“So, why not just enchant the gun itself?”
She shook her head. “Enchantments have a field of effect. Once beyond the effect range the magic stops.”
“Ah, I see. So maybe indirect effects like an increase in accuracy or increased bullet velocity when firing, but once the bullet is fired it’s on its own?”
“Yes. That sounds possible. Powerfully enchanted guns can be very useful weapons, but they are hideously expensive and tend to be less useful in the long run compared to other weapons.”
“Is the same true for bows?”
She thought about it for a moment then shook her head. “It’s a little easier and slightly less expensive to enchant arrows compared to bullets. Bows are more popular at higher levels, too. However, arrows are just like bullets when enchanted. Fire an enchanted bullet or arrow and lose it forever, every time. ”
Scott took her words and carefully considered them. After a moment, he asked, “So, there are no bows or guns that fire energy projectiles?”
“Energy projectiles?”
“Yeah, you know, like a bow that fires bolts of lightning instead of an arrow, or a gun that shoots beams of light?”
“Oh! You mean artifact weapons! Yes, those exist but they are rare to find in stores. Few people can make them and they tend to be discovered in ancient ruins more often than they are found up for sale.”
“If I wanted to use guns or bows I’d probably need to find an artifact weapon to be able to fight with them at high levels?”
“I’d say so. Normal bows have the same issues as guns. Once the arrow or bullet has left the effective spell range of the weapon it can’t add the enchantment to the arrow anymore. This isn’t a problem for something like a sword. If you’re in range of being hit by a sword, then you’re within the spell range.”
“I see. So melee weapons are more popular, then?”
“Yes, but professional militaries still use a lot of gunners and archers. Even without enchantments they can be highly effective when multiple gunners or archers fire on the same enemy.”
Scott filed that tidbit of information away for later. He squatted down and touched the rabbit’s corpse. This was his first time really putting his hands on such a creature. The overly large rodent could feed a single family for weeks!
After running his working hand over the fur for a few seconds a menu screen popped up.
~*~
Would you like to loot the corpse of deceased Horned Rabbit?
Yes | No
~*~
“Weird.”
“What’s weird master?”
“I’m being asked if I want to loot the corpse.”
“Why is that weird? When you kill an enemy you should always loot their corpse unless you have specialty skills to work on.”
“Seriously?” Scott clicked ‘yes’ then pulled his head back when a bright light flared from the body of the rabbit. It disappeared instantly. In its place were several coins, a horn, and a small square section of meat. The various bits of loot were neatly arranged on a piece of skin roughly the size of his chest.
“What the hell.” He could not believe what had just happened. The hundred pound beast had disappeared only to be replaced by a handful of things.
“Not bad. I’m not sure what all of that is worth in town, but there was a silver coin among the loose change.”
“Silver coin! We had to pull weeds for half a day to get that much money.” Scott stared at the coin like it was some sort of eldritch abomination.
“Ha ha, Mama’s gonna eat tonight!” Scarlet started to dance around like a happy idiot. Scott grinned at her antics. She was a certain kind of special, no matter how you looked at it.
Scott thought about the situation for a moment then asked. “Why would a rabbit need money?”
“Horn polishing?” Scarlet looked at Scott then grinned like an idiot. He could not help but laugh at the stupidity of her answer. It helped the mood a lot.
The dragon girl raised one finger into the air. “Loot does not really have to make sense. It’s a reward for defeating an opponent.”
“I suppose, but what if I had preferred to just butcher the rabbit to have more meat?”
She shook her head. “Don’t loot the corpse if you want to use specialty skills. Looting simplifies the process.”
Scott looked down at the neatly packaged stuff sitting on the rabbit fur. He had to admit that looting was convenient, even if he had lost a lot of potential meat that he could have sold. “Maybe.”
“You know, this is ridiculous.” He scooped up the coins and sighed.
“How so?”
He looked at Scarlet. “One horned rabbit paid almost as much as a half day’s work pulling weeds.”
She laughed at his sour expression. “Yes, hunting is much more lucrative than simple jobs like that. Quests can provide a lot of experience and coin, though. Once we’ve developed your skills enough for taking on monster hunting quests, we can really earn some money.”
“That sounds like it could be a lot of fun. Hopefully, I’ll be strong enough not to die horribly when that day comes.”
“I believe you will, master. You’re already healing nicely from your fight earlier.”
Scott felt the electric tingle run through his body again. His fingers moved a little more easily now. This really was a strange and interesting world. He started to believe that he really could survive, even thrive, here. He wanted to become strong and see more of this wonderful place.
The lack of pain in his extremities was bizarre, but useful. After discussing it with Scarlet, he learned that when regeneration kicked in, all pain would be numbed. His had kicked in when the rabbit was taken beyond his reach for a few seconds. He had effectively ended his part of that battle then entered a new fight when he killed the rabbit. Between those two actions his regeneration had kicked in full-swing. The new fight had not lasted long enough to end his regeneration effect, so the pain had not returned.
