Chapter 10: The Song of Fairies

A few months passed, during which Alexander made a few achievements that excited him.

First, his Basic Staffmanship skill reached level 10 and evolved. Its next stage was rather obvious: It had become simply the Staffmanship skill. The offensive and defensive bonus we received from this skill didn't change, but from now on, it would increase by 10% every level instead of 5%. He could also maneuver the weapon with greater fitness and skill now.

He didn't receive any other benefits from the advancement, though the youth didn't mind.

After this, his Stealth skill grew to level 5, and he also had the chance to evolve it. Thanks to his class as a Hermit, he could change this skill into Hermit's Tranquility. This skill at his base level would decrease the odds of a hostile Mob identifying him by 100% so long as he likewise possesses no hostility. He could even move around with this skill; however, its effectiveness decreased against non-hostile mobs. Regardless, this was great in the youth's mind, and he gladly evolved his skill.

This made his travels much easier; however, being able to avoid most Mobs meant he didn't need to use his Bonk skill anymore. Alexander adored this skill and the funny expression it left on animals' faces. Like so, he made a game of sneaking up on wild creatures and then bonking them enthusiastically. Because the Bonk Skill did no damage, it wasn't considered a hostile act, so his presence would only be revealed after his prank landed. Once his mischief was finished, he would run off using his Elven Running.

On one fateful day, he was running away from an angry pack of wolves, laughing as he flew across the terrain. Eventually, he hid in a tall tree in a valley and waited until the animals ran off. He used this time to meditate, wanting to take full advantage of the skill bonus while it lasted, but his contraction was broken when he heard something on the wind.

It sounded like a voice, and full of curiosity, he presumed it was deeper into the valley. The rocky ground slowly turned to soft earth, and the chill of the high-altitude terrain faded. The boy snuck up to a rock and hid, now certain he was hearing a voice coming from a clearing ahead.

Unable to resist the allure, he slowly snuck over till he could glance ahead.

In the clearing at the back of the valley, he found a small person barely the height of his hand frolicking about the earth. The creature was female and sang while she danced, clad in a tight brown dress. Alexander did not recognize the creature's words; however, he could guess that this was a fairy.

Fairies were rare creatures in Eden, with some of the purest souls. They had no set habitat and wandered the world freely. Every Fairy was tried to a primal force; however, unlike Elements, they possessed intelligence from birth and could even perform magic. They were rather mischievous but made great companions if you could earn their acknowledgment.

Captivated by the song of the Fairy Alexander watch still, the creature was finished and then happily bowed to an audience of bugs, a couple squirrels, and a toad. Intrigued by this, the boy gave a round of applause; however, his action was met by panic.

The Fairy turned around quickly with a squeak and threw up her hand while yelling, "Away, evil Big Person."

The ground rolled, launching Alexander off his feet and onto his but. Likewise, panicking, he held up his hands and blurted, "Stop. I come in peace. I mean you no harm."

The Fairy rose into the air with its wings, surrounded by levitating soil as if ready to attack. It snapped, "All big people are evil! Even the Elves!"

Not wanting to fight, the young man scrambled to his feet and exclaimed, "Okay, sure, I'll just leave then."

Like so, without hesitation, he turned around and began to leave. However, after moving a few feet away, the Fairy blurted, "What trick is this Big Person!"

Alexander looked back and responded, "I don't know what you're talking about, but if my presence makes you scared, then I'm leaving." He thought momentarily and added, "Your singing was beautiful; I'm sure the animals enjoyed it."

Without a second glance, he left the clearing, causing the Fairy to exchange a surprise look with the toad nearby. Her curiosity was stirred as she few after the Elf, keeping a distance, and called, "I don't believe you. What Is a Big Person like you even doing all the way out here?"

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

Fearful of being attacked again, the boy increased his speed and called back, "I'm a hermit, and I'm traveling towards the End of the World! I don't want any trouble, so please leave me alone."

Confused that it was a Big Person trying to avoid her rather than the other way around, the Fairy sped up as well and called, "Don't try to fool me. The story of the Garden of Eden is just a legend. Why are you really here?"

Starting to run, the youth shot back, 'I don't care about some weird garden; I just want to seed the End of the World. Now, please just leave me alone. I don't want to get hurt again."

Growing irritated, the Fairy began to fly even faster and shouted, "I only attacked you because you snuck up on me. See! All you big people are nothing but big, stupid liars."

Alexander snorted, then grumbled, "Think what you like, just leave me alone."

