"Don't move." A woman's voice calls out, and I stop moving. I then slowly raise my hands in the universal sign of surrender. Carefully turning to face the voice that is off to the left I get a look at her. She has long blond hair down her back to her waist, which is thin with flaring hips and long legs. Her face has sharp, yet delicate features, and I can see pointed ears peeking out of her golden locks with bright green eyes tightly focused on me down the shaft of an arrow.
"Hello" I say to this unknown beauty, after breaking free of the trance her eyes held me in.
"Who are you?" she says in a stern tone that still sounds like singing.
"Vol Adare" I say with a respectful bob of my head in order to not move too much. "And you are?"
Her face shows she is surprised by the question, or maybe the respectful manner I am showing to someone holding me at the point of an arrow. At that moment I hear a growl to my right, and understand that Timbre and Thia have exited the cave. And Timbre isn't excited about finding someone pointing a weapon at me. Getting over her indecision she shifts her aim to my right and down, but I move with it and stand between her and Timbre.
"Easy now, everyone just calm down" I say. "Timbre, lay down for a minute while me and the nice lady here have a talk." Turning back to the elf I look at her, clearly still waiting for her to answer me. I can hear Timbre shift behind me, so I assume she did as I asked and lay down. She seems to relax a fraction as she turns her eyes back to me, noticing my expression.
"Azzaria Whitefeather. Now why are you here?"
Pushing down the nervousness I feel at talking to such a beauty and being held at the point of her arrow, I nod to her again.
"I am not really sure myself, to be honest. Might I inquire as to the reason for your presence here?" I am laying it on a bit thick in hopes of keeping her off guard. It seems to be working because there is that surprised face again, followed by one of confusion.
"What do you mean you don't know?"
Keeping it up a little longer I respond "I would love to tell you the tale, but it is a little long. So, might I suggest we head down to the river to have a drink before I start? Also, if you wouldn't mind lowering the weapon, it seems to make my companion a little nervous" I say gesturing to Timbre behind me. She looks back and forth between the two of us, and after a moment of hesitation she lowers the bow but doesn't put it away.
"OK"
I can see her get back her composure, and know that hamming it up isn't going to distract her anymore. So, getting serious, I start walking down to the river with her following a respectable distance to the side. I try to hide my nervousness at talking to a gorgeous elf woman and make introductions.
"Azzaria, these are my companions, Timbre and Thia" I say while gesturing to each one. "Timbre and Thia, this is Azzaria Whitefeather. Having not shot us yet, she seems alright." This is followed by a slight growl from Timbre again. "I was just joking Timbre. Now don't be rude."
Azzaria watches the byplay between me and Timbre with a slight look of disbelief on her face. She doesn't say anything until after we get to the river and have a drink. The whole time she is keeping a safe distance and watching us like a hawk. Done with my drink I sit on a rock placed near my fire pit that is a couple feet tall, while Timbre and Thia take a seat next to me.
Gesturing to another rock nearby I say "Have a seat."
"I will stand.'
"Suit yourself, but I'm not going to try anything."
"Why should I trust the word of a human?"
"Great! I can see it is going to be one of those worlds. Now, to partly answer your question, I am not a normal human" I say while gesturing to myself. I'm a little disappointed by the obvious distrust she, and I'm assuming most elves, have toward humans. Maybe it's just that it is her animosity that I am disappointed by. I mean seriously, who wants to find out that the most beautiful woman you have ever seen hates you before you have even met. "Is there a way for me to share my status with you? I'm not too keen on it personally but I want you to trust me, and after I tell my story it is probably the only way you will believe me."
Still with the skeptical look and distrust. "Well, would you believe me now if I told you I am from another world?" She shakes her head no at my question. "There you go. It is the only way you'll trust me at least a little."
"And why do you want me to trust you?" she says raising an eyebrow.
"In all honesty, there are a couple of reasons." Running my hand through my hair I realize it is longer than I had it back on earth. Thinking about it, I haven't even seen my own appearance since waking up here. Pushing down my growing panic at what I am going to do, I remind myself that I am going to make this life different than the last one. I won't let the fear of rejection govern my life any more. "First of all, you are the only person I have seen in days. And second, what man wouldn't want the most beautiful woman he has ever seen to trust him."
I said all that while looking into her eyes and putting on the most serious face I can. I get another startled look for my efforts, only for a second though before she composes herself once again. Though I can see a slight upward curve to her lips and her porcelain white skin turns a little red at the cheeks. Seeing this reaction helps a little to calm my nerves.
"Flattery won't gain my trust" she responds.
"Like I said, that is only part of the why, not the how. Now, is there a way to share my status with you?"
Looking at me funny, she looks like she is going to say something, changes her mind then says "you just think, share status with, then the name of the person you wish to share it with. You need to mean it though."
"OK, now don't interrupt. You can ask all the questions you want at the end." Looking a little more relaxed she actually takes her hand off the string of her bow and sits on the rock I offered. Then I tell her my story. Starting with the peaceful life I used to live, I told her of the crystal that I remembered finding as one of the last things I saw before waking up here. Then I told her about how I woke up here, surprised by the system that runs the world and how there isn't one like it for Earth. I tell of most of my time here on the world, excluding my little freak out in the beginning, and ending the telling after defeating the stone tortoise and returning home for the night.
