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

by Scottie Futch

  “Hmm?” asked Rhea. What was Sharde talking about?

  “He thinks that the original Power Rangers were the best, but he gives a nod of recognition to a few of the latter series due to their divergent storyline concepts.” continued the red haired girl.

  “Sharde, what are you talking about?” asked Rhea.

  “He used to bake cookies for his mother when he came home on leave from his army unit, just to make her feel better... and he...” Sharde started to cry softly.

  It was Scott who spoke up. On some level, that had been a creepy bit of knowledge about his habits. However, he chose to ignore that and asked an obvious question just to give her an outlet. “You really paid that much attention to me?”

  Rhea looked at him curiously and then back to her sister. Sharde nodded her head.

  “You like grilled cheese sandwiches, but always burn the toast. You put jalapenos in spaghetti and...”

  Rhea understood now, what Scott had been doing. “Sharde, how much did you watch him?”

  Sharde sniffed a little then looked up at Rhea, teary-eyed. “I didn’t mean to! I promise that I didn’t...”

  “Sharde... Why?” asked Rhea. “Why would you watch him so closely?”

  The ninja master shook her head. “I... At first, I just wanted to know what made him so special. Why, out of all the infinite number of people in existence... Why was it this guy? Why did you want this guy?”

  Scott did not say it, but he was curious about the answers to those questions as well. What was with the fixation that Rhea and now, apparently, Sharde had toward him. Rhea had given him her real reason, but he was still interested in hearing more about it.

  Sharde bit her lower lip. “I love you Origin. I don’t mean to do things that hurt you...”

  The elf started to cry a little, too, and then slipped her arms around her sister. “I love you too, Shara.”

  They embraced for a time. When they pulled away Sharde stood silently, trembling. Occasionally, she would look at Rhea and then glance at Scott in a sidelong manner. Her lower lip began to quiver and she clenched her hands.

  “It’s OK... Just this once, Sharde.” said Rhea in a soft voice, nearly a whisper.

  Scott blinked then cried out in panic as an excited red haired ninja girl hurled herself at him. She wrapped her arms around him tightly and gave him a warm hug.

  The sorcerer looked down toward Rhea, his eyes wide in confusion. She looked at him with a hopeful expression and nodded her head a little.

  Scott understood, he hoped that he did anyway. He wrapped his arms around the surprisingly emotional girl and embraced her warmly as well. Sharde gasped softly. After her confusion and surprise passed she smiled brightly then snuggled into his embrace.

  Uncertain what else to do, the mildly confused man leaned his head against hers. He became alarmed once again when he heard her start to cry. Why was she like this? He could understand having a crush, or whatever it was that she had for him. He’d had plenty of those in his life. Why was she acting like her world was coming to an end, though?

  Sharde sniffled gently then pulled back a little. She looked into Scott’s eyes then smiled in a sad and nervous manner. “This...is nice.”

  He rubbed her lower back a little out of instinct. Rhea’s eyes darted down to his hand then narrowed slightly.

  The ninja-girl’s face took on a slightly reddened shade. “Mmm...”

  Scott smiled at her. He was glad that she was starting to feel a little better. He was not that good with dealing with other people’s emotional issues. He could barely handle his own at times.

  “Oh, uhm... This outfit.... What do you think of it? I wore it for you.” asked Sharde. She was still crying a little, but she seemed slightly calmer. She leaned back a little, but did not step away so that he could take a better look at it.

  He did not need her to step back, however. He remembered it clearly. It was a near-exact duplicate of the outfit that Mai Shiranui wore in the Fatal Fury and King of Fighters games. He did not want to make the delicate situation worse, so he decided to go for a humorous response. “It’s so good that I think SNK should sue.”

  “R-really? You think so? That’s so sweet! I could kiss you.” said Sharde in a loud, happy, tone. Her cheeks turned bright red and her smile lit up her face with an appearance of great joy.

  “No, you couldn’t.” replied Rhea. Her sword was now sitting on her lap. The implication was an idle threat considering their current level differences, but the intended message was conveyed. Keep it casual, sis.

