Origin ARS 3 (Origin A.R.S.) (3 page)

“You will? Thank you!” said the mermaid. Rhea walked closer and the stones lit up the area to a greater degree. The mermaid was revealed to have an earnest and thankful expression.

The fish-tailed girl reached out toward Scott. She completely ignored Rhea’s presence despite the fact that she was the one who had offered to help. The sorcerer smiled at the aquatically oriented girl, but secretly wondered what that mild snub was about.

Rhea spoke up, loudly. “We should get you to the campfire so you’ll be safe and you can change out of that form.”

The mermaid smiled softly up at Scott then spread her arms out as though she wanted a hug. “OK. Can you help me get there?”

The elf girl snorted then strode over and gripped the mermaid by the hands. The fish-tailed girl cried out in panic, but did not have the strength to fight back. Rhea hoisted her over her shoulder, like she was carrying a sack of clothes then turned toward the campfire.

“No, no... Let
him
carry me.” cried the mermaid.

Rhea snorted once more then casually walked away. The mermaid looked back and Scott with a forlorn expression and reached out toward him.

The sorcerer blinked slowly. What the hell had that been about?

“No, he’s so far away now!” cried the mermaid. She began to wriggle and squirm.

“He’ll be over in a minute. Calm down.” said Rhea before she unleashed a loud sigh.

Scott followed them toward the campfire. He had several questions that he wanted answered.

Once they arrived at their camp Rhea gently lowered the fish-tailed girl to the ground. Once Scott entered the area, the elf girl casually moved to stand in front of him. “Be careful, alright Scott?”

“What’s going on, Rhea?” asked Scott.

“Scott? What a perfectly handsome name.” murmured the mer-girl.

“Uh... Thanks?” Scott tilted his head to the side and blinked.

Rhea leaned toward him then whispered into his ear. “Try not to talk to her much right now. I trust you, but she has certain needs.”

“Needs?” asked Scott in a quiet voice. What sort of needs was she talking about?

The elf maiden sighed once more then shook her head before whispering. “Mermaids are an all-female race. They have to mate with a suitable male from a different species. They have a severe, but temporary, fetish for human males.”

“Wait... You’re telling me that she’s ...” Scott started to say.

Rhea finished for him with a whisper. “Super horny? Yes. She’ll be fine by morning. They get like this on the nights of the full moon. Consider it their mating season.”

Scott stared at the elf girl. “I don’t know if I’ve ever heard you say that word before?”

Her cheeks became flushed and she shook her head. “We can discuss my vocal habits later, OK?”

“Sure...We’ll discuss super horny later.” said Scott with a smile.

“Oh, hey... What’s with the private conversation? I might be a little jealous.” said the mermaid. She pouted cutely at Scott then fluttered her eyelashes.

In the light of the fire, the sorcerer could see that the newcomer was quite a beauty in her own right. A man without romantic attachments would probably be helpless before her overall enthusiasm.

After a few minutes passed in idle chatter, a strange event occurred. The mermaid shimmered gently in the light and her tail split apart. Slowly her split tail became two finely formed human legs. “Oh, that is so much better!”

The girl struggled to stand for a moment, and then managed the feat. “Yes! So this is what it’s like to have feet?” She wiggled her toes then giggled at them. 

“You’ve never had feet before?” asked Scott curiously.

She looked at him then lowered her lashes and looked down at the ground in an approximation of shyness. “No... Never. I’ve never done a lot of interesting things before.”

“And you won’t be doing them tonight, either.” said Rhea in an authoritative tone.

Scott smirked at the girl in amusement. It was kind of cute when she marked her territory. Ever since the Ero incident, Rhea had taken much greater interest in anyone even remotely female who came close to Scott.

“That’s mean... I don’t want to keep him forever. I just want to have his babies. Is that so bad?” asked the girl with an innocent and curious expression.

Rhea snorted at her. “Not happening. How about you tell us about your people being kidnapped, instead?”

“My people? Oh! Yes, my people. Um, well the Shar-Shar invaded our Grotto and captured my sisters. They have tried it before, and failed.  But they used the full moon against us this time.”

“The full moon causes you problems when defending yourselves?” asked Scott.

The mermaid nodded at him then pouted a little. “Yes, we become weak and can barely defend ourselves. If only we had a big strong man to protect us...”

