Mature Content Warning: Overly enthusiastic mermaids.

Author's Note: So, we have begun the quest related battle arc for this volume. :)

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Chapter 13: My Heart's Not Ready

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Final preparations were underway. The five member party would soon debark. Their first destination would be the grotto that the mermaids called home. Neira and Kiley wanted to see if any of their people had doubled back. There was another distinct possibility, however. The Shar-Shar might have taken up residence there as well.

Scott did something that he had not done for weeks. He opened up his quest menu. When he had first arrived on ARS he had taken many quests, but since he had left Victory Station there had been no chance to take any quests.

He was a little surprised that he had not received one when they had agreed to help Neira rescue her people. Many thoughts had gone through his head, but in the end he had been wrong. After the request opened up in front of him, he had asked Rhea about it. The mystery had been solved immediately. Neira had accepted their desire to help earlier, but it was not until she had seen how well they could work together that she trusted them enough for an actual quest to generate.

The sorcerer looked at the current quest information and rubbed his chin.

<<< Quest! >>>

Liberate the Mermaid Grotto!

The mermaid Neira has asked for your help in liberating her home from the fishy forces of the Shar-Shar. Crush them with your mighty power, or barring that, rescue a few of her friends!

Difficulty: Moderate

Reward: Improved intimacy with the mermaids. A special reward based on effectiveness of the liberation effort.

Requirements: Locate and liberate the mermaid grotto. If the Shar-Shar have occupied the area, exterminate them all. Rescue any mermaids in the area.

Time: 3 days

>>

Scott could not believe that the quest only rated as moderately difficult. The Shar-Shar would be numerous and higher in level. His magic would do terrible damage to them if he managed to target them in groups, but the average level of his party was below twenty, even with the mermaid’s levels added.

He looked back to see how the girls were doing. He had taken last watch while they rested. Soon they would leave and head for the grotto. It would take only a few hours to reach it now that they could swim quickly enough to keep up with the speedy mermaids.

The sorcerer thought about all of the changes that had occurred recently. In many ways it was like a chapter of his life had closed, and a new one was opening. Much of the emotional baggage that burdened his heart had flowed away, like a current in the sea. It would still take time to truly accept his own feelings, but he had admitted them clearly. That simple admission made him feel lighter, stronger.

He did not know what would happen in the coming days, but right now he had wonderful people in his life. He did not have to pretend to be someone else or hide behind the mask of his former profession.

Scott thought about how things had changed, and then thought about his recent decisions. Some had worked out, but a few of them had been too close for comfort. He had even lost out on his armor and weapons from before.

His spear was nice enough, and it allowed for synchronization of his spells. Yet, he missed having his rat fang gauntlets.

Fighting underwater had been lucrative in many ways, but despite how much he enjoyed both that and the company of the mermaids, he was ready for a good old fashioned land based adventure.

Sometimes it was still hard to believe that this was his life now. Life in a game-like world was fun and certainly interesting. He could not help but wonder if there was more to it, however. Rhea had claimed that she brought him here to be her champion, but he was not really certain what that meant. He had thought that it meant that he had powers similar to one of the gods who played this game in mortal form, but something seemed off about that.

He decided to ask her about that once they finished their work here. Questions like that one could be asked in Eizen.

The sun peaked out from the curtain of night. Dawn on the sea was a magical time. The music became livelier. The scents changed to a more delightful aroma. The sky took on myriad colors, and the sun gleamed beautifully.

A soft voice echoed inside his mind. “Wow, how pretty!”

Ero separated from her host and looked around for a moment. After she enjoyed the view for a moment she turned and gave Scott a kiss on the cheek. “Good morning, Scott.”

He reached up and gently caressed her cheek with his pinky. “Morning Ero.”

She smiled sweetly but then pouted. “Don’t you want my morning to be good?”

“I want all of your mornings to be good.” said Scott.

Ero threw her arms open and hugged the side of his face. Scott instinctively wanted to tell her to stop, but he remembered recent events and allowed her to embrace him in her preferred manner.

