- - -

『』= Info

《》= Attribute

『』= Skill

【】= Sub-Skill

〘〙= Status, Combat Arts & Magical Spells

〚〛= Internal Thoughts

- - -

Chapter 2:

Atlantis Bifröst

- - -

It took them some time to work it out but in the end 16 members of the Society of the Invisible Background Characters 『SotIBc』 chose to buy into Starlight Spark. Elrick, Bowden, Grinder, Axil, Swordin, Hammerin, Blade, Daggerin, Rapier, Staffen, Spear, Chester, Shieldor, Boot, Arrow, Armlet and Ring became the new Executive Managers of Starlight Spark Pty Limited.

Each of the 16 would contribute $8000 and Elrick agreed to offer an Additional $20000 as operating capital. Thus the total capital invested in Starlight Spark is $241500 + $20000 + $128000 = $389500.

Ownership percentage would be Amount Invested/$389500. Thus Elrick owned 67.1373556% and the other 16 each owned 2.053915276% of Starlight Spark. Any further cash flows into Starlight Spark would be in the form of loans to Starlight Spark.

Those who had elected not to invest in Starlight Spark left the conference room allowing the shareholders of Starlight Spark to have their first official meeting. They decided to set the dividend yield at 15% of annual profits and they would all also earn $200 a month as Executive Employees of Starlight Spark.

- - -

With the contracts signed and the appropriate funds transferred to the Corporate Account the mood in the room was more relaxed.

Elrick : " 16 is less than I had hoped for but above the minimum of 15 that was essential! Now that the hard part is out of the way we can move forward to the serious stuff. We need to Buy another 50 linked REM-Sleep Pods at $1100 each in order to plug any potential production gaps."

Bowden : " That’s $55000 from the $148000 and Even if we forgo our own salaries for 3 months we will need an additional $30000 as 3 months of salaries leaving just $63000 as operating capital?"

Grinder : " Leaving just $250 to spend on members of our combat force in skills and equipment! What about skills for crafting and magic?"

Elrick : " The additional 50 workers must be assigned 4 per manager in Asia, North and South America while the rest get 2 workers. I task all of you to find appropriate people amongst your real world circle; people you know and trust as a support base will be an important support structure during difficulties. Having people we know in real life around us will be crucial since I expect that soon tourists will want to adventure from Atlantis to Realm Eternal. All of you are aware that Realm Eternal has a strict age restriction of 18, thus not everybody will have the stomach for the violence while wanting to visit dangerous places; Starlight Spark must be in position to offer protection services at that point. We won’t know how much money we need to spent on our combat force until the end of Open Beta. However to avoid going into the red for that month we need to generate the Equivalent of $43400 during the Open Beta; that’s 21.7 Gold in Realm Eternal Currency."

Axil : " We need $43400 a month to cover salaries right?"

Elrick : " Earning anything over 21.7 Gold in Realm Eternal Currency means we won’t have to put in the money at the end of Open Beta. Having a 200 strong combat force could be an overwhelming advantage over our competition; thus Allowing us to establish ourselves as one of the leading organization operating in Realm Eternal. However we can’t avoid spending at least $40 USD per person on the first day of Open Beta to acquire the Archery Skill or the Blade skill as well as the most basic associated tools. The Spear Skill, Archery Skill and the Blade Skill each cost 1 Silver Coins and the basic lance, knife and bow each cost 50 Copper Coins. Furthermore Sub-Skill Combat Arts or Magic Spells cost 50% of the of the Sub-Skill cost. Basic Arrows cost 5 Copper Coins for a set of 15. That means spending a minimum of $8463 during Open Beta!"

Swordin : " One skill per person should be enough"

Elrick : " Given the analysis on the website I estimate that initially the Archery Skill will be far more useful than the Blade Skill. This isn’t like the other VR games where you’re given a knife and other equipment as a beginner. You start with just the clothes on your back!"

Bowden : " So that’s what you didn’t want the others to hear? It’s all about the Bow?"

Elrick : " According to company testers the small and weak animals like Rabbits, frogs, fish, small rodents and small snakes will flee and only attack when cornered. This means that at the beginning we will have to hunt like in real life; anyone expecting the small and weak animals to fight like in other VR games will be sorely disappointed. Furthermore even the more powerful monsters will choose to flee should the situation turn unfavourable for them; This is actually a Hunting scenario!"

Swordin : " So that’s why the EXP system is so different; killing the animals will be as hard as it is in real life!"

Grinder : " Apparently real life combat experience can only give you mental fortitude; it has something to do with piloting a magical body!”

Swordin : " The same applies in relation to Martial Arts experience; it’s completely worthless since the magical body you get has no such training. There is no unique skill creation like in the other VR games!"

Grinder : " It really isn’t a game is it?"