Rhea rolled her eyes. “Yes, well
you
do not have one. Tell us more about the Shar-Shar. How strong were they?”

“Well, that’s no fun...” said the girl before looking up at Scott. He had the good sense not to reply to her, and only smiled in response.

Rhea cleared her throat loudly and the mermaid turned back to her. “The
Shar-Shar
.”

“Oh, right. Well, they are not actually strong in our area. They are few in number, but aggressive. If not for taking advantage of us during the full moon, we would have easily driven then off with our magic.”

“Your magic is weaker too, now?” asked Scott.

“No, it’s stronger... it just focuses in a different direction.” She raised her foot and wiggled her toes at him.

“Mermaids gain the power to transform into a human-like form on the nights of the full moon, but lose their other magic. They can also completely ignore normal issues with race and mate with almost anything that is humanoid and male.” said Rhea.

Scott looked from Rhea to the mermaid and the fish-girl lifted her chin then ran her tongue gently along her upper lip. He winced then shook his head in response. “I think I wondered into a different sort of game world...”

Rhea snorted at him then grinned. “You
wish
that you did.”

He smiled at the blue haired elf then looked back at the mermaid. “You know, we never introduced ourselves. My name is Scott. This lovely elf is Rhea. What’s your name?”

The girl giggled sweetly at him then said, “My name is Neira... Scott.”

“And
Rhea
.” said Rhea.

“Uh.... Yes, Scott and Rhea...” said Neira.

The beautiful aquatically oriented girl turned back to Scott then bit her lower lip while she offered him a gentle smile. She waved her fingers at him cutely and flared her nostrils a little.

Scott, uncertain what to do, waved back while sharing a nervous smile of his own. He did not want to be rude after all.

Rhea groaned softly. It was going to be a long night.

The first rays of the morning sun were seen as a magical thing by many people. In the world of ARS, the light of dawn could cause changes to many different races. Trolls became weak, sluggish. Vampires took damage. On the morning after a full moon, a mermaid would have an opportunity to have two things that they normally did not have.

Neira wiggled her toes happily in the sand. She would only have them until she fully submerged her body in the ocean, and until then she wanted to enjoy the feeling for just a little while longer. The mermaid girl had regained her magic at dawn, but due to a curious mystical loophole she would also keep her human legs for a short time.

She had come to the other side of the hill so that she could give her saviors some time to themselves. The guy she had tried to breed with during the full-moon had gone to sleep and his beautiful companion had taken up the next watch.

“You really seem to enjoy that.” asked a happy feminine voice.

Neira turned to look at the one who had spoken and then smiled gently. “Hey, Ero.”

The mermaid had been delighted to meet the fairy girl earlier. Perhaps it had something to do with both of them being associated with water?

The fairy fluttered up and down for a moment. “Hi! How are you feeling?”

The mermaid’s face turned a slightly darker shade. “Like a total slut. I
totally
don’t know what that was about. Right?”

“It’s OK. Scott isn’t upset, though Rhea will probably watch you like a hawk for a while.”

“Yah, really?” Neira’s cheeks took on a rosy glow when Rhea’s name was mentioned.

“That girl Rhea, what’s her deal? Is she like, with that guy?” asked Neira.

Ero giggled. “Well, they talk about it a lot and Scott likes her. She really super likes him, but they have issues.”

“Issues? Wow...issues, huh... So, Rhea isn’t with him then?”

The fairy tilted her head to the side. “I’m not sure. They like to cuddle a lot, and they hold hands, and they kiss and stuff.”

“Kiss...” Neira glanced over at the elf girl then looked away. Her face turned bright red and she pressed her index fingers together.

“Yeah, she’s wanted to be with him for a long time, but well...” Ero fluttered in the air for a moment, a thoughtful expression on her face. “I think that it’s one of those work in progress things.”

“Rhea wants to be with that guy like, real bad?” Neira pouted softly then crushed a little sand between her toes.

“I notice that you use her name a lot, but don’t say Scott’s name.” asked Ero in a casual tone of voice.

“Huh? Oh, that guy...? Yeah, I guess I don’t...”

Ero giggled excitedly. She knew a secret! Well, she suspected that she knew a secret. She loved to know a secret, even when she was not certain that she knew one. You know?

“By the way, what’s
your
deal? Like, why are you and Rhea with that guy, Ero?” asked Neira.

“Scott... His name is Scott, remember?” asked the fairy.

