AN: Due to the sheer amount of random stuff I have had to deal with recently, I am woefully behind on all of my stories, especially this one. As such, for the next two weeks Origin ARS will be updated as partial chapters. I will try to provide a daily update each day/ every other day (Sunday probably not) for the next two weeks.

Once I am caught up, it will revert to once or twice per week full chapters once more. My apologies for the change.

Chapter 3.1: Revisiting the Past

Many places in a world of magic and mystery might capture the interest and swallow the time of a would-be master sorcerer. The rolling hills, ancient ruins, or sights of an ARS city would be high among the list of interesting locales. However, Scott was in attendance at neither of these sites. Instead, he currently sat quietly in one corner of a library alcove.

The city of Valkovia was home to several small libraries, but it also held the reputation of having one of the most notable major libraries on the continent. It was there that Scott had gone to further his education in the mystic arts.

Scott turned the page of a book that had captured his interest. He quickly scribbled a few notes and did his best to copy the symbols that he saw on the page. Spell patterns for simple spells could be purchased in many hobby shops and magical emporiums across the city. However, he had seen no reason to spend good money on something that he could learn for free.

"I see..." said Scott as he looked over the pattern. "The problem with my previous method is so obvious..."

He scribbled a few notes then nodded once more. Unlike the patterns that he acquired when he upgraded his skill selections, these patterns had to be written down. Scott's personal grimoire was a cheap notebook that he had purchased at a local convenience store. It would never hold anything too outlandish, so there was no need to make a fuss about what it contained.

Sorcery was a fine art. An ordinary mage would simply use patterns of this type as spells. They would overlay the pattern with a few mental images and their skills would change the pattern slightly to suit their needs. In many ways, it worked similarly to the way that magic worked back on the casual server. Scott, however, had to delve deeper. He needed to understand the fundamental mechanics of how his spells would work. A pattern for him was more like a tool to be used to extrapolate a method of making his power flows merge and react in a way that he wanted.

Scott spent several hours working on his spell pattern studies before calling it a day. Knowledge was power, but training was the method by which that knowledge became useful. He stopped by his hotel room and checked in on Herbert. The grass dancer was busily working on the helmet that he had promised to give to Scott.

"Hey Herbert, I'm heading to the field outside of town to practice. Do you want to come?"

The Grassrat chittered at him without taking his eyes from the skull sitting before him. He waved one paw into the air in a dismissive fashion and Scott took the hint. Herbert was focused on his current task and could not go out to play.

The twilight master left his furry friend to his business. The training field awaited. While there were places in town that he could go to train, it just wasn't the same. It would also cost money. He would need to hold onto that for specialty spell patterns not freely available in public libraries, and better equipment.

A short bus ride later, he was out the gate and heading into the field. The grassland beyond the city was alive with random people searching for lost treasure. The sight of the former battlefield being used as a scrap dealer's wet dream made Scott's fingers itch. Whether it was because it seemed disrespectful to those who had died, or because he wanted to look for loose items as well, was anyone's guess.

"Place is a bit crowded..." grumbled Scott, before heading further out of town. The short walk brought him to a place far enough from random scavengers that he felt comfortable closing his eyes.

Scott took out his notebook and looked over his spell patterns. He did not have enough mana to work on more than one. After a moment's debate he settled on the [Uncompromising Mountain] spell pattern. It promised to grant him access to an ability that he would need in the immediate future.

While the spell pattern's name gave the impression of an eternal mountain set to withstand the elements, it was actually shaped simply. In fact, it was a lightly designed square. He read over the notes that he had taken to make certain that he had the information committed to memory. Unlike the tutorial dungeon, he would not be able to rapidly regain his mana after a short nap.

[Earth Elemental Spell Patterns]

Uncompromising Mountain[Basic]

A spell pattern designed to generate an energetic phenomenon that spreads outward in four directions to create a solid energy screen.

