Scott batted away another hard strike from the frost covered goblin and stepped in to deliver a hard strike to its armpit. The attack met with less resistance as the creature only wore a leather vest as armor. The fangs of the rat tore into its exposed underarm region with great force and the creature cried out in agony.
At the same moment that Scott had chosen to overwhelm his opponent by striking the nerve cluster located in its armpit, Rhea raised her sword then slammed it down on top of the goblin that Scott had knocked to the ground earlier. It penetrated deeply into the stunned creature and caused considerable damage. However, she was not able to finish it off. The other goblin had regained its feet.
The elf met the goblin’s renewed attack by whipping her blade up while keeping it pointed toward the earth. She neatly deflected its crude assault, opening its stance up for a follow-up strike. She lashed her sword sideways with great force and took a step back in the process. The combination of simple attack and instinctive footwork allowed her to strike a third time. She stepped forward then delivered a brutal overhand strike that bit deeply into its shoulder and cleaved through its clavicle.
The goblin fell to its knees and screamed out in agony, but its cry was cut short when a leather clad elven foot slammed into its blood drenched chest. It fell back and began to flail its only working arm in a wild and spastic manner.
While Rhea performed her expertly honed sword skills, Scott slipped under another attack by the goblin that he was facing. He wrapped his arms neatly around the monster’s torso then leapt upward and hurled himself backward. The movement forced the goblin into powerful backward arc movement. The hapless creature slammed into the ground head first. A loud *crack!* radiated from the point of impact and the defeated monster immediately went limp. Though it had not yet died, its neck had been snapped by the brutal and efficient attack.
The sorcerer flipped over to complete the attack and then reversed direction before slamming his elbow down atop the paralyzed beast. A follow-up punch to the face ended its life. By the time Scott looked up Rhea had finished off the other two goblins with simple downward thrusts.
The elf girl panted softly then looked at him. Blood coated her face, her armor, her sword, and the ground around her. Scott could not help but stare at the sanguine vision of beauty and destruction.
Scott blinked. “I don’t know whether to feel emasculated or turned on right now.”
She snorted at him then shook her head. Her shimmering blue hair caught the light in the forest, and seemed to almost glow. “You should feel both.”
Rhea had taken down two goblins to his one, though he had provided major assistance in one of those kills. His first attack had heavily stunned the lead goblin, after all.
No more opponents appeared for a few seconds and the battle music changed back to a normal traveler’s tune. Scott read the screen that popped up, and grinned.
<<< * >>>
Victory!!
Your party has slain three goblins!
+ 45 EXP
+ 105 Fayth
+ 3 Ability Points
Item(s) acquired:
Ragged Leather Vest X 1
Rusty Machete X 1
Soiled Briefs X 1
<<< * >>>
Scott started to say something about how much of an improvement that was over hunting a grass rat, but he was distracted by a sudden and loud fanfare that radiated from his position.
<<< * >>>
You have worked long and hard on mastering your spells!
The Freeze! spell has reached level 1!
Force increases by 1.
Mana requirement is reduced by 1.
Range increases by 1.
<<< * >>>
“Oh neat, my spell just gained a level...” said Scott. It had finally happened. He could scarcely believe it, personally.
“That’s great news. Congratulations.” said Rhea. She was happy for him. Training new spells and abilities could take quite a bit of time.
Scott checked his spell then sighed. “Fifty more uses and it will level once more.”
“You should train it while we hunt. We have a tent so that would help a lot.”
“True, from what I hear it will act the same as sleeping at an inn?”
“Sort of, tents and other consumable items that are used for lodgings in the wilderness are enchanted to provide a lot of benefits. Resting for one hour inside the tent’s influence is equal to sleeping for an hour. Better tents and higher grade lodgings provide better effects.”
“Wait, so if I were to simply sit inside the tent I would get the same benefit as sleeping for an hour?”
“Sure. If you actually go to sleep, you’ll receive about twice the recovery that you would normally when sleeping. If we can save the money to buy an infinite use travel house, it would provide up to a ten-to-one recovery rate. You still have to get a real night’s sleep to recover actual stamina or to remove minor status afflictions, though. The enhancement recovery rate is just for health and mana.”
Scott immediately understood another important facet of the world. “That’s it, isn’t it? That’s how adventurers manage to stay in the field so long without spending a fortune on potions.”
“Yep, that’s one way. There are special areas in some zones that will rapidly restore your health and mana. Certain skills and other things can be used for that purpose as well.”
“A permanent travel house sounds expensive, but like it would be worth it.” said Scott.
“They are. They cost more than some permanent mansions in the larger towns.” said Rhea.
“That makes sense, I suppose. A house that you can pack up and take with you would be in high demand.”
They chatted freely for a few minutes then scouted the area in order to find the entrance to the mine. During their patrol of the area, they ran across a few random monsters and another trio of goblins.
