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World: MSS - Loading...
"Speech"
"Thoughts"
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Scarlet and I had a plan.
I had to ask a bunch of questions to the lazy mage; who seemed to be just as distrusting as he was slothful. Actually, it might have been the way I had coerced him to agree to work with me that caused reluctance on his part. But the mage would honor our deal, as haphazard as it had been. He and I would work together for the duration of our capture until we were both freed, then go our separate ways.
Our plan was only possible because the mage had been here for a few days now, around four days to be exact. I don’t think it was a coincidence that the merchant came right as the slaves were attacked by this mysterious organization that were harrying the orcs, but it had worked in my favor. Scarlet had information that would have taken me a few days to get. He knew the guard shifts and what they did. They came once in the morning to administer the tranquilizers and once at night to do a patrol.
We’d had to aim for the night patrol, when everyone had gone to sleep. When I was being escorted to the Shaman’s room, I didn’t see any guards. But there was always the possibility that those stealth-based orcs were on standby and that my senses simply weren’t advanced enough to pick up on them. For that, we had Scarlet who seemed to have an array of useful spells for a variety of situations… except combat.
“How is a mage not well-versed in combat?”
“I told you, my teacher is mostly an explorer who seeks forbidden ruins and the secrets of this world!” Scarlet said hotly. “My job is to support him in that endeavor... So of course, my repertoire of spells naturally leans towards support.”
I didn’t reply to that. It was a lame excuse but I didn’t want to get into an argument with Scarlet, whom I was assuming was young. He had two moods: default lazy and angry when defending his teacher.
Once we were both in the clear, I would go find L’teya and Clover while he went off to wait in a place for his teacher. I secretly hoped that we’d bump into his teacher and convince him to help me find my own party members but that seemed unlikely. For now this was the best plan we had. It was too late in the evening to enact our plan so we’d have to risk waiting another day in the cells. We didn't have a clear way to tell time though but it didn't matter, when the second round of guards came they'd be the signal.
“Lots of holes in this plan.” I muttered to myself.
I heard the mage yawn, I didn’t think he’d have heard me. “Well… that’s the best we can do. Are we done?... I kind of want to rest...”
“Sure.” I nodded, despite knowing the Mage couldn’t see me. “I’ll be resting as well.”
There were some variables we’d have to take care of. For example, the first problem I had to solve was how I would deal with the tranquilizer. There were a lot of different ways to put someone to sleep in MSS. Spells, potions, abilities…
“There’s a lot of us here, so they're probably using a gas medium.” But I needed to make sure.
“Scarlet?”
“Hng?”
The mage was either really good at acting or he was able to fall asleep at will, because his voice sounded like it was from someone who just woke up. We had just been talking less than a minute ago. I shook my head, blaming his peculiarities as those typical of the mage class.
“Do you have any idea what kind of tranquilizer they used?”
“Gas.” Scarlet said simply. “Now, I know you never had experience as an adventurer before… but when someone says they want to rest it’s kind of rude to interrupt…”
"Then how come you didn't fall asleep like the others?"
He gave an annoyed grunt and muttered something too quiet for me to hear. "I do fall asleep... I just wake up earlier. I'm a mage... I'm naturally resistant to magical effects. Now please... did the orcs not teach you manners?..."
I bit my tongue, not bothering to dignify that with a response. The kid was pretty rude. Within minutes, silence ruled the cavern broken by the sound of droplets of water.
“Gas huh… unless something has changed in this world in those 100 years, then it should be magical in nature.” I sighed.
There wasn’t much I could do about magical gas… unless…
I activated [Coin Toss].
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“It’s too hot.” Arione muttered to no one in particular. Even at night, the desert air was arid and heat perpetuated throughout the city.
Arione was tall, even for an elf. He towered over most people but here in the bustling city of Samak, he didn’t feel out of place at all. Orc guards prowled the streets and they were even taller than him. Aside from the orcs, he saw a bunch of different races, obviously here for the coming auction. It was like the visitors had breathed life back in the city, orc merchants had set up shop in the town square and people were walking around shopping.
Arione had light blue hair that fell to his shoulders in waves. His hair color, along with his elongated pointed ears clearly identified him as an elf and not wanting the attention, he wore a ragged cloak with the hood raised over his head. But if one were to look closely, they’d see features that were a little too fine to be human’s and light-blue eyes with flecks of gold. His looks earned him stares everywhere he went but tonight was not such a night.
He had lost most of his party members in the sandstorm caused by Enla Enla the monster. As a result, he had been on the run, being chased by agents of the Church and other agents of the Great Houses of Turina. They had found out his identity as a player and had been hounding him relentlessly. But he hadn’t become a mage by sitting around doing nothing.
He had achieved grade-2 a long while ago, being able to cast all but the highest grade of spells. He could have taken over the magic tower years ago, becoming head mage of one of the prestigious towers of Babel. Yet, his status as a player made him cautious and careful. Any unwanted attention would be a hindrance and a weakness, not something to be used. Without his party members he couldn’t defeat his assassins, but he sure as hell could give them a run for their money.
