He stared at the man. "No, I was trying to politely ask if you knew whether or not she had a child named Jimothy, but that didn't work out too damned well."
"Jimothy!" exclaimed the woman. She jumped up from her seat. "Have you seen my Jimmy?"
"Dark haired boy, about this tall?" asked Scott before he placed his hand at about hip height. He had no way of knowing if she was the only mother of a Jimothy in this place. There was no need to get her hopes up otherwise.
"Yes! Where did you see him! Is he alright?!" she asked before rushing over to Scott.
"He is now. When I brought him in, I had to take him to see the head priest." said Scott.
"My, my Jimothy... the priest. Father Heralt helped him? Was he dead?" asked the woman with fearful eyes.
Scott winced then nodded. "Yes, but he's fine now. He'll need to rest a few days though. I can take you to him."
"A few days... but the priest. No, was my poor little boy so bad off?" Her eyes widened for a moment and she acquired a fretful look.
Scott closed his eyes briefly then open them before unleashing a tired sigh. "Ma'am, I really don't think you want to know too much about that. Your son's here in the shelter, though."
Several of the gathered people looked like they were on the verge of tears. It was a wonderful thing to hear in this time of tragedy. Some of them had loved ones who were still out in the city.
He led Jimothy's mother to where her son rested, and Heralt greeted her warmly upon their arrival. "Tishe, your son has come home to you."
"My boy!" Tishe rushed over to the small body lying in repose on the table. Jimothy barely breathed at this point, but he did draw breath. It was far more than she had hoped.
A slow smile spread across Scott's lips as he watched her fuss about her son. On Earth such a thing would have been impossible. The tragic tale of Jimothy would have remained a tragedy. Here on ARS, there were chances that people could take. The terrible end need not be the only way of things, at least not every time.
Two hours passed after the reunion of Jimothy and his mother before the all-clear was signaled throughout the city. Once the invading army had withdrawn, the eldritch armor knights had lost their cohesion and tendency to form into groups. They had proven to be easy prey for the city militia to mop up while the army outside the shield did the same on the battlefield.
Scott spent those hours awash in local color. A few people stopped by to thank him for what he had done. A few others had asked whether or not he had seen anyone else. The time had passed and soon he realized that the better part of nine hours had occurred since his arrival in this world. He pulled his crysta-com from his pocket and checked the time. "Almost three in the morning..."
He moved to thank the head priest for all of his help that day then left with his reward. His contribution would be remembered, and Jimothy's mother was thankful. While neither of those things would directly fill his belly, they at least carried over into good will from both the local people and the city itself. That could only help his cause.
After his goodbyes had been said, Scott slipped out of the shelter and moved to a quiet area beyond the neighboring houses. Smoke rose high into the sky from various points in the city. The fire fighters and local militia would have to work overtime to end the fires and probable looting that was now happening throughout the town.
A scant few minutes passed and a strange warmth flowed through his skull, and then throughout his body. A happy laugh echoed through the landscape of his mind. "Scott!" exclaimed the welcome voice of his fairy BFF.
"Ero!" exclaimed Scott, happy at her return. A soft chittering sound near his feet garnered his attention next. He looked down and saw that Herbert had arrived as well. The little grassrat sported strange new attire. "Herbert, what's with the cape and the domino mask?"
The rodent stood up on his hind legs and crossed his forepaws over his chest. Apparently, his attempt to look like a little badass was his only response.
Ero separated from Scott's mind then started to flutter around his head excitedly. "Scott! Scott! Scott-Scott!" cried the excited fairy.
He ended up spinning in place while he tried to follow her movements. It was not until she stopped that he finally saw what she wanted him to see. "Ero! You're wearing a dress."
A cute and cheerful laugh escaped her tiny lips. "Yes! Isn't it pretty? It's one of the powers that I can use in this world now that I've grown up a little and chosen a profession."
The dress in question was a gossamer gown that glowed and sparkled in the light. It was also sheer to the extent that it had a diaphanous appearance. In short, it was practically see-through.
