Origin ARS 6 Read online

  The primordial magic he had access to due to events on the casual server was known in this world, but it was not the sort of thing that would be discussed at length in a book found in a public library. He would have to search for the answers.

  Scott finished scribbling down a few notes, and then looked them over. Afterward, he chose the three things that he felt were the most necessary for immediate training.

  "That should cut down on a lot of wasted time." Scott went back to the balcony and immediately began to train. He had already slept for a short while. He had six, perhaps seven hours before Rhea would once again walk the land. It was time that he needed to spend in training.

  He focused on the lightning, the elemental spark that resided within himself. Electricity flowed along his limbs and then to the space between his palms. It moved from one hand to the other in short arcing bursts. After training his magical mastery to his current level, it was easier to control the flow of the elements. Now it did not require an extreme effort to coax the energy to flow between his palms.

  Scott stared into the space between his hands. He watched the electricity arcing back and forth for a moment. The easiest victory he'd had against a machine monster other than the very first pile of scrap, had been the battle with the motorcycle.

  Electricity was a better deterrent against the mechanical junk piles than celestial energy. That must be a design choice by the monster designers among the gods. Otherwise, his celestial attacks would be deadly to those critters. They were not much different than the living armor monsters he fought before. If anything they were close cousins.

  Lightning attacks, like so many others, eluded him. However, recently he began to suspect that it was because he failed to realize a still hidden truth.

  The electricity arced back and forth between his hands for a moment while he contemplated. The patterns he worked with to date were designed for specific elements. They were highly useful, but the main issue for him was that they were not really designed for sorcerers. They were meant for the other types of magic wielders. Sure, he would gain basic patterns for developing his magical abilities, but they were just training aids.

  Other professions used magic like a tool. A sorcerer existed alongside magic. He was supposed to be part of that flow. He had heard such things from Rhea on rare occasion, but most of what he truly knew about sorcery came from his brief time with the master who helped him achieve his current status.

  "What was it that the master said about the elements ...?" Scott searched his memory. There were dozens of little tidbits, small hints mixed into the situation.

  Scott took a breath then said, "Serene is Water before it flows. Fire is a furious blaze as all men know, but from small spark within does it grow. Wind is formed by gentle breeze or terrible will, always in motion and never still."

  The words stuck with him for a moment, before he continued. "Earth is unchanging throughout time, unbroken, unbending, an element sublime. Lightning is the will of men, one to none and home again. Shadow is an existence within all kinds, a darkness that erodes even the strongest minds."

  "The master said that a true sorcerer had to be what he was. He must speak his mind in a clear and simple manner until he knows enough to be silent." Scott tasted the words for a moment then made the tiny spark of lightning arc between his hands.

  Scott watched the lightning arc for a moment. "One to none and home again... Lightning is the will of men ..."

  He tilted his head to the side then his eyes widened slightly. "A true sorcerer has to be who he is... Speak his mind until... What if...?"

  Realization struck the man like a sledgehammer to the face. "Could it be so simple?"

  It was possible that he had fallen for a verbal trap. He had thought that the master had meant something else, but what if he had literally given him the key to the basic foundation of all sorcery!

  The sorcerer watched the lightning arc between his hands once more. "One to none and home again... Lightning is the will of men..."

  Scott did the one thing he had not thought to do before. Instead of trying to will the lightning or any element into place, he spoke up and said, "One to none and home again... lightning flow between my hands..."

  Perhaps he had imagined it, but the next arc of energy seemed to flash brighter. Scott decided to try a slightly different tactic. He envisioned the lightning stopping between his palms to form a ball of brightly shining light. "Lightning flow from one to none. Do not fail to stun someone."

  It was a terrible rhyme, but the result was a brief flash of light that did in fact stun him a little. Scott blinked his eyes rapidly, momentarily flash blinded. Despite the spots in his vision, he could not help but laugh. "I think I'm on to something!"

  After his vision cleared up, he tried again. This time he left out the part about stunning someone. Instead he merely chose to create a little rhyme that that was designed to generate a bright flash of light.

  The resultant flash of light lit up the area like a flashlight going on and off. "There's no way this can be so simple!" exclaimed Scott happily.

  He spent his time studying patterns, like a mage, but the truth was that his power was fundamentally different. He held more in common with a monster than a mage. Animals and monsters used their magic by instinct. Monks and sorcerers were supposed to be closer to magic than any other caster class. Only those individuals with racial benefits could claim otherwise and still follow a different path.

  "I'm supposed to be a twilight sorcerer, a master sorcerer. Yet, I failed to realize just what I really was..," said Scott.

  Patterns were great things to study. They can provide insight into the way in which mana and the elements worked together. Yet, the truth was that they were meant to provide mages with a means of using magic. As a sorcerer, Scott was supposed to be part of magic.

  The exultant sorcerer quickly gleaned his memory in search of the knowledge and hints the master had left him. There were many such tidbits to consider. In order to master his magic, a sorcerer must master himself. It was the sort of teaching one might expect from a martial arts movie, but it had real applications.