  Sharde pouted at her sister. “Please?”

  “No.”

  “Come on... Just one? He complimented my outfit... You know how much work I put into my cosplay...” said Sharde.

  Rhea casually inspected her blade then glanced up at Sharde. “Nope.”

  “That’s mean. That fairy of his gets to hug Scott’s face while she’s naked, and I can’t even get one innocent little kiss from my sister’s boyfriend...”

  Scott quirked an eyebrow. Was that statement supposed to make sense? More to the point, how did she know that? Had she been in the room when Ero had done that? He had suspected that she was hiding in there invisibly during his talk with Rhea, but did not know that she had been watching him before that time.

  “Sorry, I’ve had one already. I know you won’t be able to stop at one.” said Rhea.

  “Now you’re just being cruel.” replied the ninja-girl with a pout.

  “Don’t I get a say in this?” asked Scott.

  “No, you do not.” replied Rhea coolly. She looked at him then snorted loudly.

  Scott returned her cool look with a smirk. He had to admit, she was cute when she slightly homicidal. After realizing that he had thought such a thing, he immediately began to wonder about the state of his sanity.

  Sharde sighed softly. “So, this is what it would have been like....”

  Rhea cast her gaze downward. “Sharde...”

  “I know...” The ninja master slowly pulled away from Rhea’s man-candy then took a step back. She sighed softly then moved to sit next to her sister.

  “I’ve been unfair.” said Sharde.

  “No, not really. I should have spent more time with you.” said Rhea.

  Sharde leaned against her sister then kissed her on the cheek. “Thank you, for that small bit of kindness.”

  Rhea blushed a little then squeezed her sister’s hand. “Thank you for understanding...”

  “Yeah, I guess...” Sharde sighed softly once more. She was in the presence of her favorite person, and also someone who she had fixated on for a long time now. They were technically her two favorite people, yet she felt like she was intruding.

  Rhea placed her hand on her sister’s shoulder and smiled. “Hey, don’t worry. You’ll find your Scott someday, too.”

  “My... Scott?” asked Sharde. She looked her sister in the eyes carefully.

  “Well, yes. You are a sweet and loving person Sharde. Anyone would be lucky to have you in their life.” said Rhea.

  However, Sharde had not really heard her. The words, “Your Scott.” continued to tumble through her mind. Slowly, those words made associations. Those associations became ideas. A goofy smile spread across her face and the ninja girl began to drool a little.

  “A Scott of my own...” said Sharde. Her eyes widened a little and she tilted her head to the side.

  “Hmm?” asked Rhea. What was her sister talking about?”

  Sharde kissed Rhea sweetly on the cheek then cried out, “Thank you! That’s exactly what I’ll do!”

  Rhea was about to ask her what she was talking about, but a soft voice interrupted them. “Mistress, not to interrupt... But may I please stand up now?”

  Six, the ninja from earlier, continued to gaze forward steadily. During their entire conversation, he had resolutely maintained his kneeling position. He had not been dismissed, but it was obvious that he would like to be.

  Sharde looked to number six the
n considered her options. Should she let him stand up or not? Life was full of many decisions and she felt that she should weigh all decisions that she would make from today forward.

  ###

  This is a short list of common terms or concepts used in Origin ARS. Over time it will expand. I have chosen to write them in an informal manner so that some entries will have explanatory examples.

  Glossary

  ARS: The name of the world currently owned and operated by Origin Entertainment.

  Augmented Reality: In this world, augmented reality relates to the ‘game system’ used to grant normal mortals enhanced abilities and statistics. Without the system in place, ARS would be like any other world.

  Authenticity: A concept used by the people of the divine city. It relates to a desire to try and live like an authentic human.

  Build: The custom path that players and natives in ARS use as a method of gaining power. It relates to the type of abilities you have and an overall design concept. Someone who wanted to be stealthy, for instance, would develop their agility and stealth skills as their primary abilities and attributes.