She dropped down to his shoulder and took a seat. Ero was quiet for a time, but she could not resist speaking. She unleashed a slow, content, sigh. “This is so nice.”

“Yes, watching the sun rise with your BFF is a good thing.” said Scott.

Ero smiled gently. “I’m still your BFF, huh?”

“Yes, forever and ever and ever and...” began Scott.

The fairy laughed in a sweet way. “I’m glad. I know it was a lot to dump on you recently.”

Scott reached his hand up and she clasped one of his fingers with her hands. “You’re someone important to me, Ero. You can talk to me about anything.”

She kissed the tip of his index finger then sighed. “I’m a little selfish, I guess. I know you and Rhea are together, or at least together enough that I make things difficult for you.”

Scott was quiet for a moment. He took that time to formulate his thoughts. Finally, he spoke. “You’re my Ero. If things are difficult that just means that you’re someone who is worth having strong feelings for.”

The fairy’s smile grew three sizes, but her eyes began to mist over. She was on the verge of crying. “Y-you really think so, Scott?”

“Yes.” he said simply.

“I... That makes me so happy.” Ero pressed her face to his finger and began to cry a little.

Scott smiled at the rising sun. She was a sweet girl. It was good to see her honestly expressing herself. He knew how hard that sort of thing could be when you were afraid of speaking it aloud.

***

It was just after midday before they came within sight of the grotto. At least, Ero could see something in the distance that resembled what the grotto was supposed to look like. Scott had the team spread out at twenty meter intervals. He had the group traveling in a method that would be difficult to impossible on land, but was useful when you had to travel in an open environment with no dedicated surface to walk upon.

Ero worked overwatch from a distance high above. Her tiny size would not alert Shar-Shar on duty, and she could see a great distance through the water since she was considered an elemental water spirit in her own right.

Rhea had been assigned the low-forward position. She was over forty meters in front of Scott, but also forty meters below him. Thankfully, the fisherman transformation allowed them to avoid certain negative aspects of the water, such as how rapidly they could change depths in a safe manner.

The mermaids were flanked wide to the left and wide to the right. They would be able to create a triangle of madness as Scott liked to call it, by picking a designated point where their screams intersected.

The traveling method used was designed with a specific purpose in mind, and that purpose would soon be tested. Ero spoke through the party messaging system. “Scott, six Shar-Shar at um six-by-um...eight. Yeah, six-by-eight at two hundred, shallow ten... no twelve.”

Scott responded. “Alright, let’s get ready team.”

The group swam straight down for around ten to twelve meters and then turned toward the left slightly. He was sure that the army had probably thought up something similar for underwater battles, or even space scenarios. However, he had not trained for either.

Scott had spent a little time during their training to design a simple system for navigating and battling as a team while in the water. He had trained the girls to see threats as being similar to intersecting clocks. It was not perfect, but it would give general directional headings. They had not special equipment for measurement and distance, so they needed something to visualize.

The mermaids had not easily understood the concept during the first few hunting trips, but after a while they picked up on it. They had never seen an old wall clock set up with a twelve hour display. Rhea knew about them, and Ero had access to Scott’s memories.

He had been forced to explain it to them in simpler terms. So, he had used his finger. He showed them the hunting method via rotating his finger in a circle. He had placed his hand straight out, pointed to the left, and then rolled his hand in a small circle. He had then turned his finger straight up and moved his hand like he was stirring a pot. Eventually, they had understood.

The system he had devised used one clock face to determine the general position of the opponent in relation to the team’s position. The second clock told them exactly where they were oriented. Shallow meant that the opponent was below them but not more than forty meters. Had they come from above, she would have used the term rise.

Ero had told them that the Shar-Shar group was to their lower-left positioned at a small downward angle that was roughly twelve meters down and two hundred meters forward of their position. Now they were at the right depth.

They turned to the left a little then waited. It did not take long before the Shar-Shar noticed their presence. The monsters gurgled something menacing then raced in with their spears. The background music immediately changed to a battle tune.

“Wait for it.” said Scott.