Elrick : " And that’s what’s going to make it so profitable; what you do in Realm Eternal matters!"

Swordin : " We could be Heroes!"

Axil : " Kings!"

Elrick : " Lord Elrick has a nice ring to it!"

Bowden : " If the back story to Realm Eternal isn’t just flavour then our actions will have global consequences. I think I’ll use personal funds to fortify my Avatar in Realm Eternal”

Grinder : " Me too!"

Swordin : " Dido"

Elrick : " I’ve already made plans to sell my car, jewellery and nearly all my household possessions to raise money for Realm Eternal activities. I should raise about $35000 for my Avatar!"

Bowden : " Isn’t that a bit extreme?"

Grinder : " Maybe! But he’s right; we should put all we can into our avatars for our own personal benefit!"

Elrick : " We’ve spent far too long being invisible! Hiding in the shadows; it’s time to step into the light! Out of the Shadows and into the Light; all Hail Starlight Spark!"

Bowden : " Out of the Shadows and into the Light; all Hail Starlight Spark!"

Grinder : " Out of the Shadows and into the Light; all Hail Starlight Spark!"

Axil : " Out of the Shadows and into the Light; all Hail Starlight Spark!"

Swordin : " Out of the Shadows and into the Light; all Hail Starlight Spark!"

Hammerin, Blade, Swordin, Daggerin, Rapier, Staffen, Spear, Chester, Shieldor, Boot, Arrow, Armlet and Ring repeated the phrase; Out of the Shadows and into the Light; all Hail Starlight Spark!

They decided to meet in a few days in Atlantis once they receive their REM-Sleep Pods.

- - -

A little over a week later Elrick’s REM-Sleep Pod arrived and once it was installed and tested Elrick began the log in sequence. Once the REM-Sleep Pod puts you to sleep you find yourself either sitting or lying down in an empty room and a voice prompts you to begin your avatar creation but before you begin a warning that deleting an existing avatar will cost $250” “so think Carefully appears.

Elrick had already decided on the Elf race so he made his choice and then chose Blue hair and green eyes, and since a name and surname is required he chose Elrick Starlight. When he was finished a door appeared and he opened it and stepped through; once he was through the door it disappeared and he found himself in a 10m X 10m office space in a building.

Elrick : " What no log-in light show like the other VR Platforms?"

He muttered to himself.

A System message appeared

~ Ding! ~

『Ding! 』

System Notice!

Welcome to Atlantis Elrick Starlight

• Because you Own Property this is your Default Atlantis Log-In Location.

• Because Atlantis has paradise settings:

•

Skills are Locked.

•

Magic is Locked.

•

Avatar attributes are Locked.

•

Satiety is Locked.

•

Waste Bodily Functions are Locked.

•

Pain is Locked.

•

Injury and Damage are Locked.

•

Drowning disabled; all can breathe underwater.

•

Death is Locked.

Bowden : " Master Elrick; you finally made it!"

Grinder : " It took you long enough!"

Suddenly Elrick realised that he’s not alone.

Elrick : " Master Bowden, Master Grinder you’re already here!"

As Elrick rashes over to Bowden he raises his right hand to shake Bowden’s outstretched pale white hand he notices the colour of his own hand; it’s golden. The sight of his hand causes Elrick to fall into a trance.

Swordin : " Everyone is already here Master Elrick! Though I suppose that we can’t call ourselves Masters because we haven’t earned that title in this reality"

Grinder : " We are Masters no more!"

Bowden : " Elrick?"

Elrick looks at his golden hands and arms.

Elrick : " The Fuck?"

Everyone realises that Elrick has just realised that he’s a High Elf and then laugh as Elrick begins to moan and curse.

Swordin : " Here it comes!"

Elrick : " Cursed Elf? Shit! Shit! Fucken Shit Shitty Shit! Shit! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck Fuckidie Fuck! Fuck! Shitty Fucken Cursed Elf!"

At this point Elrick was on his knees banging his head against the ground. And of course the laughter has grown hysterical at the site of Elrick’s ridiculous breakdown & tantrum. After rolling around for a while Elrick ended up in the foetal position and began muttering things about how he really is cursed. Soon enough sufficient sense returned to Elrick’s consciousness for him to realise that over 200 pairs of eyes were now gazing upon him with ridicule.

Hammerin : " I think he’s ready!”

Axil : " Elrick; it’s really not that bad!"

Elrick : " Says the guy who got the coveted Dark Elf!"

Axil : " Yeah! It is pretty cool!"

Bowden : " Axil; don’t rub it in! Elrick; it’s not that big a deal for you since you never take any combat roles!"

Swordin : " Yeah; it could be an excellent support race!"

Hammerin : " You could always change it!”

