Mature Content Warning: None yet. Maybe some foul language.

Author's Notes: I did not want to update this till the weekend, but I ended up getting excited and cranked

this chapter out. I will recap the updates to the first volume so that you know some of what is going on.

Recap: A soldier named Scott had his heart broken by his former fiance and ends up in a strange world that works like a game. He meets several people and fights a few rats. He meets a woman named mid who turns out to not always look like an old grandma. She goes by the name 'Regal Alice' as well.

Rhea, turns out to be an avatar of the goddess Origin. She totally likes Scott, like totally, due to having been helped by him in the past and because he's an Earth Human. Also, other reasons not yet mentioned. The gods and goddess just love Earth Humans. Fat, skinny, big or small, they like em one and all.

She has three sisters, a mother, and a brother.

Mother - Era

Older sisters - Theta, Mid

Half-Sister - Shara

Brother - Silence

That should get you all up to speed if you have not read the revised version that is up on smashwords and amazon. If you want to read that version for free, just go to the thread talking about updates and coupons in the title. There is a coupon there for a free copy of the story. It is good till the 18th of february, 2015.

Anyway, now on with the next volume!

***

I had a dream last night. I ran through a field of wild flowers and fresh green grass. Behind me there were others, people I had never met. I could not see their faces as I ran ahead. Yet, I knew that they were with me.

I don’t know why we ran, but in the distance ahead there was a storm on the far horizon. The black clouds roiled like a living thing, an encroaching darkness light only by serpentine lightning that shot out in all directions.

I knew that I should have run from that storm, but I did not. My place was there at the heart of that storm. Something incredibly important waited for me there and I would go to it. I did not know what that something was. I only knew that I could not turn away and profess ignorance.

Chapter 1: Please Lie Next to Me

There were many forests in the world. Each had a distinct presence, a type of existence that defined it. Within the leaves and boughs, the twisting shadows and swirl of leaves born on a passing wind, of those forests many secrets might be hidden. In one particular forest, the Hidden Forest of the Wayward Heart, that secret came in the form of a small group of people.

A swirl of leaves born upon a sudden wind indicated the arrival of a newcomer. Immediately that newcomer was greeted.

“Hey, Sharde!”

Shard, the Kunoichi of shadow and flame turned swiftly toward the one calling out to her. “Hey Gambol!”

The ninja girl gracefully performed a backflip that took her from the forest teleportation circle down the large drop to the ground below. A lesser person would have died horribly, but for Kunoichi such a drop was nothing more than a casual step.

“I did not expect to see you back so soon.” replied Gambol, Ninja of wind and rain. He was a tall man of modest build, but his eyes and casual grace bespoke his true skill and power.

Sharde, a red haired girl of average height and above average beauty smiled at the man. “Something interesting has happened.”

“Oh, what is that?”

“My sister has her eye on a man.”

Gambol’s left eyelid began to twitch spastically. “When you say sister...?”

“I think you know which one, Gambol. If it was one of the other’s this would hardly be worth my attention.”

“So, the goddess of love finally took an interest...”

“Now, now. Use her proper name here.”

“Ah, Rhea Ardente wasn’t it?” replied the man.

Sharde nodded. “If we’re going to be here, the least we can do is actually act like it.”

“You always get so into it, don’t you?” Gambol smirked at the ninja girl.

Sharde laughed heartily then slapped Gambol on the shoulder. “Of course, what’s the point otherwise? This world is a wonderful place.”

“Truly it is... Sharde, what kind of man is it... this man who has your sister’s attention?” asked Gambol.

The ninja girl spread her hands to the side then shook her head. “Never met the guy, but I overheard mother talking to my dear sister. You’ll never guess what kind of guy it is.”

“What kind? Do you mean which family? I would suspect that he must be of noble birth, at least.”

Sharde put her hand to her mouth and laughed haughtily. “The noblest!”

“Really? Which one?” asked Gambol.

She gestured for him to come closer so that she could share the secret. After he did so she said, “He’s an Earth Human!”

Gambol’s eyes widened to almost comical proportions. “No! How is that even possible...? I mean, that’s great news... but how?”

“I don’t know, but I intend to find out.”

“Going after him yourself?” asked Gambol.

Sharde grinned at him. “What’s a modern ninja girl to do? I can’t let my sister have all the fun. I want to play with him too.”

“Well, yeah... me too.”

“Denied!” replied Sharde.