He began to use Elven Running with all might; however, the Fairy refused to give up. He clenched her small fists and grumbled, "Big Person, I know you're up to no good. Don't try to run away."

Like so, the two ran off towards the next mountain, not wasting time on any more words.

Alexander's dexterity might have increased, but he was still an Elf and couldn't keep up the pace forever. At the same time, while the Fairy did have great speed with its flying abilities, her small physique limited her endurance. Very soon, they were both panting with exhaustion in a wooded clearing, where the Elf collapsed against a tree. In a desperate voice, he mumbled, "Why are you following me? Can't you just leave me alone?"

The Fairy likewise collapsed on a large mushroom and cried, "That's what I'm supposed to say, you're a bad Big Person!"

The human wanted to cry but steeled himself and retorted, "If you won't listen to me, then I'm just not going to talk."

He closed his mouth and began to meditate, hoping the Fairy wouldn't attack him further. While he cleared his mind and calmed his heart, he didn't notice the look of hunger appear on the Fairy's face. She continued to yell at him, too tired to attack or move, but soon gave up, seeing how she was completely ignored. An hour passed, and the creature became more conflicted before she cried, "Can you not do that!? I'm starving!"

Waking from his trance, the youth grumbled, "What do you mean."

The small creature pointed at him and accused, "You're suckng up so much, Mana. It's not fair."

Alexander glared back and retorted, "Just absorb some of your own then."

Infuriated, the Fairy cried, "I can't, you dumb Elf; faires can only get Mana from objects or people. My cave is miles from here, and now I'm starving because of you.'

After revealing a conflicted expression, the Elf felt pity for the creature and offered, "If it's really that bad, you can have my Mana. I don't even use it anyway."

The Fairy's eyes turned murderous as she snapped, "I'd rather die than form a contract with you."

Rubbing his brow, the boy said, "I don't want a stupid contract. Just eat my Mana and go back to your cave. Let me go on my way, and we can both pretend today never happened."

Glazing at him with entrance eyes, the female hesitated, though her growing stomach made up her mind for her. In a hesitant tone, she asked, "You really mean that?" The youth nodded, at which point the fury nodded, "Fine." She flew over and grumbled, "Hold out your hand, you dumb Elf."

Alexander did so but grumbled, 'My name is Alatar, please use it."

Landing on him, the fair tensed up for a moment, but when nothing happened, she let out a sigh and responded, 'Fine then. Don't try anything sneaky, dumb Alatar."

The Elf rolled his eyes at the small and annoying creature sucked in a deep breath. He then felt a strong flow of energy form in the core of his body and spread out towards his arm. Soon, it formed a small stream that exited his form through his palm. Usually, he saw a light blue aura surrounding the Fairy, which seemed to want to dispute on its own but was caught up by the creature's inhale.

She greedily devoured the energy with a mean look in her eye. Wanting payback on this human, the Fairy decided to teach him a lesson and eat up all his Mana. She didn't believe that an elf that could venture so far into the wilderness didn't know any magic, and even if he wasn't lying, she could still leave him with a bad headache. Still, as she continued to gorge herself, she was surprised to find his supply of Mana didn't seem to be running out. Rather, it seemed just as vigorous as when she had started.

In contrast, Alexander became more used to the sensation as his Mana continued to flow. He even felt some muscular reflex both within his body and mind that led him to believe he may be able to control the flow of Thai energy on his own. As time went by, he began to experiment and was pleased to find he could alter and control the flow of his Mana if he truly focused on it.

However, just as he was about to start some more series of experiments, the Fairy let out a grunt and stopped heating. While the Elf could now manila the stream of Mana to a small degree, he still didn't know how to summon the man from within him, and thus, his texting was cut short. Checking his Mana, he found it had decreased by a whole 250 points and commented, "Wow, you must have really been hungry; you almost ate half my mana."

Hearing this, the Fairy couldn't believe it, and with checks flushed red like a drunkard, she muttered, "Dumb Big Person." Then, promptly, she collapsed into a food coma.

Alexander didn't know what to do at this point and ultimately let out a sigh before carrying her away. The wilderness was dangerous, so he would protect the creature till she woke up and could leave. Ultimately, she didn't wake before he had to log out, so he made her a comfy bed of grass and leaves within a tree hollow, hoping she would not be disturbed.

The Elf had to admit his encounter with the fry had been bizarre, though he was also glad it was over and he could return to his quiet and peaceful journey.