Chapter 4
Change his life, see a new world. The life of a hero in a fantasy world sounded like it would be an uplifting and amazing experience. It was too bad that this brave new world was essentially no different than the world that he had grown up in, in some ways. If you had no money, life was tough.
When you are tossed into a brave new world with nothing but the clothes on your back things tend to be rough. Still, at least it was an interesting world.
Whenever he learned something new, a little message screen would pop up to tell him about the new skill. If he found an interesting item, made a friend, or earned some money something similar would happen.
This would happen so frequently that he expected to see it happen for every little thing that he did. When a triumphant fanfare echoed from his stall in a public bathroom after completing a call of nature, it had been rather disturbing. The announcer who had proclaimed, “You acquired lubricated condoms!” when he finished purchasing some of them for his first quest in this world had provided the opportunity to undergo a particularly embarrassing moment.
Since then he had sought out quests that allowed him to leave town. He did not intend to receive any more vibrant fanfares for surviving the lunch hour special at Tasty’s Taco Terror. He certainly did not want someone hearing about it every time he bought condoms or laxatives! No wonder people farmed out jobs like that.
“Master, what do you mean I can’t go with you?” Scarlet, pouted at him.
“Sorry, the job specifies no pets allowed. It’s only for one day.”
“I’ve only known you two weeks! This is so sudden. I’ll miss you way too much! What am I supposed to do while you’re off working on a farm!” She thrust her hands up for emphasis then snorted loudly.
“I don’t know, work out? Watch TV? Get a job of your own?”
“J-job? You mean work? I’m a dragon! I am meant to rule, not do manual labor!” She pressed her thighs together, crossed one arm over her magnificent breasts, and then looked away from
him.
He sighed. “You know, you don’t have to be a waitress, right? There’s no reason to let random guys grab your ass for tips.”
She pouted at him then shook her head. “This is unacceptable! I don’t want to be separated from you when you’re here! What if you end up liking the job, huh? What about our plans, master!”
“This is for those plans Scarlet. We need the money, and fighting monsters right now will get me killed even with you helping. I haven’t managed to beat even one more monster since that first one. We’ve tried it repeatedly. I’m just not ready, yet. Even those damned rabbits kick my ass. Hell, the steel-fang wolf that popped up out of nowhere kicked the crap out of you.”
Her face turned the same color as her name. That was an unpleasant memory, she had won the fight quickly but the wolf had done serious damage with its stealth paralysis attack and hideous agility. At level twenty-two she was roughly equivalent to a naked unarmed human who was around the mid three hundreds level-wise. A steel-fang wolf was a level ninety monster that lived in the mountains far from the area. Even so, it would not even be in her league if they were to fight normally. However, its special abilities and sudden attack had taken her off guard.
Scott was still level one, but very close to gaining a level. If only he’d just keep trying, they could make it work. Yes, rabbits were a challenge to him at the moment, and normal wolves were practically a death sentence, but he only needed to defeat a few more rabbits. It would not be that hard if they made the effort to find rabbits that were off to themselves. Though, that was actually a rarity. Rabbits tended to run in groups.
They had tried using her overwhelming power to hunt large groups of rabbits, but even at her skill-level it took several seconds to kill a few rabbits. Every four seconds would cost him twenty-two mana. A small herd of rabbits could take as long as twelve to twenty seconds. That would suck out half his mana right there. If they called for friends the fight might not end quickly enough, and Scarlet would be sent back to her world due to his lack of mana to manifest her during battle.
When that had happened he had been unable to call her back for a minimum of one hour, even if he had the mana to do so. If she was forced to depart like that in the middle of a swarm Scott would die. He’d had to use his Serenity ability twice already to avoid a gruesome death at the hand of dozens of murderous rabbits.
While he had gained a few experience points when she fought like that, it was miniscule. If he did not do serious injury to an opponent during a fight, or perform a major support function, he would receive only one experience point per battle. Even if she killed twenty rabbits during a fight, he received only one point!
The meat, skin, and horns were worth collecting and selling, but the shops only bought those items in bulk. Due to their common nature those items were extremely easy to acquire. A bundle of sixty skins, the least that they would accept at one time, was worth only a single silver coin. The horns were worth more, twenty-four horns per silver. The meat was roughly half a copper per pound.
Selling the meat might have been a good way to earn extra money if they were able to butcher them properly. However, neither of them had great skill with cooking, skinning, or even simple knife work. The meat came out mangled and difficult to sell. Only loot-meat seemed to be worth acquiring at the moment.
When scarlet killed the rabbits they only dropped a few measly copper coins, if they dropped any at all. Her level was too high for any real reward. They had spent an entire day hunting. Scott had gained only twelve more experience points and nearly died twice. They had earned fifty-four copper from loot drops and about three more silver for their efforts after selling the loot. It was only slightly better than pulling weeds!
Scarlet had suggested that they join together with other adventurers to go hunting but the hunters in this town had all proven to be complete assholes, or idiots. Sometimes they were both. They were also rare. Few people stayed in the area long since rabbits were too weak for most adventurers to be interested in fighting. Dedicated hunters tended to go after much stronger prey in the area, as well.
Scarlet frowned cutely then said, “How much does it pay?”