"You gained the power to wear clothes?" asked Scott incredulously. He was not certain that such a power could exist in this world. Ero was almost as against the concept of clothing as the NRA was against arbitrary gun-control.
The adorable laugh returned. "No, no. I gained the power to spin spider webs, moonbeams, and dewdrops into cloth!"
"So, clothes." said Scott.
Ero sighed at him. "Such a boy response. I can do stuff! Cool Stuff. As my skill grows I can even weave larger items. Hello, get what I'm saying?"
Scott smiled at her. "Yes. You can make cool things."
"You don't get it." she pouted at him. "You wear light armor. Hello."
"Wait, you're saying you can make me clothes?" he asked curiously.
Ero's laugh returned once more. "Yes, and for Rhea, and Herbert. I can make them for myself as well. I'm a fairy dream weaver now."
"That's great! My cute little fairy best friend took up a trade." said Scott.
She smiled sweetly at him for a moment then looked down, a slight redness appeared on her cheeks. "Don't tease me so much. I'm in a delicate way, you know."
"Of course I won't." said Scott before reaching up to give her a platform to stand on. Ero alighted atop his palm then brushed her hand along her generous curves. Her gossamer gown shimmered softly in response to the movement.
They smiled at each other for a moment then turned their attention to Herbert. He was still a baby grassrat, but he had chosen a path in life as well. Scott asked him. "Don't suppose you'll tell us if you have a profession now."
Herbert inclined his head then made a dynamic pose. Ero gasped then clapped her hands. "I see, he became a grassdancer."
"A grassdancer?" asked Scott. More to the point, Ero could tell such a thing?
"Yes, hold on. I'll translate." Ero turned to Herbert and asked him to explain his situation. Herbert moved in a series of dynamic dance moves then stopped. He chittered twice and waved one paw in the air.
"I see!" said Ero. She turned to Scott. "Since he is technically a guardian beast, he was allowed to choose one of the warrior professions of his people. He chose grassdancer, the grassrat version of a blade dancer."
"Oh, so he dance fights?" asked Scott. That sounded fairly cool.
Ero smiled warmly. "Yes! He fights using his natural agility and can use dance moves to bolster the party or demoralize the enemy."
"Hey, not bad Herbert!" said Scott cheerfully. The tiny dancer whirled around on the spot then moved his head to the left and then back to the right.
A strange sense of energy, and a desire to move, arose with the sorcerer upon seeing the dance-like movement of his tiny little friend. He felt more focused, more capable somehow.
"Oh wow, that was your special dance move, right?" asked Ero.
Herbert nodded then chittered merrily. Scott glanced to the little fairy and she explained the situation for him. Ero said, "Herbert has to develop his own dance style but he knows several basic moves. Stringing them together has allowed him to learn at least one dance already."
Ero waited for further clarification from the tiny dancer, and then said, "The move he just used was a short-form version of his Passionate Freestyle dance. It raises vitality and agility slightly based on his skill, and lasts for just a short time longer than he actually dances."
"That's a swe
et deal Herbert." said Scott. A dancing grassrat, a fairy seamstress, a currently MIA goddess of love and reincarnation, and a sorcerer who looked like he had strayed from the circus. These were the people who might have to save the world at some point in the distant future. Weather dependent. Sunday journeys not preferred.
Chapter 6
The city of Valkovia had become a fallen metropolis in the heart of the kingdom. The ruination of the city and the loss of life after the battle were staggering. Several days had passed since the end of the conflict and the rescue teams were still pulling people from the rubble. Unfortunately, at this point they could no longer be saved.
In a city of millions, tens of thousands of lives had been extinguished. Even in a fantasy world where resurrection is possible, such things happened with great frequency.
Scott and his tiny team mates had taken up the call to action. They had joined in the recovery effort to help the city as best they could while they waited for Rhea to arrive. She had to finish the last of her work so that they would have plenty of time to spend together in coming adventures.
