Origin ARS (Origin A.R.S. Book 2) Page 3

  Chapter 2: Camping

  The battle had been hard fought, but in the end all was lost. No matter what came before the man, he fought to put it down with all of the strength that he possessed. Despite his stalwart nature and incredible dedication the end was inevitable. There could be but one possible outcome. A loud reverberation echoed throughout the room. *Buuurrp!*

  “Jacob Resnell! Don’t act like that in front of company!” exclaimed the lady of the house. She fussed about the man, and made an attempt to excuse his poor manners.

  “My compliments to the chef should be appreciated, Honey.” said the farmer with an amused smile.

  Rhea casually poked Scott in the thigh under the table. It was obvious that she wanted him to say something to calm the woman down.

  “Mrs. Resnell, you don’t have to worry about that sort of thing around us. Rhea does it all the time.”

  The elf girl turned to her comrade and looked at him with a scandalized expression. “What!”

  “Once a day? Twice on the weekends?” asked Scott while smiling brightly.

  She pouted at him then crossed her arms. “That was supposed to be a secret.”

  Scott blinked at her. She was going along with him?

  He smiled gently at her. It was nice to have someone to play with. “Ah yes, well I changed my mind. The world should know of this incredible news.”

  Rhea snorted softly then poked him on the shoulder. “Goofball.”

  Jacob could not hold it back anymore. He started to laugh loudly. After looking properly mortified for a moment, his wife joined him with a good natured laugh of her own.

  The elf girl chuckled softly then shook her head. She could not take this guy anywhere. Still, she had enjoyed the evening a great deal. “You and your husband get along so well, Honey.”

  Honey smiled at the girl then snorted. “Sure, when he’s not being a braying jackass.”

  “Which isn’t often.” agreed Jacob.

  Scott laughed at that then turned to Rhea. “I know her pain.”

  “Who’s a braying jackass?” asked Rhea. She pouted at him cutely.

  “I wonder.” He said in a warm and innocent tone.

  “You’re impossible, you know that?” asked the elf girl.

  Scott nodded to her, “I’m aware of that.”

  She snorted at him again then smiled while she shook her head. “Why did I join up with you again?”

  “I’m pretty sure that you just needed someone taller than you to act as shade when the sun is out.” said Scott.

  The dinner conversation continued like that for quite some time. Scott and Rhea traded sweet barbs, and talked with the farm couple. They discussed life on the farm for a time. Eventually the couples broke off into pairs. The men went outside to have a drink, and the women folk stayed inside to chat.

  Scott had wanted to help with the dishes, but that would have made Honey uncomfortable. Rhea volunteered to help in his stead, but that would have made Honey even more uncomfortable. They were dinner guests, and as amusing as it would be to see Scott wash dishes, she could not bear the idea of her beautiful elven house guest doing them.

  “So, what’s it like being on the road all the time?” asked Jacob. The middle-aged farmer offered Scott a cup of his special cider, homemade hooch was the best hooch as far as the man was concerned.

  The sorcerer took the offered cup then thought about a response. He had not been an adventurer long, but he had moved around a lot when he was in the army. “Tiring at times, but it’s OK when you’re not alone. It can be a little unnerving at night.”

  “I bet. Even as a farmer it can be a problem. Bandits pop up, animals migrate, monsters show up out of nowhere. Still, it’s not a bad life.”

  “Yeah, my parents did a little farming, nothing major. It was mostly a few animals and a piece of land. I helped them out while growing up.”

  Jacob nodded. “Makes sense to me. A lot of the adventurers that I’ve seen have acted full of themselves, but you and your lady haven’t acted that way at all.”

  Scott shrugged. “I come from a faraway land you’ve probably never heard of, but I had to work my whole life. After I grew up on the farm, I joined the army. If I had ever been full of myself, those things would have beat it out of me.”