"Believe you or not, you still didn't explain where Thia there came from, and what she is. I have never seen a bird like her" Azzaria says to me, pointing at Thia.
"Simple, after killing the stone tortoise I checked its lair and found the staff, this knife and a spell book for Summon Familiar. I summoned Thia after learning the spell from the book last night. She is a Thunderbird chick."
When I say this she reveals the most emotion I have seen yet. Her jaw drops and she looks astonished, but that quickly shifts to suspicion and disbelief. "You're saying you are a mage, and your familiar is the mythical Thunderbird?" she asks incredulously.
"I told you that you wouldn't believe me. Share status with Azzaria Whitefeather."
Watching as she stares off into space I learn that no one but the viewer of the screen can see it. Good to know that it is private. I am sure there are abilities to see a person's information, but there will always be exceptions. Good to know everyone can't view it just by looking over my shoulder. After a minute her jaw drops again and then stays open this time, mumbling "unbelievable" under her breath a couple of times.
When her mesmerizing green eyes focus on me again, no I wasn't staring, much, I say "now hopefully you believe me. I do want to ask you a few things about what you saw, if that's ok with you?" After a nod from her I continue "it is obvious to me that you saw a few things out of the ordinary, can you please explain it all to me?"
I give her a moment to collect her thoughts and she begins. "Your race is not normal for one."
"I guessed that already but I don't really see the issue. It's just a variant of human."
"If that was all it was then you are right, it would be unremarkable. What is noteworthy is that it gives you a better form of th
e human racial ability Adaptability. Even more so is that you get an extra stat point to distribute per level due to that. Word of advice, don't tell anyone of this. Some may be worried that you can be a possible threat if left alone and others may attack you out of pure jealousy."
"Noted, and thank you. Please continue."
"The next couple of things I am particularly surprised about are related to your patron. I have never heard of anyone having the goddess of magic as a patron, much less have their blessing. A blessing by one's patron is usually reserved for the god's devout followers, those that become paladins and such. It will let you grow faster and farther than any other person with magic because of the resonance bonus."
"Wait a second. That is one thing I haven't been able to get an explanation about. What is resonance?"
"Right, you wouldn't know much about that. Resonance is a measure of how well the ability, skill, or magic type fits an individual. The higher you resonate with an ability, skill, or magic type the faster you level it through use and ultimately the higher you could get it overall."
"I see. That was very helpful." As we have been talking I can see that Azzaria is becoming more relaxed about my presence and has finally propped the bow up against the rock she is sitting on. The bow is still in reach, but at least she doesn't feel she needs it in hand. I'm more comfortable with her the longer we talk as well, and the fact that she put the bow down helps too. I am still captivated by her beauty, but I am able to concentrate on our conversation without issue.
I motion for her to continue, and she does. "I also suspect that Gwydia is the one who brought you here, considering the fact she is your patron and that she gave you her blessing. That brings me to that Mana Vacuum ability that you have. Any mage would practically kill to get that. Especially since the ability will probably give you the extra 10% from the out of combat regeneration rate even in combat. Since normally your in combat mana regeneration rate is half that of your out of combat one this is a good amount, and gives you the potential to outlast another mage of similar power as you. With all of that, the fact that you were able to gain the class of mage isn't that surprising"
"Hold up. Are you saying that it isn't common for people to be mages?"
"Not necessarily. First of all, level five usually comes at a young age, not too young to teach the prerequisites but young enough that it can be difficult. Most people at least try to teach their children Mana Perception and Mana Manipulation. The issue is one of resonance. The lower a persons resonance with something, the harder it is for them to learn it. Most people just don't have a high enough resonance to learn the abilities needed to be a mage."
"Thank you Azzaria. Do you believe me now?"
She sighs before she answers "yes, I just don't see any other way that your status can be what I saw."
"Great! So where are you from?"
"I came from the village of Efftin, which is about a days travel from here. It would probably take you two days though."
"Can I go there with you? I would like to see what it is like. Maybe trade for some supplies too."
"That might be a problem. There are no humans there and most of the people here live in this forest to get away from human slavers."
"I see. I was worried there might be something like that from the way you first reacted to me. I don't have much to trade anyway, just some young hare pelts."
"Actually, there might be a way. Mages are highly sought after since they are rare. There is a couple at my village, but another could be quite helpful. On top of that your familiar is a good sign, since they are said to only bond with those of good heart."
"What are you saying? Couldn't that be a problem for you, bringing a human to your village?"
"A little but I have no family, and I am not that well liked in my village anyway."
Shocked that this amazingly attractive woman in front of me could be unpopular, I couldn't help but ask "Why?"
"It's a long story, but the simple explanation is that I turned down a marriage proposal to one of the elder's sons. The elder used his power to basically shun me, and most don't want to anger him."