Right now he had managed to lose most of his pursuers and followed the trail of his apprentice, probably the last remaining member of his party. He grieved for his lost party members, he had been with them for years now. They had been the closest thing he had to family. In fact, he hardly bothered to watch his speech around them and he suspected that the smartest among them had figured out his identity.
Arione sighed, blinking the sand out of his long lashes. “You better just be taking a nap somewhere Scarlet...
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He wasn’t like other players who saw these people as only NPCs. From day one, he knew that they were people. It helped that his Mana Sense was more advanced than most; Arione couldn’t ignore the living, breathing, flowing abundance of life in the beings around him. It had given him a tough time at first and he couldn’t kill people for quite awhile due to being so sensitive to life.
But now… well, living for 10 years in MSS would change anyone.
He would have to rebuild his party from the ground up. Tank, DPS, Support, Healer. Anyone would do fine really, as he was pretty confident in his ability to raise a party. He wasn't emotionless, he still grieved his teammates. But that was that and this was this. Life went on.
Arione walked by an orc man selling lizards on a skewer. It smelled delicious but stopping even for a moment posed a risk that someone might recognize him. Personnel of the Great Houses, Akka Xalud in particular, were enjoying the night festivities and opening their purses with abandon. They sat in the marketplace by street stalls with small tables and stools, drinking and talking. It didn’t seem typical of the cruel Akka Xalud house, but these guys were just hired soldiers. Regardless, stopping for too long meant someone might recognize him and he didn’t want to chance it.
He had already done his scouting in the city months ago, he walked towards the barracks where the Samak Horde held their slaves. Perhaps Scarlet had been captured and transported there. He had sensed his apprentice’s magical signature close to the city and if Arione taught Scarlet anything, it was how to survive. Arione himself had honed it during his initial years being thrown into this world. Scarlet was a resourceful young man, he’d have found shelter in this city.
Arione turned the corner and saw the slave compound, a rectangular building made entirely of rock. There were two guards posted at the entrance. With a few hand signs, Arione cast a spell, identifying their overall strength. It was a spell that had recently gained popularity. It wouldn’t tell you what cores someone had, but could give you a sense of how many and how strong those Cores were. Really, more of an art than science.
But Arione wasn’t just any regular mage, he was a [Player] who had been reborn into the body of an elf with exceptional high sense for magic.
“Hmm… too weak to be grade-8… A grade-9 core? With a slight hint of undead and necrotic mana. The monsters around here that fit that description are probably Agwi.” Arione smirked.
“Damn, these orcs are cheaping out. Only one-core warriors serving as guards to their most valuable merchandise?” He chuckled at his luck, then frowned. “Or maybe they moved all their goods already.”
Scarlet was a mage and even if the orcs only had a single brain cell between the inhabitants of this city, they’d know that he was grade-A merchandise. Scarlet would be the type of slave who’d be moved first and introduced last at an auction. Arione didn’t want to let it come to that, where he had to rescue Scarlet in front of a dozen people who could rival him in strength.
“Yeah. That's just asking to get ganked.” He needed to rescue Scarlet as soon as he could.
Arione put his hand, palm down and ran his mana sense over the entire building, looking for his apprentice’s mana signature.
“Nope. Not that one, nope. Too weak. Nope. Noob. Noob. Noob. Noo- oh what the fuck?” Arione’s eyes opened in pleasant surprise.
His apprentice wasn’t in the building.
But for a moment, his mana sense picked up a signature that he had never felt before.
“Actually scratch that, I did feel something similar to it before. When I met those inquisitors of The Church. But it was… how do I say it? Different? More wild?” Arione felt a smile stretch across his lips.
“Okies. Let’s do this.” Before all else, Arione was an explorer and right now, his curiosity was in the front seat.
｢Arione Popwindale casts [Force Sleep]｣
Arione made a couple of hand signs, much more intricate than the motion from before. Mages of this world always had some kind of verbal, somatic or material component when casting a spell. But unlike the tabletop game he was used to, it was up to the mage’s preference and mental state. Some mages found it easier to use hand seals, like him who grew up watching anime and reading manga.
Kind of one of the secret ways that [Player] Mages recognized each other.
For Arione, the hand seals of his childhood from a certain ninja book worked best.. The two orcs dropped like dolls whose strings had suddenly been cut. Arione walked into the building without a care.
“Nighty night, sleep tight.” He whispered to the sleeping orc guards.
He spread his Mana Sense over the entire building once again, pinpointing the location of the slave he was looking for. This time however, the mana was much more subdued. Like it was trying to hide itself. Was it possible that this person felt his mana sense the first time and hid theirs in response?
Now that was both interesting and impressive.
He really hadn’t seen talent like that since he’d met Scarlet. But it wouldn’t work on him, the gap between their experience and control over mana was like the earth and the sky. He’d been a mage for 10 years not to mention the natural sense that elves had, boosted to hell and back. It wasn’t like he was trying too hard to find this mysterious stranger yet he’d still caught them in the second search.