Minimum Creation Requirements: 4 Mana threads, 1 Earth Elemental Mana thread, Attunement 15

Process: The pattern is created by utilizing four threads of mana in a square pattern. While holding these threads of mana, draw Earth mana to the center of the square and allow it to radiate outward until it reaches the four sides of the pattern. Once the threads merge, a single layer energy screen will have been created.

The screen of energy created will float in place and cannot be moved unless it is customized in some manner.

Application: This pattern is best applied to area of effect spells or layered spells that are used to separate two areas. Typically uses include base patterns for ward or shield spells, and elemental wall effects. Reorientation of this spell pattern can allow for utilitarian abilities such as floating steps.

Suitable Sub-Elements: All

Unsuitable Sub-Elements: None

[--]

It was a simple pattern, possibly the simplest pattern among the patterns that he had to work with. Scott undertook a simply breathing exercise to prepare himself then set about attempting to utilize his new ability.

He touched his mana then followed the directions that he had studied. He drew a simple line in the air that he infused with mana. The glowing line hovered in place while he drew on his mana once again and drew a line at a near-perfect right angle from the first line. He repeated that process twice more to create a symbol that looked close enough to a square to serve his purposes.

Next came his innate connection to the elements. Scott focused on the elemental energies of earth that he could feel most keenly near his feet. Earth was an element that often proved difficult to coax into motion. Its natural state was to remain steady and unmoving. However, he did not need to draw on a great deal of it for this venture.

Elemental earth energy flowed sluggishly up along his body then forward along his right arm. A thin thread of energy sparkled outward from his finger tip but made no effort to move further away. The connection had been made, but now he had to suffuse the square with that energy.

The thread of earth energy grew larger as Scott expended a little of his personal mana to draw more of the elemental energy upward. A soft green light began to spread outward from the light green lightning shooting from his fingertip.

He now entered the hardest part of the process. Scott had to keep a steady flow of earth energy without allowing the square to dissolve before the two energies converged. It was a simpler feat that utilizing his [Radiant Starlight] pattern, but it was still something new to him. His mana drained rapidly as he worked to complete the layer of energy.

Several tense minutes passed as the energy of the earth crept across the surface of the pane of energy. After what seemed like an eternity of highly focused concentration, earth energy met raw mana threads. The energy of the earth was excellent for building a foundation. It merged readily with the mana and soon the layer of elemental force began to thicken. It was not long afterward that the process was completed.

The layer of elemental force was not yet a spell. It was only the first step in constructing one. In order to create something more substantial he would either need to add more elemental forces to the mix, or create more layers. The later process is the one that he chose to work with.

For the better part of an hour, Scott utilized his power to draw energy and focus mana to create layer, upon layer, of elemental earth screens. When he sensed his power waning to a dangerous degree, he focused his attention on drawing those layers together in a tighter formation. He focused his energies and utilized his sorcerous concentration to compress those layers as tightly as he could to provide further cohesion and strength. The end result was a seven-layered series of simple screens that had been compressed to the thickness of a playing card.

Scott sighed softly as sweat poured down his brow. He had done the best job that he could with his current knowledge and system reinforced skill. Experimentally, he stepped away from the screen of energy then picked up a small rock.

With inexpert skill, he tossed the rock toward the palm-sized screen of energy. There was enough mana and elemental force involved in its creation that even a non-mage would be able to at least sense a disturbance in the air. The rock, however, barely noticed the presence of the screen. It did slow down noticeably as it passed through. Most of its kinetic force was removed in the process and it fell limply to the ground.

"Not ready for combat, but... definitely a good start." According to his studies, a layered series of screens at the current thickness was the foundation of a shield spell. He would need dozens of the compressed layers to create a true shield that could stop raw physical attacks. It would no doubt already help to thwart magical attacks weak against earth energies, however.

He sat down to rest and waited for the screens to dissipate. It took quite a while. The nature of earth energy was that it was harder to move than the other elements, but it stayed in place far longer as well. The compressed nature of the screens meant that the bleed-off of elemental forces took even longer than normal. Scott ate a small snack while he recuperated then decided to get up and start physical training. He was still a few levels shy of actually being able to develop his stats with any sense of focus or ease, but it never hurt to start early.