"I'm sorry that happened to you, and thank you for doing this for me. I still don't have much to trade though, and no money otherwise."
"No worries, I passed the stone tortoise you killed on my way here. It is still intact, so we can harvest it for the leather, some meat, and the shell. It should sell for a good amount, and you can split it with me for helping you. Sound good?"
"That is great, but what will we carry everything in?"
"When the shell is cleaned out it is actually quite light. That is why it is so desirable. We can construct a sled easily enough and drag it back. The rest, you and I can carry. I have my backpack and we can piece something together with the skins you have. I am a tailor for my profession, so it will be quick."
Hearing that she has a profession, I start to wonder how you get one and what level Azzaria is. Using Identify I check her out. In a different way than I already have been.
Azzaria Whitefeather: Female High Elf, lvl 12 HP: 100%.
The gorgeous elf is staring at me now as if studying me. "Did you just use your Identify skill on me?' she asks with a beautifully arched eyebrow. She also cocked a hip to the side with one hand on it. Giving her a sheepish smile, I nod "yeah, sorry. How could you tell?"
"I have Mana Perception, and though it is not a high level, I can feel when you do something with mana."
"You mentioned that you had a profession, and it made me curious about how you get one."
"When you reach level 10 you get to choose your profession and your first subclass. And before you ask, I am a ranger class. It gives me flexibility with melee combat though focusing on range. I also get helpful bonuses and skills for survival and practical things."
"Thank you for sharing that with me. I'm a little surprised that you did though."
"When I told you about how the villagers were to me I realized I was treating you similarly just because of your race. Now getting to know you a little and what you shared with me I know you don't deserve that kind of treatment."
"Nether do you Azzaria" I say, looking at her seriously. "Now let's get going, it sounds like we have a ways to go."
Heading into the cave again while everyone waits, I grab all the dried furs that I have. Giving them to my new friend, she takes out a little pouch that was in her bag. It contains needles and sturdy thread that she uses to sew a few of the furs into a bag. Cutting a few strips from one of the furs she attaches them like straps on a backpack. She also crafts a strap to it so that I can attach the staff I found to the backpack.
Handing it to me she says "the furs aren't cured, so they will dry out and fall apart quickly. It should be good enough to get us to Efftin though."
"That sounds good to me. Should I bring the rest of the young hare furs, or are they not worth anything?"
"Bring them. There are only older hares near Efftin and the softer fur from the young ones will sell to the tanner for a few coins" she says while petting Timbre. Ever since Azzaria put the bow down Timbre has been giving her puppy eyes, till the elf gave in. Rolling my eyes at Timbre I tightly roll the remaining 5 furs to save space before packing them away. I stand up and motion to the forest saying "ladies first."
Starting forward she calls over her shoulder "you just want to look at my butt." She gives me a mischievous smirk at the obvious embarrassment I can feel coloring my cheeks. Busted in my regard on the entrancing posterior I lean into the skid and respond "To say I did not look would be a lie, but it is not the reason for the offer, only a benefit of chivalry." Where am I getting this confidence around such a gorgeous woman? After sharing my story with her I just feel more comfortable with her and it feels natural to talk to her. The giggle she lets out, with that singsong voice, distracts me from my thoughts.
We head back to the downed tortoise, with me watching her lithe movements through the underbrush and over a felled tree the whole way
. Almost to the tortoise, she looks back and catches me staring at her again. When I look up to meet her eyes I can feel my cheeks flush with heat a second time. I catch the slightest hint of a smile before she turns back to the trail in front of her. The last few minutes I swear she was swaying those hips of hers a little more, making it nearly impossible for me to keep my eyes up now. Dang it woman, why must you torture me? I nearly trip, so distracted from our path I've become.
Only having a few slips the last few minutes, a win if you ask me, we reach the tortoise. She and I get to skinning and dismantling it, and she shows me how to skin it properly so I don't ruin the hide in the process. I even got the skinning ability due to her tutelage.
Ability: Skinning lvl 1
Increase your proficiency with skinning to have a higher chance of better results. +10% better materials from skinning. Resonance: 69%
After removing what we can from the outside, I got elected to finish cleaning out the shell. To sum it up, it was the most disgusting thing I have ever done in my entire life. I tried to keep my clothes unsoiled, and mostly succeeded. My arms, on the other hand, were disgusting and covered in gore by the time I was finished. Thankfully, Azzaria had a couple water skins that I used to clean up as best I could. I made a mental note to buy a couple of those in the village.
While in the shell trying to hold my gorge, Azzaria was tying together branches of the trees I cut down to make a sled. Weaving the branches together to make a platform a little thinner than the width of the shell, she used rope from her pack to secure it together. It had two branches sticking out of what was to be the front, each about as thick as my wrist. Four branches were sticking out of the back that would drag on the ground as we pulled it through the forest.
Cleaning everything and making the sled took a good part of the day but there were a few hours of daylight left, so we picked an end each and started dragging the sled. We did so in silence, until we got to the tortoise lair. It is almost dark, with the sky a bright orange that is fading by the minute.
A Mage Prepared Page 6