  A sorcerer was magic. It wasn't something he used, it was part of him. It was like his arm or his leg.

  "One to none and home again. Lightning is the will of men..," said Scott softly.

  Scott lifted up his right hand, palm up. The power, the real power, was there all along. Developing it would be a constant act of self-discovery. The more he mastered himself, the more he could master his magic. It was not the magic. It was his magic.

  "My dumb ass," said Scott. "I've been putting the cart before the horse, huh?"

  Until now, he spent his training time trying to will magic into patterns. The truth was, that magic worked through him as an extension of his body and soul. He needed to use his words to evoke the power into the world, until he mastered that specific expression to the extent that he could simple do so as an act of will. The words were not a requirement like a mage or a priest. They were a training tool to focus his mind!

  He thought carefully on what to say, and how to say it. His words needs to be confident and possibly a bit dramatic to make certain that he was not acting in a manner too casual to effectively change reality. It did not take long before he felt that he the needed words. "I am the light that illuminates the shadows. Let no darkness survive my presence."

  A crackling sound emanated through the air at a point roughly one foot above his upraised palm. The crackling sound intensified. Scott suddenly felt a sense of weakness roll throughout his body, but he had expected something like it to happen. He was burning his mana at an incredible rate while focusing on the creation of his chosen power.

  "I am the light that illuminates the shadows. Let no darkness survive my presence," he said once more, this time with greater confidence.

  Sweat began to pour down the side of his face. For the first time in this world he was attempting to create magic in the true manner of a twilight sor
cerer. Even this simple feat was extraordinarily draining. There was no pattern, no safety net. Scott now attempted to warp the very nature of existence to effect the change that he wanted, not as a mage would do it, but as a pure unadulterated act of will.

  He repeated the words once more. His breath became measured. His body began to calm itself. It would take time and focus to create the change he desired. It was entirely possible that it would not happen now, but over the course of the next few minutes ... it did happen.

  A crackling ball of brightly shining elemental lightning hovered above Scott's palm. He was the lightning. The lightning was he. Scott raised up his other hand and willed the mystical ball of radiant death to arc through the air. He shifted the energy within himself and captured that lightning above his other palm.

  He held the manifestation as long as his concentration and mana would allow. A few minutes later, it faded away as though it never existed.

  Thoroughly exhausted from his triumph, Scott could only smile while he leaned heavily upon the balcony rail. Patterns were good. They would teach him a lot, but now he understood more about his true nature. Sorcery was hard work. It was the art of will merged with the flesh. Unlike a mage, he would have to be able to unleash his spells at a moment's notice while actively engaged in physical combat. He would rarely have the luxury of standing around at a distance while chanting.

  Scott sighed heavily. He was temporarily exhausted by his feat, but there was a smile upon his lips. "I wonder what Rhea's gonna say about this?"

  He rested for a time then began to practice once more. As the moments passed, he became bolder and more curious. His currently skill level would allow for some interesting developments, even though it would take time for any of them to become strong enough to be of use in a fight.

  After a long and eventful night, morning came. With it came a beautiful promise. That promise came in the form of a blue haired goddess descending unto the mortal realm in her chosen form, that of an equally blue haired high elf. Origin, in her guise as Rhea, stretched her arms then yawned delicately into her hand.

  "Feels like I slept for a week," she said cheekily before offering a small grin to the world around her. She returned to the world in the same location that she left, near the fairy town that Ero was currently located.

  She scanned the area for a moment then headed out toward the train station. During her walk she took in the sights and sounds of the world. It was nice to be back. Previously she found it difficult to be here for anything other than level grinding, but now the worlds of ARS represented a much happier place for her. It was no longer just a job, or simply stress relief. It was a world filled with the promise of beauty and love.

  Once she arrived at the station, she read the schedule then nodded. "About half an hour, huh?"

  Rhea went to get a drink then sat down on a bench. The train station was not crowded that early in the morning. Most people took the later train, since they would actually be awake in time to catch it. That left Rhea mostly alone in the area.

  The goddess in elven form began to hum a cheerful song while she took out her Crysta-Com. "Better let Scott know I'm coming..."

  Message sent, she took a sip of her drink then waited for his reply. It did not take long. A warm smile spread across her lips at the swiftness of his reply. It was nice that he was as eager to be reunited with her as she was with him.

  She read through what he had sent, mostly stuff about how he could not wait to see her. There was an interesting bit about wanting to show her something that may or may not have been innuendo, but the most interesting thing of all was the last line. "I have enclosed an artistically rendered photo for your viewing enjoyment."

  Rhea laughed a little then took another drink. While she did so, she clicked on the attachment that had been sent. She froze in place for a brief instant before the contents of her mouth shot out like a water from a firehose. Rhea's face turned bright red and she made a strangled noise.