Neira and Kiley tensed. They would be up first. Rhea was at a position a good distance below them even though she was a bit forward compared to the rest of the team. The Shar-Shar might break off and attack her, but they fought best in a straight line. That was the weakness of their underwater strategy. They were strong opponents in the sea, but they did the aquatic version of a spear unit charge. It would work great against finnies, or the occasional large sea beast. However, it was nothing but foolish against a prepared party.

“Now!” cried Scott.

The mermaids screamed out their songs simultaneously, perfectly crossing their powers at the right point. The man-fish immediately clutched at their heads and cried out in shock.

Scott whirled his spear around overhead then slammed it downward and cried out, “Howling Gale!”

A tornadic event erupted outward from his position. It tore at the closest of the Shar-Shar, and then dragged the more distant members in with the vacuum effect. The closest ones died quickly but the ones that had been farther away did not receive full damage. They were greatly weakened, however.

Unfortunately, for the confused fish-men their torment was not over. A blue haired high elf streaked upward and began to hack, stab, and slash at them with great skill. She tore into their confused body and quickly ended the lives of the remaining monsters.

A few seconds after the absolute slaughter ended, the music shifted back to its serene aquatic theme. Scott said, “Good job team.”

<<< Battle Report >>>

Congratulations!

Your team defeated twelve Shar-Shar!

+ 1832 EXP

+ 1056 Fayth

+ 24 Ability Points

Item(s) Acquired:

Cracked spear X 3

Fish scale X 8

Fang X 7

Fish Eye X 1

Shar-Shar Fillet X 2

Coral Spear X 1

>>

“Not bad...” The Shar-Shar represented a lot of experience points right now since they were higher level than he was. Without the human experience bonus, he would have earned roughly one-third of that amount.

“Right.” said Neira. The mermaids were higher level than the Shar-Shar, however. They gained little to no experience most of the time, and the Fayth was slim. They still gained ability points usually, however.

Scott smiled at the girl. She smiled back then fanned her tail slowly.

He asked Ero, “Are there any other groups nearby?”

“No, I don’t see any.”

“Alright, do you think you can handle a little experience transference?”

“Oh, yes! Give it to me!” She cried out excitedly then clapped her hands.

Rhea rolled her eyes then smiled. The little fairy was always enthusiastic about that.

Scott called up Ero’s information screen then began the transfer. She was level nine already. This would put her at nearly level ten. Scott had transferred his experience to her regularly since he had risen to level eighteen.

Ero cried out passionately as she felt his experience entering into her. She started to whisper and babble random words. After the transfer ended she giggled softly.

“You alright?” asked Scott.

“Mnn, oh yes. I am so alright, right now.” replied the fairy in cheerful tone.

“Can I, like, have some of what she’s having?” asked Kiley.

“Yeah... No kidding.” said Neira.

“Sorry ladies.” said Scott.

The mermaids pouted at him then fanned their tails cutely. Rhea called out, “Maybe we should get moving.”

“Sounds good. Alright, team, back in formation and check your distance.” said Scott.

“Yes, sir!” cried Neira before giving him a salute. She followed it with a wink.

Scott grinned at her. She had really enjoyed doing that once he had taught it to her.

The girls returned to their positions, and the team moved forward once more. They were almost at their destination.

Once they arrived on the outskirts of the grotto a message appeared.

<<< Message >>>

You have entered an area currently under occupation by an opposing force. You may not set this location as a salvation point while it is occupied.

>>

“So, that settles the question of whether this place is occupied or not.” said Scott.

Neira growled under her breath, a strange sound underwater. “Those nasty Shar-Shar!”

“Oh, like, what do we do now?” asked Kiley?

“Do?” asked Scott in a light tone of voice.

The mermaids turned toward him, their eyes wide and curious. This was a serious problem, after all. The Shar-Shar would be able to use this place as a spawn location in the future.

“We evict their scaly asses.” said the man with a feral grin.

Neira’s eyes lit up. She looked at Kiley and the mermaid glanced at her in kind. They looked back to Scott with great excitement. “Can we really do it?”