Gambol groaned loudly. “You’re really going to deny me the right to play with an Earth Human? Really?”

“Let me check him out first. Maybe he isn’t even that interesting.”

The ninja of the wind and rain gazed at Sharde with a disbelieving and sarcastic expression. She stuck out her tongue at him then twirled her left index finger in the air. “If he sets my heart aflame with passionate butterflies I’ll let you know.”

“I hope so. It would be awful if the first Earth Human brought here turned out to be a dud.”

Sharde smirked at Gambol. “I’ve already investigated and discovered some information. Dear sister needs to delete her browser history more thoroughly and learn to name her personal files better. Would you believe that he defeated a black grass rat overlord when he was level five?”

“No...”

“Well, he did.”

A sudden girlish squeal erupted throughout the area. Sharde eyed Gambol critically and he apologized for becoming so excited. He was just happy to hear that the Earth Human might actually live up to the hype.

“I wonder if he’s handsome. I had thought that if I ever managed to meet one, it would be one of those cute little fat ones who wore glasses and had that weird skin condition. What was it called?” She turned to look at Gambol for further information.

“I believe it is called acne if it is on the face.” replied the powerful ninja.

“Yes, of course! I wonder if he has that? I’ve never seen it in person...”

“One can only hope!” Gambol’s eyes lit up happily. A real live Earth Human to play with! Who would have thought it possible?

“What are you thinking, Gambol?” asked Sharde.

“I wonder if we can be bros!”

“Denied!”

“You’re so mean, Sharde!”

Sharde laughed at her long -time friend then patted him on the shoulder. “Oh, did I mention that he chose the sorcerer class?”

Another girlish squeal of joy echoed through the small forest clearing. Gambol was certainly excited to hear that. Maybe they could spar! Bros could totally spar.

***

Fist flew furiously in rapid-fire succession. Quick and skillful footwork moved Scott through the pattern that his body wanted to follow. Since the day that they had left the inn, he had spent at least an hour each morning training his body and basic movement skills.

While he would gain no physical benefit from doing such, he had become slightly more aware of his body. He could feel the knowledge of the sorcerer flowing through his body and mind.

Scott leapt into the air and performed a quick spinning jump kick before moving into a series of quick punches after landing. Before he had started his training, he had relied only on sudden instinct. However, even this minor training had improved his basic capacity for unarmed combat greatly. He already had the instincts and apparently even the knowledge of a fighter. This sort of training helped him to better execute it.

“Not bad, but you’re skill leaning too far to the left when you jump and land. Your balance will be off.” said Rhea. She rubbed her chin and considered his performance with a critical eye. He had improved quickly, but it would still take quite a bit of time before he could be called truly competent.

“Thanks, so I should do it more like this?” He performed the same spinning kick motion as before, but over-compensated by moving farther to the right.

She shook her head. “Better, but now you lean too far to the right.”

Scott practiced the movement several more times before he finally found the proper rhythm. He could have trained alone and possibly reached a greater level of precision. Rhea checking his movements for awkwardness helped tremendously. She acted as a set of beautiful jade green eyes that could perceive the flaws in his still non-existent technique.

“Well, if you’re done for the morning we should probably head to Meaden.” said Rhea.

The sorcerer smiled then stretched. It was good to work the kinks out of his body. “Sure, we can resupply a bit and rest up for the final push toward the mine.”

“That’s the plan! Since you’ve covered the costs of the supplies and the tavern a few days ago, this stay will be my treat.”

“Far be it from me to deny a lady the right to spend money on Me.” quipped Scott. His cheeky grin caused Rhea to laugh. It was a mutually enjoyable moment and Scott joined her by unleashing a laugh of his own.

They packed up their bedrolls and put them away in their inventories before heading out. They only needed to travel another few hours to reach Meaden.

Along the way, they were occasionally accosted by a stray rabbit or a wild dog. There was nothing particularly powerful this close to the road, so it took little time to dispatch them.

“So, that’s Meaden?” asked Scott.

The town in the distance seemed to be much smaller than Victory Station. He knew that it would be that way, but it was still a bit shocking. There were probably fewer than one thousand people living there.

“Yes, it’s just a small town with nothing to set it apart from other similar little towns. The largest in this region is Victory Station. If you want a bigger town, or an actual city, you would need to head north toward Arnette or East toward Eizen.”