“Right... So, your deal..?”

“Oh, that’s simple! My deal? Well, Scott and I are totally BFFs! Rhea and Scott are sort-of-but-not-quite-maybe-kind-of-but-not-really lovers.” said Ero in a giddy manner. That had been a real mouthful.

“Right...” Neira’s eyes widened and she shook her head. How was she supposed to process that?

“See, simple.”

“Yah... No. Uhm... What’s a BFF?” asked the human form mermaid.

“We’re bestest friends forever!” exclaimed Ero.

“Wow,
really
?” asked Neira.

“Yah, totally!” exclaimed Ero.

“Right, wow. Like... That’s so cool. I’ve never been friends with a guy.”

“Have you ever been anything with a guy?” asked Ero curiously.

“What? No way! Last night would have totally been the first time... like, for sure.” Neira giggled softly then shook her head. Guys were weird, interesting, but weird.

The buxom mermaid sighed softly then looked at Rhea again. “Rhea’s like, super pretty. Right?”

“Yah. Totally.” said Ero, further adapting the mannerisms of her new associate.

Ero could not stand it anymore. “Are you... not interested in boys?”

Neira gaped at her like a fish, and then shook her head. “No, no... Boys are... well... boys. I don’t like ever really get to see many of them who don’t look like a trout. Right? I just...”

“Like girls more...?” asked the fairy.

The mermaid giggled softly then hugged her knees. Her cheeks turned bright red. She shook her head from side to side slowly, a soft smile on her lips. “Well... yah. Love is for girls. Boys are for making babies. Like,
everyone
totally knows that.”

“Totally.” said Ero, a mischievous smirk forming upon her sweet pink lips.

Neira bit her lower lip then placed her chin on her knees. “I like need to try and help my people. The Shar-Shar are so harsh.”

“We’ll do what he can to help you.” said Ero.

“Shyeah, Rhea told me that...Thanks for wanting to help. I totally appreciate it. Right?” Neira breathed in and out once, slowly.

Ero fluttered over and landed on the mermaid girl’s head. “We’ll do what we can to help your people. If those Shar-Shar are all about strong as the ones that chased you, Scott could take them out by himself.”

“Wow, really? Is that guy really that strong?”

“His level isn’t high at all, but he’s already defeated an army by himself. He’s used to fighting a few hundred opponents at a time if they are around his level.”

“Whoa.” Neira blinked slowly then her eyes widened. “Maybe I should totally have that guy’s babies, after all.”

“Totally.” said Ero her mischievous smirk returned with a vengeance. Things were about to become quite
interesting
.

***

The early morning sea breeze invigorated the senses and filled a recently rested Scott with a sense of calm. After he had awakened from his brief rest, the group gathered together near the campfire and began to discuss the situation.

The strange amalgamation of stereotypical 1980s style American
valley-speak
and modern California surfer girl mannerisms endeared Neira to the man. The fact that she was incredibly cute, and not the least bit aggressive toward him helped as well. She had tried her best to get at him throughout the night, but now it was as though she was indifferent to his presence. It was a refreshing change, actually.

“So, you think there are about one hundred of the Shar-Shar in their village?” asked Rhea.

“Yah, if that. They are weak, but outnumber us like, a lot.” said Neira.

The elf girl leaned in to share her map screen with the mermaid, and the new girl’s cheeks rapidly darkened. “Can you tell where there village would be on this map?”

“Uhm... I totally do not know how to read a map...” said Neira. Map skills and maps in general were not common among her people.

“How about landmarks?” asked Scott.

Neira looked up to him then smiled shyly. “I guess...I should like, be able to guide you to our grotto at least.”

“Your grotto is it on the surface or in an undersea cave?” asked Rhea.

“Huh? Oh, right... it’s both, for sure.” replied Neira. She smiled gently at Rhea and then her eyes widened ever so slightly.

“Would you be able to find the Shar-Shar village if we go to your grotto?” asked Scott.

“Totally, though there is no guarantee that my people would be there.” Neira nodded at him then smiled before glancing at Rhea once more.

“Alright, how far do you think it is from here?” asked Rhea.

Neira bit her lower lip and thought about it carefully. “Uhm, I am not too sure about distance. I like, think I had to swim for a while, but it doesn’t feel like it was too long. If it wasn’t for the full-moon, like, making me weak and stuff it wouldn’t have been so long. Right?”

