemonade rose upward into the air. Lifted by Ero’s best efforts, she slowly carried it over to where Rhea was sitting. She leaned it forward and managed to fill the high elf’s cup without spilling much of the cool and refreshing liquid.

“Yes! You did it, Ero.” cried out Rhea. She clapped happily and the fairy girl smiled softly in response.

Ero slowly carried the lemonade back to where it had been before then fluttered over to where Rhea sat. “I might be little, but I can get things done.” she said, a smile on her lips.

Rhea smiled brightly down at her then reached over and tickled her tummy with her finger. “Yes, I believe that you can.”

Ero giggled then shook her head. “Stop tickling me, it makes me feel funny.”

Rhea lifted her thumb up and Ero pressed her cheek against it. “OK, but when Scott tickles you, you never seem to mind.”

The fairy’s cheeks darkened slightly and her nostrils flared a little. “Yeah, I can’t help that.”

Rhea scooped her up then pulled Ero to her chest. “You really do like him a lot, don’t you?”

“He’s means everything to me...” said Ero with complete sincerity.

The elf maiden lifted Ero up then kissed her softly on the cheek. “I’m glad that he found you.”

Ero’s blush deepened then she looked up at Rhea with eyes that shimmered softly with unspoken emotion. “I’m glad that he found you, too.” It was Rhea’s turn to blush then as Ero leaned forward and gave her a soft kiss on the bottom lip.

“Ero...”

The little fairy shook her head. “It’s true. You do know that if he had not found you that day on the street, I would probably be...”

Rhea’s eyes widened in realization of what the little fairy had really meant. If Scott had not helped her out on her visit to Earth, she would have never called him to ARS. If he had not come to ARS, Ero would have ended it all due to her loneliness and isolation.

“Ero, I’m sorry you went through all of that time alone.” said Rhea.

The fairy smiled gently. “It was bad, but things are better now. I have my BFF, and we’re friends too.... Right?”

Rhea nodded. “Right.”

“Yes!” squealed Ero excitedly, before she lunged forward and hugged Rhea’s face tightly.

“Hey now, what did I tell you about naked face hugging?” asked Rhea with a laugh.

“Wait till Scott is around so we can make him turn red in the face?” asked Ero curiously.

“Exactly.” replied the elf.

Ero giggled cutely then snuggled against Rhea’s cheek. “Don’t care. I like to give hugs.”

Rhea shook her head and Ero went for a bit of a wild ride. The little fairy laughed happily all the while, but once the ride ended Ero said, “Be glad it isn’t like that one memory of Scott’s.”

“What memory?” asked Rhea.

“Hmm? Oh, that... It was about these weird little things that jumped up and latched onto people’s faces. Afterward the person became pregnant and then they would give birth during dinner. Though, why the baby would pop out of their rib cage is something I still don’t understand.” said Ero.

Rhea blinked then chuckled softly. “I think I know what you are talking about.”

Ero laughed a little then smiled. After a brief moment she tilted her head to the side and then said in a crafty manner, “Too bad I can’t get you pregnant with a face hug.”

“Ero! You...” said Rhea in surprise. What had come over the tiny little thing?

The fairy laughed again then snuggled against Rhea’s cheek. “Let’s try anyway. Come on Rhea, get pregnant!”

“Ero, stop!” called out Rhea.

The little fairy giggled happily and cuddled the elf girl’s face. “Pregnant! Pregnant!”

“No, I don’t wanna!” wailed Rhea. She reached up and started to pull at the fairy, but she refused to be dislodged without the use of force.

“I’m going to get you so pregnant, Rhea!” cried out Ero.

“No, no!” Rhea pulled at Ero for a moment then cried out, “I don’t want anyone to get me pregnant but Scott.”

Ero blinked then noticed something out of the corner of her eye. “What was that, Rhea?”

Rhea jumped up from her seat and shouted, “I want Scott to get me pregnant!”

“Wha...?” asked a familiar voice.

Rhea’s eyes widened in shock and her lower lip began to quiver. “Scott. You’re back?”

“Yeah...” he said hesitantly.

Rhea’s face turned bright red and she looked down at the ground. “Uhm...”

Scott coughed once then turned away. “Ah, yeah...”

Ero giggled softly. Her work here was done.

Chapter 3: The Virtuous Slave Master

The city of Eizen was a lively place filled with a multitude of people. Scott could see the hustle and bustle from atop the hill that his group stood upon. It promised to be quite the interesting locale. People streamed into the gates of the city from various directions, and from the current distance those people looked like a river of massed humanity that wound its way through the city entrances and out of its exits.