“Eizen, that’s the coastal kingdom right? The one that has the main portion of the country on a single mountainous island, but it has several small allied towns on the coast of the continent?

Rhea nodded at her comrade. “Yes, they have a strong naval presence but their ground soldiers aren’t as strong as Arnette’s soldiers. That situation is the reason why free towns like Victory Station can exist.”

“Right, they act as some sort of buffer between those states.” said Scott. He had read that much in the library.

“True, they are not currently at war. These buffer zone towns tend to keep things that way to some extent.”

While the conversed the town came rapidly into view. Soon they were at the entry gates. Though, the gates were little more than a set of massive logs that could be raised or lowered quickly from inside the wooden palisade. Meaden did not even register the need for a true stone wall, apparently.

You have entered the town of Meaden.

The music of the road changed to a quirky tune with a rural theme. Scott nodded in time to the tune while he took in the sight of the second town that he had entered since coming to this world. It was a tidy looking little place. The people seemed happy, and there were children playing near a large water fountain up ahead.

“What do you think?” asked Rhea.

“It seems nice. Though, I haven’t checked any prices yet so my opinion might change.” said Scott. He grinned at Rhea and she shook her head.

“I’m paying this time, remember?” She poked him in the shoulder then shook her delicate finger at him.

“That’s true. You tell me if your opinion of the place changes then. I will take that into advisement.”

The blue haired elf sighed at the blue haired human. “I will.”

“Excellent.”

She rolled her eyes then pointed toward a sign that had a large pig on the front. “That’s the Tenderloin Tavern. It has the best food and rooms to rent in town. Of course, it is also the only place with rooms that also includes meals.”

Scott’s stomach grumbled suddenly as it realized what she had just said. “Please pardon my angry stomach; it knows not what it does.”

Rhea looked at him then slowly shook her head. “I’m not sure if feeding you is a good idea. You become a bit feisty after you have been fed.”

“Hey, don’t steal my lines.” said Scott. He had said the same thing to her the first time he had cooked dinner during the trip. He considered himself to be only a reasonably efficient cook. She had taken her plate of food and acted like it was the most precious thing that anyone had ever given her. The silly girl had looked almost heartbroken that she had to eat it!

Rhea giggled at him then smiled shyly. She looked down at her hands and fidgeted a little.

“Is something wrong?” he asked.

“Uhm, our lodgings...” she replied.

“What about them?” Was she short of funds? He did not mind sleeping in the woods again if they needed to do so.

The elf girl took a deep breath then said, “We should share a room for the sake of keeping expenses low.”

“Sure.” He saw no problem with that. They frequently slept next to each other on the road. Well, actually Rhea always put her bedroll down next to whatever spot Scott had chosen for his own bedroll. They then took turns keeping watch.

Rhea nodded. “Good, let us share a room Scott.”

A sudden flurry of motion nearby caught Scott’s attention. A little girl had pounced on a little boy and they were wrestling near the water fountain.

Rhea leaned back and punched at the air above her in a double-fisted fist-pumping motion. She bore a triumphant smile, and seemed to be on the verge of shouting with joy. She restrained herself, however. By the time Scott had turned back to her Rhea had regained her composure and nothing seemed out of place.

“Hmm?” asked Scott.

“Hmm?” asked Rhea.

He stared at her curiously for a moment, and then asked, “Nothing I guess. I just thought that you had asked me something.”

She shook her head back and forth. Her hair swayed captivatingly in the light, and it caught Scott’s attention like a shiny fishing lure catches the attention of a fish. “No, I already had an important question answered.”

“OK...”

Rhea took a deep breath then turned toward the Tenderloin Tavern. She strode forward purposefully with her chin up and her chest out.

Scott quirked his left eyebrow and tilted his head to the side. Had he missed something? He had definitely missed something! The sorcerer snorted then ran to catch up with the rapidly moving girl.

The Tenderloin Tavern was a brightly lit and cheery sort of place. Rhea purchased a single room with meals for two.

They ate their lunch happily while discussing their plans. They would set out for the mine in the morning. Today would

be a rest day.

“This ham and cheese sandwich is good.” said Scott. He wondered where they got the ham to be honest. He had not seen anyone raising pigs on the way to town.

“Yes, isn’t it? Thunder boars are a good source of meat for people in this zone.”

“Thunder boar?”

Rhea nodded at him. “Yes, you can often find low-level ones in the forest and fields south of here.”