  “Ha. You were army, too? I did my bit as a marine in Eizen, before I met Honey. Settled down after that. I couldn’t leave her alone to go off and fight wars that made no sense.”

  Scott nodded to the man. He had tried to do the same with Sarah, but those plans fell through. He could not help but think that it had all turned out for the best, however. He had loved that woman, and in some ways he still did. Yet, she had been unfaithful. His current life or a life spent with an unfaithful wife... There was no comparison.

  The evening wore on and the farm couple bid farewell to their houseguests. They offered to let them stay overnight, but the adventurers turned them down. It would be a waste of a good room at the inn.

  Scott helped Rhea make it back to town. Scott and Jacob were not the only ones who had shared a few cups of cider. The elf girl had been a little too happy about sharing cider with Honey.

  It had taken a bit of effort to get her up to their room, but not long after they arrived she calmed down a bit. Scott stepped out of the room so that she could change into her preferred night clothes.

  “You can come back in... Scott.” called the girl from inside the room

  The sorcerer opened the door and walked in, and the first thing that he noticed was that Rhea was lying under the covers. She held them up to her chin and peeked out at him from underneath.

  “Are you alright?” asked Scott.

  She nodded slightly. “Oh yes.”

  “Well, good. I should get my stuff ready...” said Scott.

  “Ready for what?” Rhea tilted her head to the side and looked at him with a wide and curious expression.

  “Rhea, you’ve had a lot to drink tonight. I should sleep in the corner, so you can stretch out...” Scott was still a bit uncomfortable about the close proximity anyway. Their bedrolls were often close together in the woods, but the only time that they were actually next to each other physically was when they ate their meals. They had not slept next to each other for any length of time since they left the last inn that they had stayed at prior to coming to town.

  She blinked then shook her head from side to side. “No, you promised...”

  He could not argue against that point. He did promise her that earlier. “Alright, I guess..”

  Scott started toward the bed, but Rhea called out. “Nope! You have to change your clothes... No armor in the party bed, mister.”

  “Party bed?” asked Scott. What was she talking about?

  Rhea giggled cutely then smiled at him. “Well, this is the bed that we will share as comrades... So, it’s a party bed.”

  “Oh...OK.” Scott leaned his head to the side and eyed her critically. He had a strong suspicion that she was up to something.

  “I’ll just go change then...”

  “You don’t have to go...” she said.

  “If I change my equipment here...” said Scott. He left it implied, but if he performed an equipment change where he was, there would be a brief moment of masculine nudity involved.

  “The only one who worries about that sort of thing is you... Come on, give your comrade a show.” replied the girl before giving him a silly grin.

  Well, that was true. He was the only one who insisted that she have privacy when she changes clothes. “I guess... OK.”

  Scott quickly opened his inventory screen and made a few decisions, and then he turned away from Rhea before changing his equipment.

  “Boo! No fair.” cried the girl. She had wanted a real show, dammit.

  He laughed at her. She got her show, but it was not what she wanted to see. She had missed the opening act and had only caught the tail-end of it.

  The sorcerer was now dressed in his original equipment, jeans and a te
e shirt. He walked over to the bed then looked at Rhea with a cock-eyed expression. The girl looked extremely excited for some reason. He was sure that she was plotting something.

  He slipped under the covers then looked up at the ceiling. Rhea rolled over and looked at him. He could smell the alcohol on her breath. He had partaken of a bit of the cider earlier, but she had drunk a great deal more. She did not slur her speech or act erratic, but her face was flush and she had become a bit feisty.

  “You’re so far away.” Rhea looked at him then pouted cutely.

  “Well, I’m still here...” replied Scott casually. He felt anything but casual, however. He was a man, after all. Such close proximity to a girl as pretty and attentive as Rhea was an impossible situation for a heterosexual man to ignore.

  “You’re here because of me, right?” she asked him softly.

  “Yeah, I’m here for you.” said Scott.

  She gasped gently then giggled. “Oh Scott... Such a bold statement.”