He smiled at them, further bolstering their courage. “I have no idea.”

“Wha-?” asked Neira. Where had his confidence gone?

“Oh, my hopes....” said Kiley.

Scott laughed softly. “We need to scout the place first. We need to know how many Shar-Shar are here.”

“Oh, right!” said Kiley. Her hope for the future had returned.

The sorcerer sent Ero out to investigate the area. She could hide easier than anyone else due to her size. If they saw her at a distance, the Shar-Shar might think she was a weird little fish.

A short time passed while the fairy investigated. The rest of the team hid inside a rocky area and waited to receive word from their adorable little spy.

Ero returned about an hour later. The little fairy was super excited by what she had seen.

“And there was this really fat one in front of the cage!” exclaimed Ero. She thrust her arms out sideways for emphasis.

Scott grinned at the enthusiastic little thing. “Good job, secret agent Ero.”

She clasped her hands and placed them near her thighs then rocked back and forth while giggling. She had been praised.

He turned to the rest of the girls. “It seems like most of the Shar-Shar are on beach overhead. If we come at them from the cave we should be able to clear it quickly. Our mermaid team members can hold that position with their screams, since they aren’t collared like the other girls.

Ero had revealed that there was a small prison area that contained several depressed mermaids. Each had a collar around her neck. Rhea had supplied the information regarding what those collars probably did. It had made sense to Scott that the Shar-Shar had to have had a method to keep the mermaids under wraps. Otherwise their screams would have been too much, even on land.

Kiley had been kept away from the fire pits a short distance, so she had not needed to be collared, though the Shar-Shar had given her a wide-berth before her release.

“We sneak in, fry some fish, release your friends, and the make a lot of noise to draw in the rest of the group on the surface.” said Scott. He continued to plot out their attack strategy for a moment then asked for input.

The girls listened to his general plan then brought up useful things to help him formulate a more concise strategy. Eventually, they settled on their strike method.

“Alright, let’s go team.”

The girls quietly whispered out, “Yeah!” and then everyone swam off toward their goal.

They moved deeper into the sea and then found of the remote entrances to the grotto. There was a natural honeycomb of caves in the area that the mermaids had used as homes.

It was strangely easy to infiltrate the place. They had seen no guards anywhere. It was like the Shar-Shar were so confident in their occupation that they did not fear another armed force taking their new real-estate away. It was understandable. The only people in the area that would have bothered them were either another group of Shar-Shar, or maybe pirates. Neither was likely to attack an armed encampment.

They did not see a single Shar-Shar in any of the outer caves. They moved further into the area. The place remained empty for quite a while. Ero had been right. It seemed like everyone was on the surface.

Eventually, they made their way to the surface area of the grotto. The fat Shar-Shar that Ero had mentioned previously was in attendance. However, the bloated fish-man was currently busy taking a nap.

Scott made a signal for the girls to take up positions. Immediately afterward, he slipped out of the water and equipped his boomerangs.

“Flash!” cried Scott. His weapons were instantly synchronized with his lightning spell.

The fat Shar-Shar blinked away with a stupid expression on his face, but to his horror the first thing he saw was a set of arcing weapons that sparked with elemental lightning.

He tried to stand up, but he was hit twice in the chest with powerful lightning elemental spells. Immediately the numbers seven hundred thirty-six and eighty-hundred ninety-two, popped up above his head. Even one of those strikes would have killed him. He exploded into light with little fanfare. The background music never even had the chance to change.

<<< Battle Report >>>

Victory!

Congratulations, you have slain a Shar-Shar prison guard

+ 142 EXP

+ 100 Fayth

+ 2 Ability Points

Item(s) Acquired:

Fish Scale X 1

Shar-Shar blubber X 3

Small Pearl X 1

Prison Key

>>

He quickly ran over to the makeshift prison and unlocked the rusty lock using the key. Sometimes life in a game world really was convenient. Immediately, he heard moans and cries of surprise from inside.

“Who, what do you want?” asked a timid voice.

“It hasn’t been a month, has it...?” fearfully asked another voice.

“Is it dinner time?” asked a third.