“Twelve silver plus room and board.”
She blinked then stared openly at him. “Twelve silver! The best job we’ve gotten so far only paid a few hundred copper. There has to be a catch!”
“Maybe, but twelve silver would help out a lot, right?”
The dragon girl performed a few quick calculations. “That’s enough to buy me that cute little faux-ruby ring.”
“Yes, or a few low-quality healing potions and a wood bracelet. We’ll actually be able to hunt when this job is done.”
“Well, yes.” The dragon girl sighed softly. The ruby ring would have looked ever so nice on her finger. Still, it made sense to buy Scott light armor like a bracelet. The wood bracelets in the town armory increased durability by fifty percent, which was pretty good for common wood.
His biggest issue at the moment was that he took too much damage from simple attacks. The bracelet might help.
She pouted again. “I still want to go with you.”
He pulled the petulant girl in for a warm hug then kissed her on the forehead. “I know, but we need this Scarlet. This is hopefully our last low-level job. I am very close to leveling. Even one more level could mean the difference between hunting full-time and working as wait-staff and dishwashers.”
She kissed him on the nose, her typical reward and method of acquiescence, and then nodded. “Alright, master. I guess I can’t really say anything anyway. I’m the pet after all. Still, can you at least send me home till you come back? I’ll miss you too much otherwise.”
Scott held her tightly and she knew the answer. He really was a good master.
Softly, he kissed her on the lips. She closed her eyes and he whispered, “Scarlet, I bid you depart.”
She gasped loudly then grew silent as her body dispersed into motes of light. She had been sent back to her home world until he called for her again. Her turtles probably missed her anyway, so it would be a nice reunion.
Monsters lived in their own reality, and came here to train and find human mates. When a monster was banished or slain it was forced back to its home reality until it could return, an event known as respawning.
He truly hated to do that. It did not hurt her, but it did remind them both that she was ultimately different than he was. He was human and she was a monster who existed to serve his needs.
~*~
“Oh, I see. All you want me to do is milk your cow?” Scott looked to Mr. Oldman, the owner of the farm.
The elderly man smiled beatifically, in the way of ancient farmers, and said “Yes, she’s a wonderful heifer. It’s her season for milking and I’m too old to do it right. The arthritis among other things.”
“Right, that’s what I’m here for!”
The old man laughed gently, but coughed long and hard afterward. Even in a fantasy world, old age took its toll. “My cow is a feisty one. How are your hands, son? They aren’t cold are they?”
Scott shook his head. “No, it’s pretty warm out.”
“Good. My cow hates cold hands. She can’t stand them. Warm hands make her happy; sometimes a little too happy.”
“I’ll… keep that in mind, sir.”
Mr. Oldman pointed to a barn in the distance then smiled. “She’s over there. Doesn’t come out to the pasture much when she’s in her season. Everything you need is in the barn.”
“Right. I’ll get to it then.”
The old man watched him walk away then sighed. “Oh, to be sixty years younger.”
Scott did not think anything was strange or unusual about going to a barn to milk a cow. That is where cows tended to hang out when being milked. No, what disturbed him was the fact that it did not look like a barn on the inside.
The outside of the barn had been a simple red and white wooden affair. Nothing about what he had seen there prepared him for the
opulence that the inside provided. Barns were supposed to have dirt or perhaps concrete floors. They smelled of animals and hay.
This barn had a polished marble floor and what Scott could only assume was a mini-bar. “What the hell? Who keeps a cow in a place like this?”
“Hey, what’s wrong with my barn?”
Scott looked toward the voice and found that he could not tear his eyes away from the sight standing before him. The girl was quite pretty. She appeared to be in her late teens to early twenties. Her soft brown eyes, and white-blond hair streaked with light pink highlights, would have been right at home in a trendy night club. He thought that the black collar she wore was interesting. Of course, the small cowbell that was attached to the collar was a cute touch, too.
Of course, her hair and eyes were not the assets that kept his attention so firmly rooted. He really could not help but stare. The poor girl had to experience crippling back pain frequently.
“It’s a nice barn, really.” Scott put up both hands in a placating manner. He did not want to offend the farmer’s daughter, or whoever she was.
She smiled at him. “I’m glad. I don’t get much company here since my owner took sick.”
“Owner…?” Did he hear her right?
“Yeah, I really like Mr. Oldman. It’s terrible that he’s barely able to get out of bed recently, but I’ve needed to be milked for a while.”
Scott’s expression must have caused her some discomfort because she blushed. “I, well, I tried to milk myself but it doesn’t really work well without help. It’s hard for me to aim properly. The milk goes everywhere.”
“Oh! But, you’re not worried about that! You must be here for a reason. No one really comes to visit me.”
“Well, I was asked to milk the cow…” Scott had yet to see a cow and he suspected that he had been tricked, especially with what she was saying about milking.
“Really! That’s wonderful! I swear, I thought I was going to burst!”
Scott would have said something but the girl immediately unbuttoned her top and let her massive mammaries swing free. ”Look at how swollen my udders are!”
Freelance Saga: Slow Grind Page 4