  Champion: A non-deity who has been chosen by the gods to have powers similar to players. The champions are aligned with a specific deity and are known as the champion of that deity.

  Class: The core life path of a local, or the chosen template for a player. When you gain a class in ARS you develop the powers and knowledge of that archetypical power set. Even if you’ve never thrown a punch in your life, you can become a master fighter at a fairly low level in ARS.

  Level: The current overall capacity of a creature in ARS. Levels differentiate the weak from the strong, though a wide difference in level can be overcome through innovation. When you gain a level in ARS all of your attributes can increase by several points.

  Monster: A creature that is designed to be nigh-immortal. They randomly spawn at certain points in the world. If they are slain in battle, they will respawn in a location that matches their habitat. There are many types of monsters in the world.

  Notorious Murderer: A player or local who has killed a member of a non-monster race, such as humans or elves. They are restricted in how they can interact with the world, and can be easily differentiated from other players and locals due to the fact that their name will be openly displayed for all to see.

  Overlord: A champion for the monster races. If a player or local treats the monsters rudely to the extent that they become frustrated and they do not feel fulfilled in their role, the gods may hear their plea for justice. An overlord is at least a second-tier monster. They are very difficult to kill and can provide many bonuses for the monsters aligned with them.

  Player: One of the residents of the divine city who choose to visit ARS and play in the game world. The gods of the divine city have their powers restricted and they must use in-world avatars in order to interact with the environment.

  Player Two: The concept of ‘player two’ is a complex one. In its most basic form, asking someone to be your player two is similar to asking someone to marry you.

  Reincarnation: Everything in the world of ARS reincarnates. Monsters respawn and at level 100 they can upgrade into a higher-tier monster race for their racial line. Players and locals who reach level 100 can restart their lives at the age of adulthood for their chosen race. Non-monsters can choose different classes. Players and champions may also choose different races.

  Respawn: A monster who is slain will respawn. Respawning is basically returning to life. The monster will be reset to the lowest level for its race and zone. They can be respawned at any zone where there race can be found normally, but only if their levels match-up.

  For instance, a level five grass rat would not be likely to spawn near Victory Station, since the grass rats in that area do not typically go above level four. That grass rat would respawn in an area where the level average is slightly higher. If the monster is unique to a specific area, it will always respawn in that area when slain.

  Sometimes players refer to returning to the game world after they have been killed as ‘respawning’ as well. It is not technically respawning, but it is a popular word to use for that effect.

  Skull-cap: The gods of the divine city have incredible powers. They would not be able to properly interact with ARS if they were to visit in all of their splendor. Devices were devised based on the human pop-culture concept known as full-dive virtual reality gaming. The skull-cap and tiara are designed to allow a god to connect with their in-game avatar while suppressing their powers in ARS.

  Spell-Force: The raw power of a spell pattern. This term relates to how much skill someone has in using a specific spell. Spell-force is the basis of a spell’s capacity. It is multiplied by the intellect of the caster to determine its full power.

  Tiara: This device is the same as the skull-cap, except that it is more popular among female players. Male players usually use the skull-cap.

  ###

  Thanks for reading Origin ARS, Volume 2! I hope that you enjoyed it. If you did, please feel free to review it and tell everyone what you thought. If you hated everything about it, that’s fine too. I know this is not the sort of series that everyone will enjoy.

  Either way, thanks for reading!

  About the Author: Scottie Futch is a former soldier of the United States army. He enjoys writing weird stories, and day dreaming about cute girls who kick lots of ass. He also stays alert for the coming zombie apocalypse by assessing the structural integrity and defensibility of various buildings when he enters them for the first time. Also, he too puts jalapenos in his spaghetti.

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  Collections:

  Freelance Saga: Episodes 1 - 4

  Episodes:

  Freelance Saga: Learning Curves - Episode 1

  Freelance Saga: Quantum Interference - Episode 2

  Freelance Saga: Slow Grind - Episode 3

  Freelance Saga: Beta Shift - Episode 4