“Marne, how can you think of eating...?” asked the first voice.

“Better than thinking about the other thing...” replied Marne.

The girl’s continued to gossip rapidly among themselves. They were quite chatty despite the fact that Ero had claimed that they looked depressed.

“Ladies, we’ve come to help you.” said Scott simply.

“Help! Who, hey you’re cute! When did Shar-Shar start looking like this?” asked Marne excitedly. She had finally taken special notice of the new arrival.

“Wow, is it the full moon, yet? Captivity might not be so bad...”

“Geri-Geri, calm down! You don’t even know this guy.” replied the timid voice that had spoken up first.

“Shelle, come on, loosen up. If we have to do this then at least they were nice enough to send us the cute one. Could you imagine that fat thing outside being the father of your children?” said Geri-Geri.

“Eww! That is so gross.” cried the timid girl.

“Look, you girls can gossip later. We need to get you to the water so you can hold this position.” said Scott.

“Ooh, the pretty boy wants us to hold his position.” said Marne excitedly.

The girls started to gossip once more. Scott’s left eyelid began to twitch spastically. Finally, he said, “Screw it.”

“Screw... Whoa!” exclaimed Marne. Scott had moved forward and snatched up the closest mermaid.

“Please, be gentle! I’m delicate like an anemone, you beast!” cried Marne. However, her expression was more excited than afraid.

“Hey where are you taking her?” called out Shelle.

Scott tossed the horny fish into the water then ran back to grab the next girl. Geri-Geri cried out excitedly then giggled like a shy maiden in love. “Such big muscles.”

The sorcerer tossed her into the ocean like he would toss a sack of flour. She cried out about the rough treatment, but he did not care. He had a schedule to keep.

He returned to the cell and walked over to Shelle. The girl threw her hands up and cried out. “No! My heart’s not ready!”

Scott picked her up despite her protests. She whimpered softly but calmed down after he made no further move to molest her. However, she did cry out once more when he tossed her into the water without concern.

He jumped back into the water in time to see Marne kissing Neira in a passionate display. He swam over to them and

Kiley rushed out. She hugged him tightly then started to rain kisses on his cheek.

Rhea coughed as best she could under the water. It was strange that they could speak normally, but things like a cough or a whimper came out as bubbles and weird sounds.

“Thank you! Thank you!” cried Kiley over and over again.

Scott let her get it out of her system then watched as Neira kissed each of the other girls in a strangely passionate manner. What sort of friends were they again?

“Hey, how come Ki-Ki gets to make out with Mr. Big Fins over there?” asked Marne. She unleashed a cute and calculated pout to show her disapproval.

Neira grinned at her. “I’ve missed you.”

“I’ve missed you too, Nei-Nei. Where is everyone else? When is Mr. Big Fins going to mate with us?” asked Marne

“You’re the only ones we have found. Scott saved me from a group of Shar-Shar, and then he and his companions Rhea and Ero joined with us to help find you.”

Marne glanced at Scott and then over to the only non-mermaid girl who wasn’t palm-sized. Her eyes widened and her jaw fell open. “Whoa, can I call dibs?”

“On Rhea? No... She’s with Scott.”

Marne pouted again. “They should just share me then...”

“Not happening.” said Neira.

“Doesn’t hurt to ask...” said Marne.

“I’ve tried it repeatedly. They aren’t expanding their family.” said Neira.

Marne sighed loudly in disappointment. “When did they start making Shar-Shar so pretty?”

“They aren’t Shar-Shar. Scott’s human and Rhea is a high elf. Ero is a water fairy.”

“Ladies, this meet and great is heartwarming, but we need to finish this while we have the element of surprise.” called

Scott. It was hard to escape from Kiley’s cuddlesome clutches, surprisingly so since she had never done that before, but they did have work to do and little time to do it.

“Oh, right!” said Neira.

Scott related the plan to the new comers and they were happy to help. Without the restraining collars they were far more formidable in the water.

Rhea swam over to Scott and they nodded to each other. Ero moved between them then grinned. It was time to get started.