  “Huh?” he rolled over and looked at her, confused.

  Rhea murmured softly then reached toward him under the cover. She placed her hand gently against his chest. “Such sweet words, and a manly grunt... Scott, are you trying to seduce me?”

  “No.” Scott rolled back over then looked at the ceiling again.

  “Liar...” said Rhea.

  “Nope. I am not seducing you.” said Scott.

  Rhea snorted then sighed loudly in annoyance. “Well, why not? Do I need to paint a sign with an arrow or something? Go this way to find a hot drunk, elf?”

  “Rhea, it’s because you’re drunk...OK?” said Scott. She was normally bold and said what she thought, but right now she was well outside her normal demeanor.

  “Good!” She lunged forward and plastered herself to him.

  Scott started to ask her what she was doing but he realized something that was both important and impressive. “Rhea, are you naked?”

  She licked him on the side of the face then made a meowing noise. Scott tried to pull away from her but she latched on and refused to let him go. “Yes, now pet the kitty. Meow!”

  “The hell? What’s wrong with you, woman?” asked Scott.

  “I’m a cute little kitty who needs her comrade to pet her and make her feel wanted.” She snuggled close to him and started to purr.

  What was with this random situation? Scott tried to push her away gently, but she fought back and ended up on top of him. The elf girl wrapped him in a full body hug and nuzzled her cheek against his chest.

  “Seriously, Rhea... Get off...” said Scott. He had never tried so hard to get a girl to not be naked in his life!

  “I’d love to, but you aren’t making it easy.” replied the girl, before she giggled like a moron.

  Scott groaned loudly, but before he could say anything she lifted her head and looked him in the eyes. Her expression changed from happy and bubbly to almost heart breaking.

  “Do you hate me?” asked the girl, suddenly.

  “Rhea... I...”

  She clutched at his back and leaned forward. She began to cry a little. “Just for one night.... Please. I promise I won’t do anything...”

  Scott suddenly felt dirty. She wanted to be closer to him, but he kept pushing her away. Yes, she was aggressive with her feelings, but didn’t that just mean that she was earnest in her desire to be closer? He looked into her eyes as they began to brim-over with tears, and he knew that he had already lost the second battle of the bed.

  “If you promise.... Then, OK.” said Scott.

  She sniffed loudly then smiled at him. Rhea dropped her head then kissed him on the chest before nuzzling against him.

  Scott did not say anything, but after a few minutes he could hear her start to snore in a soft and gentle pattern. He sighed lightly then slipped his arms out of the blanket. He embraced her gently; his arms on top of the covers. After a few seconds passed he kissed her on top of the head. This girl, what was he to do about her?

  ***

  Intermittent rays of light shined down through the branches of the forest perfectly enhancing the beauty of the scenery. A true old growth forest, as Scott would consider it, the forest north of Meaden was easy to navigate and lacked excessive undergrowth. There were occasional briar patches and holes hidden by roots and leaves, but they did not detract from its natural beauty.

  “So, what made you want to become an adventurer?” asked Scott.

  Rhea pondered the question for a moment as they walked in the general direction of the Red Rock Mine. Their current destination had been largely forgotten by most people, but it was a source of revenue for Meaden and even Victory Station in a bygone era.

  The elf girl decided on her answer and then nodded. “I wanted to see more of the world, and perhaps find people to see it with.”

  “That’s a good answer, I think.” He smiled at her and she smiled back. They had stopped discussing their various difficult topics, such as the elf stuff, that she would have to do on occasion. Instead they had turned to topics that were a bit more mundane.

  “How about you? Why did you want to start adventuring?”

  Scott did not have to think about his answer, much. “I have led a life that is largely sedentary since ending my time in the military. Even when I was in the army I rarely did any sort of traveling that I enjoyed. I mostly went to the shittiest places imaginable and sat there trying not to bake or freeze.”