Ero lifted up a block of shattered stone several times larger than she was then flew over to a nearby wheel barrow. She could have changed to her larger form to do the work, but it did not matter. She had the same strength in either form now that she had ascended to the second tier. It would be quite the surprise for anyone who might see the tiny fairy lift and carry something that would make a grown man stagger.
Several younger faeries fluttered over to Ero's position and began to giggle. They were first-tier faeries, and could only lift small items such as cups or tea pots. "Wow, big sister is so strong!"
Ero flexed her tiny muscles then grinned. "It's the power of love!"
The faerie girls giggled amongst themselves, and Ero wore the biggest smile she had ever shown to date. It had been a fairy long time since she had seen another member of her race. Faeries were rare, but still a bit more common in this world than the other.
Herbert could not lift much, so he spent his time dancing to the beat of the background music. His sweet moves bolstered the morale of those around him and increased their productivity. He was quite popular due to the status effects and his cool attire.
People had approached Scott several times with the interest of buying Herbert, but he was not a pet. He was part of the family. If Herbert wanted to try his luck in the world that would be his business, but Scott would not sell him off like a common animal. He was polite to those people since it seemed reasonable that they would not understand the situation. It was the people who came up to ask him if he would sell Ero to them that barely escaped with their skin intact.
Scott hefted a heavy slab of stone high overhead and walked over to the dump truck that the city had brought in for the clean-up in the area. It was a feat of strength that would have been nearly impossible for an Olympic class power-lifter, but one that was only moderately tiring for Scott. He had been lifting and carrying such weights all day long. Still, he was ready for the work day to end. Oh, how he was ready!
The chunks of debris that he, and a few others in the clean-up crew lifted, were far too large for a wheelbarrow. They were forced to carry them by hand.
"Hey, you're pretty strong." said a man with the head of a wolf.
Scott glanced over to the wolfman then smiled. "Same to you."
The wolfman chuckled softly. "My people focus more on agility, but it's still good to have your strength recognized."
"I see." Scott extended his hand. "Scott."
The wolfman extended his clawed paw. "Angru the Possessed."
"You're possessed?" asked Scott, surprised.
Angru smiled a wolfish smile. "I'm a bloodrager by trade."
"Bloodrager? Is that some sort of berserker?"
The wolfman nodded then reached down and grasped a massive chunk of stone. He hefted it overhead with a grunt. "Ah, yes. We invoke the lunar madness at will instead of waiting only for the full moon. We can control it well enough that we usually only attack our opponents."
Scott hefted a stone slab of his own then said, "Usually?" before they both began to walk back to the dump truck.
They offloaded their cargo then Angru continued. "It usually works, unless there is bad blood between the bloodrager and someone nearby. It becomes difficult not to turn our rage on someone we hate."
Scott nodded politely then sought out another stone to lift. While he did so, Angru spoke up once more. "What about you? Where does your strength come from?"
"I'm a sorcerer." said Scott.
Angru's eyes lit-up. "A sorcerer with blue hair? Tell me, are you Lunarian?"
"Ah, yes." said Scott.
The wolfman practically beamed with joy. "Well met, moon brother! I had not thought to see one such as you outside of Twilight Desert or the Mountains of the Dawn."
"I like to travel." said Scott lightly. He did wonder why everyone wanted to call him their brother, though. He sort of understood a little about his new race, but it did not make much sense for someone besides another Lunarii to call him brother so keenly.
"Ah, I understand the allure of the open road. I mostly stay at the village nowadays since I married my love and acquired my fourth girlfriend."
Scott glanced at the man-wolf. "Romance taking up too much of your time?"
Angru sighed loudly. "I love them all dearly, and often, but between my twelve cubs and five women it is quite difficult to get out and ramble the wilderness."
"I can see that. I have enough trouble dealing with the ladies in my life and there are only two." replied Scott.
The wolfman clapped him on the shoulder then grinned. "We are men with many blessings."