“Right.” said Scott.

Neira flashed him a gentle smile then lowered her eyes quickly. Slowly, her gaze returned to Rhea.

The elf girl looked down at the human-form mermaid then sighed loudly. “I hate to ask this, but can we get the blessing of the sea from you? We will probably have to fight underwater a lot.”

“Oh for sure! I’d totally give it to you, Rhea.” replied Neira with great enthusiasm. The girl struggled to her feet then wobbled a little. She gave off the impression of a young girl trying to wear heels for the first time, or a newborn deer attempting to stand.

“And
Scott
...” said the elf.

“Oh right, and him.” said Neira quickly.

Scott squinted at the mermaid then looked to Rhea. He suspected something was going on, but no one had bothered to clue him in entirely.

“Uhm, but I like totally need to be in the water to do it and I don’t trust these feet thingies to get me there.” said Neira.

“Do you need me to carry you?” asked Scott. She probably did not weigh that much and he did not want her to get hurt due to her inexperience with human legs.

“Uhm, maybe Rhea should carry me...” said Neira before glancing at the elf girl.

“Right.” said Rhea. She rolled her eyes. Unlike Scott, she had a much better idea of what was going on. She knew the racial concepts used in creating the people of this world after all.

“That’s totally awesome.” Neira clapped her hands then held out her arms to the beautiful elf maiden.

Rhea sighed then walked over and hefted the girl onto her shoulder once more. Neira’s upper half hung down Rhea’s back, while her human booty was perked up in the air. The human-form mermaid placed her hands to her mouth then giggled happily. She never once looked toward Scott.

The sorcerer followed Rhea and her giggling humanoid cargo down to the beach. Ero made a few giggling sounds inside his head. It seemed that everyone knew what was going on, but him, though he had begun to suspect something.

“Hey, Ero.” asked Scott.

“Yah?” asked the fairy from within his mind.

“Will you need a blessing as well?”

The fairy tittered gently. “No. I’m like
totally
a water fairy.”

Scott groaned. “Are you turning into a California girl on me, Ero?”

“Totally.” remarked the fairy girl, before she laughed once more.

“Won’t you need a tan or something?” asked Scott.

“Yah! Want to rub some lotion on me so I can get a totally wicked tan, Scott?”

“At this point I might just dip you in the lotion bottle.” replied the man with a soft laugh.

“Harsh.” said Ero, but she laughed anyway.

Once they reached the shore, Rhea released Neira. The girl took a few trembling steps back then looked down. The beautiful girl sighed at her feet then wiggled her toes one more time before she looked up again. “Right, so let me get in the water and I can give you a blessing.”

The mermaid staggered into the surf and kept going until there was enough water to completely submerge her body. She slipped under the water and a few second later she popped up again. “I’m like, ready now.”

She pointed to Scott. “Let’s get him out of the way first.”

“Out of the way?” asked Scott lightly. What was he, some sort of chore?

Rhea grinned at him then shook her head. If only he knew. He would figure it out soon enough.

“What do I do?” he asked.

“Come here and I’ll take care of you.” said Neira. She smiled gently, but spoke without any sort of enthusiasm.

Scott waded into the surf and stood before the lightly bobbing mermaid. He was uncertain how she could have her entire torso out of the water when she no longer had legs to stand on, but he decided not to question it. “What now?”

Neira gently lifted her hands and clasped his cheeks. “Now I give you a blessing.”

He blinked when the girl parted her lips slightly and leaned forward. Neira kissed him softly on the lips. It was a quick, almost chaste, kiss.

<<<
Message
>>>

You have been accepted by a denizen of the ocean. The mermaid Neira has granted you her blessing and as such, you will be able to breathe ocean water as though it was air. Your blessing will last until the next full moon.

<<< * >>>

“Uhm... thank you.” said Scott.

Neira’s cheeks turned a slight shade of pink and she nodded. “I’ve like never blessed a boy before. Was it, OK?”

Scott smiled at her. “Well, I certainly feel blessed.”

Her cheeks darkened further and she giggled before looking up at him. “You’re a nice boy, aren’t you?”

“Sometimes...” said Scott.

“That’s good to know. Right?” asked Neira. She fanned her tail in the water a little and offered him a warm smile.

“Right.” said Scott.

“Ahem.” said Rhea,
loudly
.