  “I see.” His tone was a little off-putting, but she could understand the sentiment.

  He looked toward her and smiled a little. “Yeah, well... Mostly, I just want to see what there is to see in this world. Having a few comrades along would be nice as well.”

  Rhea perked up a little after hearing that bit of information. It seemed like he truly wanted to explore the world and make friends. That was exactly what she had hoped to hear.

  The day wore on as they walked. The blue haired duo chatted about many different topics and continued to enjoy being together on their trip. Soon there would be fighting, screaming, and blood. At the moment, however, there was only pleasant conversation and a desire to learn more about each other.

  After a few hours had passed Rhea casually asked, “So, do you have someone special in your life?”

  He pointed at her then smirked. The elf maiden’s face turned bright red and she shook her head back and forth. “No, I mean... Do you have a girlfriend; or something like that.”

  Scott sighed and then shook his head. “No, I am not exactly looking for something like that right now.”

  “Oh.” Her shoulders drooped a little and she unleashed a soft sigh.

  He looked at her downcast features. She had taken that news a little too hard. “I should say that I am not against relationships. It is just that I recently had a long-term relationship end badly. I’m not ready for anything too serious, yet.”

  Rhea nodded lightly, but sighed once more. She was hearing things that she honestly did not want to hear.

  He decided to change things up a bit. Scott leaned over and bumped Rhea with his shoulder. “What about you? I find it difficult to believe that someone who is as sweet and interesting as you does not have a boyfriend.”

  “Well no, I guess I don’t. There is one guy, but he isn’t interested in relationships right now.”

  Scott laughed softly then granted her a warm smile. “He sounds like a total dumbass.”

  “Yeah, he doesn’t know a good thing when he sees it.” she replied with a smug smile of her own.

  They laughed and carried on for a while, and the journey continued. Scott and Rhea grew a little closer as the miles passed. Soon, however, the trip came to an end.

  A harsh cry pierced the air. They turned quickly to see that three people were racing toward them. The term people might be used loosely in this instance, however. The so-called people were about the size of an older child in height, but unlike a child they were lean and wiry with ugly pinched faces and dark green skin. Their noses were th
ree sizes too large for their faces, and they each had a severe under-bite that exposed sharp green fangs.

  Rhea and Scott immediately went on the offensive. The elf instinctively added a lightning elemental magic current to her blade. Scott did not expend any time on preparation.

  The sorcerer rushed toward the oncoming attacking group while focusing on his mental image of an iceberg. He held that image in mind and kept it in focus even as he leapt toward the closest goblin. He moved into a forward roll and just before he reached the monster he unleashed a powerful spinning leg sweep that used his forward momentum to add strength to the blow.

  The goblin was completely unprepared for the sudden and precise movements. It was knocked off its feet. The second closest goblin was within striking distance, now. It whipped its pitted and scarred machete down with lethal intent. It was too slow, however. Scott blocked the strike with his left rat-fang gauntlet then turned quickly to the side.

  The goblin was forced off balance and could not recover before its human opponent unleashed his freeze spell. A bright red number twelve rose up from its ice-rimmed body.

  Rhea intercepted the third goblin before it could reach her comrade. She deflected a strike that it had attempted to land on the sorcerer’s exposed back then followed it up with a forward push that knocked it off balance and forced it to the ground. The goblin received very little damage from the strike, but it was at a terrible disadvantage.

  The Arcane Blade and the Sorcerer fought back to back for a moment. Doing so allowed them to keep their opponents separated. Despite the fact that they were probably at a higher level than the goblins, the creatures were agile and had a lot of stamina. If they allowed the goblins to gang up on either of them, the party would be in serious trouble.

  The main saving grace in the fight was that goblins were not especially resistant to magic. Their innate intellect was the only thing that allowed them to resist a spell or spell effect. Suffice it to say, they could lessen the damage, but they had little actual resistance to the effects of a given magical attack.