“I see.” That would be useful information once he acquired those survival skills that he lacked currently. It was his hope

that he would be able to increase his level to the point that losing eighty thousand experience points to learn a skill-set would be worth he loss.

They finished dinner then headed toward their room. Once inside Rhea immediately started to fuss with the bed excitedly. She giggled and made weird little happy noises that unnerved Scott a little.

The poor girl’s jaw dropped when she saw that Scott had moved to the far corner again and had laid out his bed roll.

“You’re sleeping in the corner?”

“Well, yes. I can’t very well take the bed and have you sleep in the corner.” replied Scott.

Her expression changed from surprise to annoyance. “No way! You’ll sleep in this bed like a normal person!”

“Where will you sleep?” asked Scott with faux-innocence.

Rhea pouted at him. “You don’t want to sleep next to me? What about the sacred bond of comrades?”

“That’s the first time I ever heard of it.”

“Right, well... The ... The sacred bond of comrades dictates that you must sleep in the same bed for the purposes of becoming better comrades!”

Scott smirked. “You didn’t just make that up did you?”

“No! If we had more comrades we would all have to sleep in the same bed together.” replied Rhea.

“I’m sure you’re making that up.”

She pouted at him again. Rhea began to sniffle a little and tears began to well up at the corners of her wide innocent eyes. “Don’t you want to sleep next to me?”

“No, not that face!” Scott pulled away from her in absolute horror. She was unleashing a devastating expression. She had unleashed it only once before, when he told her that he would not cook a second helping of dinner for her the other day.

She pouted a little, and her lower lip began to quiver. “Please Scott... sleep next to me in the big comfy bed.”

“You’re an evil woman. You know that right?”

Rhea’s cute expression grew even more powerful when she clutched her hands to her breasts and began to fidget. “All I want... is to be closer to my comrade. Is that so wrong?”

Scott was losing the battle for the bed. He just knew it. He had to come up with some way to preserve his masculine dignity. He liked Rhea, cared a lot for her really. Yet, they were not intimate beyond being comrades and maybe friends. At least they had not discussed anything further. Accepting her request would set a bad precedent as far as he was concerned.

The elf girl gracefully glided toward him then looked up at him with her wide and innocent eyes. “I promise I won’t molest you in your sleep.”

“Well...” How could he turn down that offer?

Her eyes widened even further then began to sparkle in the light. How did she do that? He still had not figured it out, yet!

“Fine. I’ll take the side closest to the door.”

“Great!” She threw her arms around him and giggled like an idiot.

“You know I have been looking forward to this for a wh-” began Rhea. She began to fall to the floor, but Scott managed to catch her just in time.

The unconscious elf girl began to snore loudly, much to the amusement of her comrade. At least she would be relatively safe inside the inn. He placed her on the bed, gently.

A great distance away, in a city made of crystal and high-tech modern devices, Origin awoke with a start. She took off the tiara that she was wearing and sighed loudly. On the screen before her were bright red letters. ‘AFK’

“What the heck?” she asked the empty air.

Origin looked around then frowned. She did not see anyone, but she had been automatically logged out of the system. That does not happen by accident.

She stood up and walked over to check her door. It was locked. She performed a deep scan of the room using her divine powers. She did not detect anyone hiding in the room.

“That sucks. I wonder why I was l disconnected.” Origin sighed loudly. Whatever had caused that had ruined a perfectly sweet moment with Scott.

She tapped on the return button on her view screen. Her current location was displayed on the screen briefly. Once it faded from view she was ready to return to the world below. She placed the tiara back on her head. She slipped off into dream land once more, and the elf girl Rhea awoke. Origin had returned to her avatar and could once again play with her Scott.

After Origin had fully initialized her login sequence a soft laugh echoed through the room. A beautiful girl with bright red hair slid out of the shadows. “You’re good dear sister, but you’re no ninja.”

Shara, Origin’s half-sister smirked then made her way toward the door. On the way she noticed something then smiled a more normal smile. She walked over to her sister’s desk and snatched up a tissue.

“Seriously, what am I going to do with you?” Shara dabbed of the drool coming from her sister’s lips. It perfectly matched the slight drool that trickled down her avatar’s lips on screen.

“Meaden gotta remember that.” Shara slipped out of Origin’s room quietly then headed off to her own room. She had to figure out the fastest way to get to Meaden. There was no way that she would let her sister hog the human. She really wanted to play with that guy, too!