Eventually, they found the mine entrance then pulled back to a relatively safe distance and set up their tent. Rhea showed Scott how to use it. He took the crystalline orb from his inventory and at her direction; he shook it like a snow globe then sat it down where they intended to place their camp.
They moved back about twenty paces and watched as the globe began to rock and shake. After a brief few seconds passed the crystalline structure cracked and a wave of energy spread outward from the destroyed device. The energy wave stretched out for about one hundred paces from where it had begun and a curtain of light appeared in a perfect circle around the new camp.
<<< Sanctuary! >>>
You have erected a sanctuary field! This location is now deemed safe from aggressive monster encounters. Monsters will not notice your presence or enter the field while you remain inside its influence. Health and mana restoration is increased.
As the Champion of Origin you can designate this location as your point of restoration if you are slain in battle. Do you wish to do so at this time?
[Yes | No]
<<< * >>>
Scott grinned then pressed the yes button. He did not want to respawn all the way back in town that was for certain. It was a lot like saving his game in an old RPG. When you used a tent or set up camp, you would get the option to save in many of those older games. He wondered for a moment if there would be save points and similar things that would occur in dungeons.
The tent that appeared at the center of the sanctuary area was a simple affair. There were no cots provided, but they had bedrolls so there would be no problem when it came to sleeping arrangements. Another thing that he found useful was the little fire pit that came with it. There was no need to start a fire, as it started on its own and burned merrily without giving off smoke.
“Now, that’s neat.” said Scott
“Yeah, it’s a magical flame. You can’t be burned by it or cause a wildfire to start, but you can still cook food and stay warm.” said Rhea
“Hmm, that’s weird and useful at the same time.” A fire hot enough to cook with yet be unable to burn you
, was not something that he had expected to see.
Chapter 3: Just a Little More Time
The entrance to the mine was an image born directly from an old movie or game cliché. Three boards were haphazardly nailed across the front, and there were heaped piles of rotting meat and ancient bones scattered nearby. It was both an ominous and invigorating sight.
“You know, since I started adventuring I have become quite bloodthirsty.” said Scott. It was a thought that had surfaced within his mind on a semi-frequent basis. In recent days, he had hunted down and killed many random creatures that had done him no harm for the most part.
Rhea smirked at him then shook her head. “It’s the natural state isn’t it? Most of the time people do things because they think that they have to do them. If you strip away all of those things, in the end you just do what you want. Obviously, you want to dominate random forest creatures and take their stuff.”
He looked at her in a casual, almost lazy, manner then smirked. “Sounds about right.”
Scott pointed to the mine. “Hey, random creatures of the mine; die and become my life experience, OK?”
Rhea giggled at him then drew her sword. “Yeah, die for me too, OK!”
Scott patted her on top of the head in response. “Yes, yes. I’m sure they will.”
She puffed out her cheeks a little then poked him in the side. “Let’s go.”
Scott smirked and walked over to the entrance. He made no attempt at stealth and loudly pulled the boards away from the entrance. He did not want them to get in the way when they needed to get in and out. Honestly, he was surprised that the goblins or whatever had not done so.
They entered the mine and Scott received a system message, as he liked to call them.
<<< You have entered Red Rock Mine. >>>
This is the first time that you have entered this location. No qualified adventurer has entered the mine for over ten years.
The monster spawn rate is currently at maximum.
Monsters will be stronger than in the surrounding area due to the mine being a long inhabited monster lair.
All experience and treasure acquired will be doubled for ninety-six hours.
<<< * >>>
“Wow, great.” said Scott. They should definitely go dungeon diving more often. The bonus could potentially do wonders for their levels and provide a lot of interesting loot.
“Yes, absolutely. This will be fun.” said Rhea.
They walked further into the mine and the light-levels dropped considerably. Scott turned to Rhea and asked, “Hey, didn’t you say that you had a way to get around it being so dark in here?”
“Sure, hold on one moment.” said Rhea.
The elven girl opened up her inventory screen and searched through it for a brief moment. “Here we go.”
Rhea took out a marble-sized sphere then held it up for Scott to see. “This is a torch stone. They automatically follow you around after you activate them. They provide decent illumination at this size, bigger ones provide more.”
“Oh, that’s neat. Where do you get them?” said Scott. Instead of physical torches, people used floating stones that provided light.
She blinked. “Cave dwelling humanoid monsters often drop them, and you can buy them in most towns. Didn’t you get any of them when we defeated those goblins earlier?”
“Uh, no. I got mostly crappy armor and weapons.”
“I see. You don’t have any survival skills right?” asked Rhea.
Scott frowned. There it was again. He had not developed his survival skill set. How could he? It required eighty thousand experience points! “I have a lore ring for it, but the experience requirement is high so I have not been working on it.”
Rhea nodded at him. “True, at our levels it is hard to give up that much experience. You might want to try it for the next few days, though. I require a lot of experience to gain a level compared to you. If you use the bonus, you might be able to gain the skill in a few days.”
