Origin ARS 3 (Origin A.R.S.)

by Scottie Futch

The ninja girl turned to Scott and smiled gently. “Hi, Scott.”

  “Hey, Sharde.” He glanced sidelong at Rhea and she smiled. He looked back at Sharde then opened his arms. “What, no hug for me?”

  She giggled then wrapped her arms around him. When he placed one hand on the small of her back and the other on the back of her head, she sighed softly then snuggled in to him. He smelled nice, if a bit fishy.

  Several minutes passed before Rhea coughed once, loudly. Scott and Sharde got the message, and the ninja girl reluctantly let him go.

  “It’s so good to see you guys again!” said Sharde excitedly.

  Ero fluttered over and sat on Sharde’s shoulder. She leaned over and gave the ninja girl a warm hug.

  Sharde lifted a finger and rubbed Ero’s side gently. The little fairy giggled cutely.

  “We should get out of here. These people are a little over-excited.” said Sharde.

  It was truly a nonsensical and ridiculous scene. Men and women, all scantily clad in beach wear, continually made attempts to cross the line and reach the group in the middle.

  Scott glanced around and several women in bikinis gasped loudly then begged their friends to fan their faces for them. Rhea looked around a little and several guys leapt toward her with wide and excited eyes.

  “Seriously? What’s wrong with these people?” asked Scott. It was funny when they first popped up, but now it was just weird. Had they been cursed with extreme horniness or something. Should he not drink the water around here?

  “Have you seen yourselves recently?” asked Sharde, a soft blush crept along her nose.

  Scott looked at Rhea. She was as gorgeous as always, though her hair shimmered a bit more and her skin gleamed with a rainbow-like radiance due to her slightly scaled skin.

  Rhea looked at Scott, and noted that he cut a rather dashing figure in his man-hammock. She had seen it every day, but apparently none of the women on the beach had seen so much well-toned manliness packed into a single person.

  One girl shouted, “I love fairies! Let’s be friends!”

  Even Ero had a burgeoning fan club. The little fairy fluttered up into the air then performed a cutesy spin maneuver. She then winked and blew a kiss to the crowd. Dozens of people screamed in excitement and at least one young girl fainted straight away.

  “Yeah, we should go...” said Scott. He reached up and collected his bouncy little BFF.

  Ero giggled then squirmed around in his hand a little. “It’s fine to hold me tight, but don’t be so rough. I might start to like it.”

  Rhea rolled her eyes then shook her head. A small smile crossed her lips not long after, however.

  Sharde noticed the interaction then sighed softly. It seemed quite unfair that she had to be left out, but if her plans came to fruition she would have her own adventure soon enough.

  The business suited ninjas followed along with them while maintaining their absolute circle of defense. No matter how the crowd moved, the ninjas kept them in line. Eventually they made their way off the beach and into a nearby area where a simple cart was waiting.

  “I’ve prepared a cart for you...” said Sharde happily.

  Rhea smiled. “With this kind of greeting, I would have expected that you had rented a flying ship or something.”

  Sharde laughed nervously, “Well... We sort of blew the budget that I had set aside on our costuming. You wouldn’t believe how hard it is to acquire a proper business suit in a quasi-medieval setting.”

  Another dozen business ninjas appeared suddenly. Their sunglasses were as black as midnight, and they wore expressions that could have been chiseled out of ice.

  The newcomer ninjas lined up on either side of the cart and acted as a sort of honor guard. The cart was a simple thing, but it was a nice touch.

  The quartet moved forward and hopped onto the back of the new ride. The driver revealed himself soon after.

  “Hey Gambol.” said Scott.

  The man beamed a bright smile at the finned sorcerer. It was a smile that practically screamed, Sempai noticed me!

  Scott smiled back in a friendly manner and then nodded. It was nice to see the odd, but talented ninja once more. It also helped to have another guy around. He was still outnumbered, but it was a better ratio.

  Gambol squealed a little then coughed. “I’ll take us out then.”

  Sharde patted the man on the arm then made a forward motion. “Get along little Gambol.”