He began with a series of short punching motions, and flexible low-kicks. The flashier movements would be more fun, but the most basic ones were the heart and soul of unarmed combat. Kicking low for sweeps and knee damage had often proved to be far more beneficial during combat than a high roundhouse to the head. It left him less vulnerable as well.

Scott moved into a swift attack pattern that started with a series of rapidly shifting punches. A straight punch rotated into a back fist, and then shifted into an elbow strike. The elbow strike was followed by a motion reminiscent of grabbing onto something's head just before he spun in place and dropped to his knee to simulate a neck breaker.

The sorcerer continued his physical skills practice until he could feel his body grow hot and the sweat begin to pour. He performed simple movements in a slow and exaggerated manner until his body shook. Several hours passed as he worked. The layered screens of energy finally dissipated as the sun began to ride low in the sky. Without energetic interference, they could last quite a long time it seemed.

Tired from his enthusiastic training, Scott allowed himself to fall backward onto the grass then used his hands as a pillow while he looked up to the sky. It was something that he never really did anymore. Always training, or fighting, he rarely took the time to simple appreciate the world of ARS for what it was, a fantasy wonderland.

"It's been a while, huh?" he asked the white feathery clouds in the sky. Sure, he had spent time in a tutorial dungeon, but that was a closed off space. Now he rested under a relatively clear blue sky in the best open world sandbox game he had ever played. Alone, only his thoughts to guide him, Scott thought about recent events.

Ever present, the background music had a soothing effect on his soul. It was a sweet and gentle tune, one suitable for a slow stroll. Scott could not help but think about the past and the future yet to come. Thoughts of his first days in the casual server, a time where he was utterly alone and yet happy for once, came to mind.

A soft smile came to his lips as he thought of the first meeting with Rhea. A different sort of smile broke out when he thought of Ero and their first meeting. "How can one man be so lucky?" he asked the clouds. Even Herbert was a wonderful new addition to his little growing family.

Back on Earth, life had been a serious of events that unfolded. Very little of it had any true lasting impact on him. He awoke in the morning, did whatever he was supposed to do, and then he went home. Even his relationships had been like that. He had simply been involved and did what he was supposed to do. Until Rhea and Ero, he had just gone through the motions.

Things were different now. Soon he would be a father. Currently he had a sort of life mission in that he had to live and grow stronger in case the board truly did decide to start an end of the world scenario. He loved two beautiful women, and had become great friends with an overly intelligent fantasy rodent.

Thoughts of Sarah and her claim that he was the father of her child as well did invade his mind. He trusted Rhea, but the possibility was disconcerting. If he was the child's father he would do whatever it took to raise the baby well, but that also meant that he would never be rid of Sarah. The way that she treated him in the end of their relationship had broken him for a time. Several years of his life had inevitably been wasted on someone who could easily toss him aside for an older relationship. At one point he might have thought that he deserved it, but no longer.

Scott frowned darkly. He did not deserve what she had done. He might not have been the perfect fiancé, but he was far from cruel. Despite the distance due to being sent off to war, he had done everything that he could to make certain that she had wanted for nothing. Yet, on the very night that she had accepted his proposal she had become pregnant with another man's child.

Soap operas had never been his sort of thing, but he had suddenly been thrust into one. Admittedly, it was the best thing that had ever happened to him as Sarah's infidelity had allowed him to experience his current life. Ultimately, it had allowed him to find a real family.

Still, he had chosen to change the nature of who he had become over the years. He could not put things off forever. At some point soon, he would have to speak with Sarah.

"I wonder if Herbert would like to visit Earth?" asked Scott gently. Rhea had her family business to attend to and Ero had to deal with their little light. Outside of training and job hunting, there was really little else to do at the moment. Scott closed his eyes and said, "Tomorrow. We'll go tomorrow."