"That we are. That we are." agreed Scott.
"What are you two jabbering about?" remarked another wolfman. This one was a bit smaller than Angru, and spoke in a cocky, abrasive manner.
Angru glanced at the newcomer then sniffed the air. His muzzle wrinkled lightly. "Your scent is as fake as your fur."
The newly arrived Blood Tracker snorted at Angru. "What do you mean by that? Want me to kick your ass?"
The larger wolfman shook his head. "Who are you trying to fool? You smell like a wet dog."
Yellow fangs flashed darkly. The younger blood tracker snarled at Angru. "Who are you calling a dog, you old bastard?"
"I didn't call you a dog, boy. A dog is loyal and true. I said you smell like one when he's wet."
"Whatever, I don't have to listen to this garbage." muttered the smaller blood tracker. He continued to mutter as he left the area.
"What was that about?" asked Scott curiously.
Angru sighed. "The younger generation, sometimes it seems like they aren't right."
"What do you mean?"
The wolfman shook his head. "I don't know, maybe I'm paranoid?" He leaned closer to Scott then whispered. "But sometimes I wonder if they are even really blood trackers."
"Oh?"
Angru nodded to him. "They look like a blood tracker, but they smell wrong and act like hormonally challenged idiots. I swear; it is almost like someone playing make believe, like they are just pretending to be one of my people. It irritates me."
Scott immediately thought about the blood tracker he had dealt with on the casual server. The comparison between that jerk and Angru was quite clear. Was it possible that in some way Angru could sense when one of the gods was playing as one of his people?
The long work day wore on. Scott learned many things about Blood Trackers, and about Angru. They were both from races that venerated the moon in some fashion. There was a long association between the lunar races, and they generally got along well.
At the end of the day, they collected their pay. Between the three of them they earned roughly three silver coins. The city spared no expense when it came to clean-up and repairs. The cost for restoring the capital would be obscene, but at least the city and most of its people had survived.
That evening they met up with Rhea o
n the corner of Ivy and Way. It was the location of one of the more popular restaurants in the city, the Saucy Mynx. But since most people were too exhausted from the hard work of fixing the city, or the grief at its destruction, there were few patrons.
"Rhea!" cried Ero before she fluttered over to the blue haired High Elf.
Herbert stood up on Scott's shoulder and waved at paw at the fourth member of their group. She had been missed.
Rhea laughed loudly and held out a hand for Ero to stand on. "Look at you, Ero! So ladylike."
Ero performed a quick pirouette that caused the hem of her skirt to rise up lightly into the air. "Thanks!"
Scott smiled at the sweet scene then gazed gently at Rhea. The high elf glanced over to him for a moment then lowered her eyes a little, a soft tinge of pink rose up within her cheeks. "I missed you." he said.
A gentle smile crossed her lips. "I missed you as well."
They shared a warm, endearing, moment before Rhea lifted her free hand and gently brushed her hair back over her ear. "So, what have you three been up to today?"
"Back breaking labor!" exclaimed Ero. She lifted her arms into the air and flexed her muscles.
Rhea grinned at the tiny girl. "How'd it go?"
"Fairy well! We earned three silver!" Ero beamed a bright smile briefly then blinked and touched her finger to her lip. "I hope that's a lot."
"It's about a week's pay for one normal highly experienced laborer." said Rhea.
Scott spoke up. "Want to help us out with the clean-up from now on? We only just started the other day."
"I'd like that. How long are we contracted for?"
"Two weeks. The debris should all be cleaned up by then since we have super powered people helping out." In a world where hundreds of workers might have a lifting and carrying capacity that was higher than a bulldozer on Earth, clean-up after a natural disaster was simple. Scott alone had the weight carrying capacity of a light truck. Though, he could only carry stackable debris or singular large pieces due to his size.
"So, about twelve days left?" After Scott nodded, Rhea grinned. "We could earn a little over half a gold coin if the four of us worked together!"
Origin ARS 5 Page 17