  “Ya!” cried the ninja master. The mule pulling the cart turned around and gave him a look.

  Gambol frowned at the stubborn creature then snapped the reins once more. The mule yawned loudly then lifted its tail to the side and proceeded to unload a steaming pile of ‘Nope’ right in front of everyone. It was a particularly foul smelling pile at that.

  “Dammit Gambol...” said Sharde.

  “Hey, this mule came highly recommended!”

  “By who?”

  Gambol blinked at Sharde. “Silence....”

  Rhea groaned loudly. Sharde just shook her head.

  “Silence?” asked Scott. Ero fluttered over and stood on his head before she leaned down to listen in to the conversation. She was interested as well.

  “My brother...” said Rhea. She shook her head. Leave it to Silence to pull something like this.

  Sharde nodded at Rhea, but then she looked to Scott. “You grew up on a farm or something, right?”

  “Not really... We had a few animals and tilled a little soil, but it was more of a really big garden than an actual farm.” said Scott.

  “Think you can get the old girl to move?” asked Gambol.

  Scott shrugged. “Maybe she’s just hungry?”

  He got out then went to check on the mule. The grey haired creature eyed him curiously for a moment.

  Scott reached out to the mule and she barred her teeth at him. He responded by saying, “That’s an ugly smile for such a pretty girl.”

  The mule flicked her ears back then tilted her head to the side. What was this fool talking about?

  Scott reached out to her again and she tilted her head farther back. He shook his head. “No, I won’t hurt you.”

  He started to speak in low-soft tones to the old girl and soon the mule decided to let him rub her face a little. “Who’s a pretty mule...?”

  Rhea snorted when the mule started to swish her tail back and forth. Sharde glanced at her and asked, “What’s wrong?”

  Rhea glanced over to her sister. “That guy... I swear it’s like I can’t take him anywhere without some girl shaking her tail at him.”

  Sharde blinked then looked at Scott chatting with the mule. To her surprise the ornery creature reached her head up and licked the side of his face. Sharde’s eyes widened in surprise. “Seriously? Even a mule gets more of a shot than me?”

  Rhea giggled at her sister. Sharde turned and pouted at her. Life wasn’t fair.

  ***

  The meeting place that Sharde had chosen proved to be quite serene. It was a rustic cabin surrounded by a mountain forest. There was a small pond nearby, and a mountain chain that provided a glorious backdrop for the next leg of their journey.

  Scott reached out and rubbed Emma, the mule, behind her ears. The obstinate creature had refused to part with him after they had reached the isolated cabin. Instead, she had opted to lower her body to the ground so that she could place her head on his lap.

  Ero pouted at the overly possessive mule then sighed. Emma looked far too comfortable in that position. The tiny fairy was not happy about the situation at all. Sure, Emma was only a mule, but Ero wanted to be able to put her head on Scott’s lap as well.

  Sharde and Rhea currently sat next to each other while they hashed out a plan of action. Scott listened attentively, but he also focused on several more mundane tasks. One of which had to do with the need to increase Ero’s level a bit. He had enough experience built up that he could raise her level to eleven with no trouble at all.

  Until Rhea and Ero caugh
t up to him, he did not plan to increase his personal level. The extra ability points and money would be useful to further his development. Though, a lot of his points would go to increase Ero’s abilities for the immediate future.

  Thankfully, her abilities were relatively expensive but she did not currently have many of them. They were all powerful and useful, however.

  “Scott, what do you think?” asked Rhea.

  He nodded to her. “I think so. It would make sense to send the teams out in three person units. The total cost for the operation is a little steep, but it’s fine. I mean, Crimson Shadow is still checking out Corpse Rat for free as well.”

  “Right, so twelve teams of three at forty thousand per ninja...” Sharde calculated the costs rapidly then added in the extraneous amounts and service fees.

  “One hundred sixty thousand up front plus an additional fifteen thousand per team, per day, after one week has passed.” said Sharde.

  Scott’s sphincter clenched and spasmed, but he forced himself to relax. The teams would be doing more than just absently searching. They would gather vital information about the Shar-Shar, the queen, and possibly the location of the kidnapped mermaids.