“Good point. I’ll give it a try. If the experience seems too low, I’ll just level till the bonus ends.” said Scott.
The sorcerer equipped his survival lore ring. It was time to see what this thing would do for him. “Survival ring status.”
<<< * >>>
Mid’s Ring of Survival Lore
This ring contains knowledge of the survival skill set. By feeding your life experience into the ring you will be able to learn the skills that it holds.
EXP: 0/80000
<<< * >>>
“Right, let’s go find something to brutally murder for fun and profit.” said Scott.
Rhea patted him on the shoulder in a comforting manner. “There, there, such a sensitive soul.”
He laughed at her a little then smiled. It sucked that he had to give up so many beautiful experience points. Eighty thousand experience points would boost his level quite a bit. Still, he seemed to be missing out on a lot of things due to not having any survival skills.
Scott considered his recent thoughts and actions. They walked further into the old mine, but his thoughts were not on the monsters. His thoughts were once again drawn to how much he had changed. He had hunted in the real world, as he thought of his old life sometimes, but never to the extent that he hunted in this world. It was like he wanted to kill everything that moved. Honestly, who was the real monster here?
His thoughts and idle speculation were interrupted by the sudden arrival of rats, lots of rats. Scratch that, there were lots of really big freaking rats.
“Cave rat swarm! Be ready!” said Rhea excitedly.
Scott nodded to her then prepped his freeze spell. There had to be at least thirty of the waist-high rodents running toward them. What had they been eating all of this time to get that big? He did not have the time to consider it at the moment, but it was a question that he would ponder in the future.
The sorcerer fired off two freeze spells back-to-back in a wide dispersal pattern. Over a dozen of the oversized rodents were caught in the effect, and to the sorcerer’s surprise the damage was quite high. Little red numbers ranging from thirty-two to forty-six popped up atop each of the stricken creatures. Increasing the force of the spell had increased the damage potential greatly!
Rhea dashed toward the rats at an angle, her blade already surging with elemental lightning. That particular elemental spell was her favorite to use on her sword as it had a strong chance of paralyzing most enemies.
The elf maiden leapt upward and performed a hard slash in mid-air. She neatly hacked into the side of one of the rats that had chosen to try a jumping attack. The moment that she landed, she performed a spinning motion that allowed her to avoid an oncoming rodent while striking at its rear.
Due to the sheer number of monsters, Scott opted to go ahead and train his freeze spell. He ducked and dodged around the beasts before casting freeze three more times. Several cave rats froze solid due to the overlapping spells, but most continued on. Surprisingly, despite doing over a hundred points of damage to a few of them none of the rats had died yet. What level were they, anyway?
Rhea rushed in and performed a quick lunging strike, before twisting out of the way of another rat. Her defense was not perfect, however. A third rodent managed to reach her while she was repositioning and bit down on her left arm. She cried out in pain as a bright red number twelve floated upward.
“Rhea!” Scott heard her cry out, and immediately started to move toward her position. However, she called out that she was fine before she bashed the rat in the eye with the pommel of her sword.
The cave rat attacking Rhea let go with a squeal, but it was immediately replaced by three more rats that had been trying to get at what they considered to be the easier meat. Scott’s spells were devastating to them at the moment.
Scott leapt atop the back of one of the larger rats that he had frozen and began to repeatedly stab and slash it with his claws. The rat died quickly due to its already weakened state. The sorcerer swiftly moved on to the n
ext monster, and then another one after finishing it off.
The elf hopped back and then to the side to avoid a leaping rat. She followed her evasive movement with a quick dash to the left. She had spied a rocky out cropping that she could use. Once she reached the bit of rock, she called out to her comrade. “Scott! If you have any mana left, try to herd them toward me!”
“I’ve always got a little for you, Rhea!” called Scott happily. He could not see the girl blush from this distance, but he knew that she was probably bright red at the moment.
Several rats moved toward Rhea, but Scott was still closer. Most of them wanted to hang out with him in the hopes of catching a meal. He rewarded them with a freezing blast of magical energy that finished off three more of the rats, froze another two, and sent several more squealing and scrambling away.
He only had one more cast left in him, but that was fine. The rats were complying with Rhea’s plan anyway. Scott continued to hack, slash, stab, and annoy the rodents to the best of his ability. One did manage to sneak past his guard and bit into his side, but it did only a single point of damage. There was something to be said for the sorcerer’s agility and defense bonuses when combined with armor!
Scott elbowed the annoying rat bastard in the skull and it dropped away. He followed that attack by leaping forward to perform a powerful kick with his bladed boots that tore open the side of one of the rats, before he spun to the left and launched a powerful stabbing strike to the next closest rodent’s chest.
Rhea’s voice carried over the loud squealing and chatter of the rodents. She had begun to sing a litany, a short elven battle song.
~Long and long, the lonely road,
No one knows where it goes.
Dance and Dance till the end,
Origin ARS (Origin A.R.S. Book 2) Page 4