  The image on screen was of Scott. Had it been nothing more than a simple selfie, it would have been sweet but unremarkable. However, this particular image featured Scott completely nude. He was lying down with his back to her, the curvature of his masculine booty lightly arched to further her supposed enjoyment. He looked at her over his shoulder with his head tilted back a bit, an expression on his face that was a cross between goofy and sensual. One hand gently framed his chin, while his lips were slightly puckered in the ancient style known as duck face.

  Rhea barked out an embarrassed laugh then covered her eyes with one of her hands. After she stopped her body from shaking, her fingers slid open. She peaked at the image on screen once more. Her laughter returned and tears began to flow. She tore her hand from her eyes and waved it at the air as though she was warding off an enemy. "R-really, Scott?!"

  The thoroughly amused and embarrassed girl could not see properly due to the tears pouring down her face. Her hands were a bit unstable from the raucous laughter she continued to unleash. The few people in the train station drew away from her a little. It was not right to mess with the crazies.

  Unfortunately for Rhea, her current state caused her to do something she would never have intended. Thinking to respond with a strongly worded message about how she was going to get payback, she attempted to open a message window. Instead of the reply button, her shaking hands and reduced vision caused her to click on the share button instead. Defaulting to share all, the image of her fiancé in all his ridiculous glory was sent out not only to her immediate family, but rerouted through her work terminal. The not safe for work image was sent out to all company staff members.

  It was not long before she became flooded with replies from her immediate family and notifications that she was receiving large numbers of messages from staff members at her terminal. Rhea realized what she had done then slapped her palm over her face once more, and started to cry for a different reason.

  "No, no, no..." she mumbled like a mantra. The messages and notifications grew rapidly from there.

  A few minutes before the train arrived, she developed the courage to read what her family sent to her. She did not even begin to have the nerve to see what the company staff was going to say about it.

  [--]

  Mid_the_Amazing: Dear Childe...

  [--]

  [--]

  Silence_Bro: Sister dear. Contrary to what certain assholes on D-Net forums might say, I am really not into this sort of thing.

  [--]

  [--]

  Sexy_Mama: Oh my... Dear heart. If you don't want him, I'll take him.

  [--]

  [--]

  Big_Sis_Theta: Wow, so that's what all the fuss was about. Pretty sweet level design there sis...

  [--]

  Rhea groaned loudly as she read through those, and then a few more messages from the family. Shara's was certainly expected even if it took a while to come through.

  [--]

  Modern_Ninja_Girl: So cruel... *Sniff. Sniff.* PS: Does this mean you've changed your mind about sharing? *puppy dog eyes*

  [--]

  However, when her father responded Rhea took a deep breath before she read the message. "Wow, even dad..."

  Rhea bit her lower lip. How would her father respond? This was without a doubt the single most ridiculous thing she had ever done by accident. Timidly, she clicked the message to open it.

  [--]

  Lord_Arbiter_1024: Daughter. I do need a new screen saver, but this does not seem appropriate for work.

  [--]

  Rhea's eyes bulged outward slightly. "He... He played it off as a joke?"

  Her delicate fingers rose to her trembling lips. Her smile returned, this time a gentle indication of warmth welling up inside of her. "Maybe daddy approves of him?"

  [--]

  Incoming message: Lord_Arbiter_1024

  [--]

  She blinked then clicked on the new message to see what her father wanted. Rhea immediately groaned a little after she read wh
at he said.

  [--]

  Lord_Arbiter_1024: Don't jump to conclusions, my daughter.

  [--]

  "That's dad for you..." she muttered. He was keeping his decision on whether he approved of Scott, or not, a carefully guarded secret even now.

  Still thoroughly embarrassed, Rhea sighed at the picture of Scott's bare backside then shook her head. "What am I going to do with you?"

  [--]

  Incoming message: Sexy_Mama

  [--]

  Rhea groaned loudly once more. "Mom! I am so not reading that!"

  "Mommy, what's wrong with that lady?" asked a little boy in a slow, deliberate, manner.

  "Hush now. It's not polite to question people about their troubles," said his mother, before pulling the child further away from Rhea.

  The mortified high elf sent Scott a simple message. He was so going to get it when she got there. His reply caused her to turn bright red once more.

  [--]

  The_Fiancé: I hope so. Your its are the best thing ever.

  [--]

  Rhea snorted softly then huffed a little. "I'm mad at you, you know..."

  Sure, she had brought it on herself. He was the instigator and needed to bear the responsibility for forcing her to witness his naked glory.

  She sighed slightly after a brief moment then looked down at her chest. She sent him another message, and asked if he was sure about what he'd just said. Her smile returned when he responded with a prompt, "Hell yeah."

  Slightly mollified after her horrific embarrassment, she became a little playful. Rhea leaned back and made a tough expression then poked her lips out just a little for emphasis. She took a quick photo, and then sent her much less embarrassing photo to Scott with a message that said, "Does this look like the face of mercy to you?"