  “Could we pay you two hundred thousand, for ten days upfront?” asked Scott curiously.

  Sharde rubbed her chin. “Ten days would be two hundred five thousand Fayth. I suppose we could knock off the last five thousand and start off with a ten day search.”

  Scott smiled at Sharde and she blushed a little. They had already gotten the friends and family discount, so that extra reduction had been solely for his benefit. “Thank you, for doing this for us.”

  “No problem. I can’t see any way for this mission to be profitable for you, though.” said Sharde.

  Scott shrugged. “I don’t care about that. There are a lot of young and overly affectionate mermaids being held captive.”

  He continued, “We can make money anywhere, but I can’t make new mermaids, or restore their innocence once it’s lost.”

  “So heroic...” said Sharde. Her eyes lit up and she grinned at him in a toothsome manner.

  “Down girl.” Rhea poked her sister in the shoulder.

  Sharde smiled at Rhea then nodded. “Right, right...”

  Just then a knock came at the door. The knock was a strong series of bumps and scrapes. It was a sign that Gambol had returned.

  “Come in Fred.” said Sharde. She readied her fan just in case.

  “You know this is Barney, Wilma.” called out Gambol.

  Sharde visibly relaxed after the code words had been said. “Right, my mistake.”

  The door opened and Gambol walked in, a smile on his face. He closed the door then walked over to the group and sat down on a pillow. “Alright, as you can see... I have returned.”

  Scott smiled at him and Gambol beamed a bright smile at him in return. It was nice to make friends.

  “How did they make out?” asked Sharde.

  Gambol opened up a transaction window. Scott and Rhea received a notification that they were being contacted for a trade. “The total amount is four hundred ninety-six thousand three hundred Fayth, after the five percent transaction fee was withdrawn.”

  “Not bad!” exclaimed Rhea. They had allowed Gambol to negotiate the sale of almost all of their junk items and random other things from their time in the ocean. He had a few trade skills that greatly increased his capacity to earn money through trade, and he handled most of the loot transactions for the guild. Even after he had extracted five percent for his services, the haul had been much higher than what they would have gotten if they had sold it all on their own.

  Scott and Rhea immediately sent Sharde one hundred thousand Fayth, each. The contract with the Crimson Shadow guild was now official.

  The sorcerer turned to the male ninja master and asked, “What about the restocked items?”

  “Ah, yes. I got everything and at a good price.” Gambol sent Scott another transaction request, followed by one to Rhea as well.

  A massive chunk of the sorcerer’s personal fortune left his hands, nearly all of it in fact, but he was fully stocked on various items now, including numerous health and mana restoring potions.

  Gambol then grinned at Scott and opened up one more transaction window. This time the sorcerer’s eyes lit up excitedly.

  “So, this is what I got for the mithril scale and fish parts and a few hundred thousand Fayth?” The sorcerer practically drooled at the complete armor and weapon set that he was about to receive. He quickly accepted and checked his inventory to make sure that it had arrived properly.

  “Yeah, that’s going to be a major upgrade, and it even fits with your fisherman thing.” said Gambol with a smile. The man had to be the world’s happiest ninja master.

  Scott quickly equipped his gear, not even caring that he flashed his naked glory to everyone for a brief moment. Only Emma seemed upset by the flash of light, as it disturbed her nap. The mule sat up and blinked at the man reproachfully.

  The sorcerer stood up then twirled around to show off his new digs. “You even found the lore ring I was looking for...”

  “Yeah, I figured you were right. That’s a good fit for your fighting style if you use a spear.” said Gambol.

  “Whoa, looking badass there!” cried Sharde.

  Scott grinned at the ninja girl then pumped a fist into the air. He had asked Gambol to try and find an armorer and weapon smith who could use the fangs, scales, and mithril scale to create appropriate armor. The design that he had hoped for had worked perfectly. Scott was now dressed like an ancient warrior who could not decide what country to steal his ideas from.