He turned left and strode up the stairs, keeping his senses outstretched.
The signature led him to a large room with stone beds on either side. There was no one here except one.
It was a woman from the beastman race, who obviously descended from a sheep lineage. She had ram horns that curled down the side of her head, extending a little past her chin. She had curly pink hair that extended past her shoulder and to the middle of her back. Arione noted that she was attractive, even with her mismatching eyes; one with pink pupils like a human and another like that of a lamb. But he wasn’t interested in her that way, rather he noted her attractiveness like you would someone’s resume.
“Konichiwa.” He waved a hand in greeting.
The woman frowned and didn’t answer. Arione was used to it though.
“Arione Popwindale, at your service.” He did a little hand flourish and bow.
“The guards at the front, was that you?”
“Impressive and continuing to impress! You’re just nailing this job interview by the way.”
“I- what?”
“You’re a priestess aren’t you? A rather powerful one.” Arione continued, not bothered by her reactions at the least. He got straight to the point, with people like her who weren’t strong enough to know what’s what yet, it was best to take a direct approach. “I can help you get out of here. Come with me.”
The woman looked at him, dumbfounded. “W-Who are you?”
“My name is Arione-”
“Not that, I meant who are you? How are you here? How’d you do that to the guards? What are you?”
Arione sighed. “It’s really a long story and as much as I’d like to tell you a bedtime story and tuck you in, now’s really not the time for that.”
“You’re not as half as witty or funny as you think you are.” She said, then covered her mouth with her hand like she hadn’t meant to say that out loud.
“Nice.” Arione smiled but he couldn’t entirely keep his voice under control, it wavered a bit at the end.
That was the first thing one of his party members said to him when they met. Now, that party member was buried hundreds of feet below the ground in the middle of the Samak Desert.
“You still haven't answered my question.”
“I’m a mage.” Arione said, hoping that would explain a lot of things and in most cases, it did. “I’m here to rescue an apprentice of mine that’s probably in this city… either held captive like you, or hiding out. I sensed your mana signature while I was looking for him.”
“A mage…” She seemed to be mulling something over. “I’m also looking for someone. Two people in fact.”
“Oh you already have a party.” Arione shrugged. “Are they as talented as you?”
“Me? Talented?” The woman’s smile turned bitter. “They’re the ones who are talented. They’re always protecting me. I owe it to them to look for them.”
“So… maybe two fighters? Or two tanks? Or a DPS?” Arione’s hope surged. Maybe if they were talented enough to protect this budding priestess and be acknowledged by her, he wouldn’t need to look too hard for a party.
Of course, it all depended on what type of people they were.
“I can help you.” Arione said. “On one condition: you have to join my party if I help you out of this. Of course, I’ll extend the condition to both your friends.”
“You mean it?” The woman’s eyes lit up with something Arione had seen often before: hope.
“Yup. I’ll even make a Mana Vow.” He held up a hand. “But… it’ll bind you too.”
Mana Vows. A verbal contract between two parties arbitrated by a mage. The contract would bind them until the agreement was complete. It was a subject of study for great a many mages. No one was sure how it worked or why it worked, all they knew was that if broken, the Mana Vow would take a bit of the person's mana. Slowly but surely.
A death sentence for anyone who used Mana to survive in this world.
The woman was the cautious type. In Arione’s experience most people would say yes immediately. She was a slave with a manacle around her neck and surely, she must have heard that the auction was happening soon. Yet she was still thinking about it. He was lucky that she was still here, if they had found out she was a priestess she would have been sold for much more than any other merchandise; perhaps rivaling that of Scarlet. But it was only Arione’s superior senses that had sniffed her out.
She must be both smart and cautious; it was obvious she managed to keep her identity hidden.
“Double points. Full marks actually.” He whispered.
“Fine. I’ll take the Vow, I’ve seen it in action before. But you have to help me find my friends… and extend them the invitation to leave this place together with you.”
Arione had wanted to form a party with them but this was good enough for now. He also knew she'd say yes to his offer. She was a slave, what other option did she have? Being at the mercy of the orcs? A powerful priestess she may be, but it was a class that was powerless on its own.
Blue light shone out of Arione’s hand. “I, Arione Popwindale swear on my Mana and the Elven Goddess that I will do everything in my power to help this individual and her friends, who are of this world, escape Samak City and the Samak Desert with me.”
The blue light turned into a string and shot into Arione’s heart, the end shooting into the heart of the woman in front of him.
“...If you keep your word and get all of us out alive, I will join your party.”
The blue light shone brighter than disappeared. Arione felt the familiar feeling of the Mana Oath settling into his heart. If he broke his promise, it would steal away a little of his mana... permanently. That hadn't been a feature in the game, he had learned the hard way how this feature worked in real life.
“Now, are you willing to tell me your name?”
“Clover. Clover Weinport.” Then she straightened like remembering something forgotten. Clover Weinport asked him. “What was that thing about ‘who of this world’?”
“Oh. It’s to avoid these people called [Players] in my party. Trust me, you do not want to get involved with them. The worst type of people really.”
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