  The under-armor portion of the equipment was designed in such a way that it seemed to mimic a metal mesh wedded to a black wetsuit. A half-cuirass made of solid mithril over black steel protected his chest, ribs, and upper back while allowing for great mobility. He had bracers, mithril reinforced leather gloves, and a set of reinforced claws attached atop them.

  His boots were black with the same chain mesh wrapped around them. However, there was a black steel shin guard attached to each. He also wore a studded leather, chain reinforced, battle skirt that would help to protect his groin and thighs.

  His had smooth black shoulder guards and his jet black aventail helped to protect his neck and shoulders, while his ancient style helmet protected his nose, cheeks, and skull. Where there might have been a horse hair plume atop the mithril helmet, there was instead, empty space. This would normally be a critical weakness to a helmet; however, it was quite beneficial for Scott.

  Scott activated his fisherman powers and his body shifted its appearance slightly. Wrist fins shot out sideways through a slit in his bracers, and his head fin rose up through the slot in his helm. Now, he looked like an aquatic myrmidon, or perhaps an upscale hoplite. He equipped his shield and spear. Yes, definitely like a high-end aquatic hoplite.

  “Not bad at all, Scott.” said Rhea. She still wore her old armor set, but given its overall construction it was probably close to the capacity to his new equipment. It was made from similar materials to his old armor, but it had been made by a master craftsman.

  He unequipped his spear and shield then performed an experimental backflip. It was slightly more difficult than before, but not nearly as much as he had feared that it would be. The shield and spear would be useful for close combat; the shield more so after he had mastered the skill ring that would allow him learn shield skills. However, he was primarily a sorcerer and as such he was agility oriented.

  “Well, I like the look. I think. Let’s check the stats though, right?” asked Scott.

  “Yeah, I want to know about those!” called out Rhea. She eyed him critically for a moment and then grinned. He definitely looked more human warriorish now that he was not wearing a banana hammock. Though, she would have to admit that she missed the view.

  Scott checked his status.

  <<< Status >>>

  Name: Scott Jacobs | Class: Sorcere
r | Race: Human

  Title: The Unbreakable Burning Terror

  Age: 18 | Level: 18

  EXP: 155,859

  Next Level: 16731

  Ability Points: 347

  Health: 270[270] | Mana: 214[214]

  Attack: 110[642] | Defense: 139[893]

  Strength: 113[113] | Agility: 117[78] | Accuracy: 74[74]

  Intellect: 122[122] | Luck: 56[56]

  <<< * >>>

  He let out a low, slow whistle. “Even with the major drop in agility, my defense is nearly nine hundred now. Is that good for level eighteen?”

  Sharde stared at him for a moment then slowly nodded her head. “Yeah, I would say so.”

  Rhea muttered something about Scott needing to be nerfed then everyone laughed. The sorcerer knew that they were just being nice. He was pretty sure that if Rhea was on the same level as he was that she would completely overwhelm his stats. He had trained almost exclusively for stat development so he was better than the average sorcerer, but he had fewer tricks and spells to work with as a result.

  Scott checked his armor set then grinned. Since it was a set, he had received the agility penalty reduction and an additional ten percent to his armor’s defense.

  <<< Item >>>

  Badass Armor of the Dark Mariner

  A suit of armor designed by a sorcerer of minor renown; this suit of armor allows the wearer to fight as well in the water as they do on land.

  Defense: +402

  Attack: +80

  Agility Penalty: 41

  Special

  Mariner’s Glory: The armor is equally usable in the water and on land. However, it does not allow the wearer to breathe water like air.

  Bonus

  Due to the fact that the armor is a perfect set, defense is increased by 10%.

  The agility penalty is reduced by 1 point.

  <<< * >>>

  Scott showed the stats to Rhea and her eyebrow rose upward. The elf could not help but ask, “You really named it that?”

  “Hell yeah. Doesn’t it look badass?” asked Scott with a grin.

  Everyone had a good laugh at that. His new outfit was quite the hit. He was broke once more, but he was fully stocked on items and had drastically increased his equipment. He did not bother to even check the stats on his shield or spear, yet. He was too busy strutting around in the first decent armor that he had ever had that did not come with a debt.