At that suggestion Elrick fully recovers his faculties.

Elrick : " I’m not gonna let this Shitty Fucken Cursed Elf cost me anything more than the damage to my pride that I’ve already suffered!"

Elrick looks around the room as he speaks and everyone hastily avoids eye contact with him to hide the pity in their eyes.

Axil : " Alright! Since everyone is here let’s get to it"

With that Axil had called everyone’s attention to them and their eyes naturally followed Axil’s Eyes as they pointed to Elrick. Even though his mind was still on his embarrassing outburst Elrick understood that it was up to him as the Managing Director of Starlight Spark to say something.

Elrick : " Welcome to the Atlantis Headquarters of Starlight Spark! I trust that everyone here is already familiar with the 17 Executives of Starlight Spark, but just in case I am Nabi Elrick; Managing Director of Starlight Spark. In Realm Eternal all 17 Executives of Starlight Spark will adopt the surname Starlight; thus in Realm Eternal I will be known as Elrick Starlight. Once in Realm Eternal the 200 of you will be known as Starlight Spark’s First Ranger Cavalry. Over the next ten days in Real World Time you will go through party selection as well as party training in various Atlantis environments. At the end of the training party assignments will be completed based on Real World location, time zones and how well you work together; 25 parties in total. Starlight Spark has hired a Drill Instructor with Britain’s Royal Marines to take all of us through combat formations and tactics; so steel yourselves because it’s going to be a tough 10 days!"

Almost as soon as Elrick was finished they left to meet the Instructor on the beach.

- - -

For the next ten real world days they went through 500 hours of training in Atlantis. Using sticks as spears and swords they went through hours upon hours of gruelling training. They trained in the ocean, at the beach, in the city, in the jungle like nature reserve and other places to familiarize themselves with working as a party, 2 parties, 3 parties and 4 parties which is the standard format of a Full Raid Group.

Atlantis wild life environments were designed such that the wild life could not notice the user avatars and this provided the perfect environment for Starlight Spark’s First Ranger Cavalry to practice hunting and tracking of wild animals. Later on Starlight Spark’s First Ranger Cavalry divided into Raid Groups and had simulated combat against each other.

At the end of over 500 hours of training Starlight Spark’s First Ranger Cavalry had been forged into a proper fighting force with real capability. Parties had been formed and roles were understood; they were itching for a fight, and looking forward to the day when they would be let loose on the wild life of the Realm Eternal. Even the 17 Executives of Starlight Spark had been through the training.

In fact the Executives of Starlight Spark had put themselves into a higher training regiment than the First Ranger Cavalry; putting in 50% more time in training as preparation for the start of Open Beta. The 17 Executives of Starlight Spark were all Elves and 175 of the employees were Half-Elves with the rest being various Beast Humans. The Executives of Starlight Spark had restricted employee race choice to Half-Elves & Beast Humans.

The day before the start of Open Beta it was revealed that Open Beta would take place on the Knox Continent; 70% the size of Grandeur and half a world away. The Knox Continent is a colonial site with 100 new towns and the primary enemy would be the Orcs, Lizardmen and the Serpent races. It was further revealed that Items placed on the Auction Site during Open Beta could not be withdrawn.

It was then revealed that users would never be allowed to choose their starting location and that those who belong to the same Party, Raid Group, Clan and business organization would be teleported to the same location once the Bifröst activates and the teleport platforms located throughout the City of Atlantis become active. Parties could be formed in Atlantis.

It was now common knowledge that if you died in Realm Eternal you’d awaken in Atlantis and would not be allowed passage to Realm Eternal for a full real world day; hence Atlantis is regarded as Paradise. If you log out of Realm Eternal you would always be given an option to log back into Realm Eternal and would not need to go through Atlantis. When logging out of Realm Eternal users would always be given an option to go to Atlantis.

- - -

Just 5 days after the Phoenix Consortium and Advent Consortium offered 350000 REM-Sleep Pods at a discount 270000 had already been sold to eager gamers, and it looked like the rest would take a while to sell. The Advent Consortium had prepared an additional 500000 REM-Sleep Pods to sell at normal price after Open Beta. Nevertheless once Independent Reviews of Atlantis started coming in REM-Sleep Pods started selling like hot cakes.

By the time Phoenix Consortium was ready to go to Open Beta 1.58 million REM-Sleep Pods were logging into Atlantis on a daily basis. The Advent Consortium had been forced to redirect 750000 REM-Sleep Pods that had been meant for the defence sector to the general public. To meet future demand 45% of all capsule production would have to shift to REM-Sleep Pods.

- - -

At the top of the 1.25km high & 2km across octagonal Atlantis Tower is a 200m diameter Ring within a Ring system; the Atlantis Bifröst. The Ring within a Ring system is similar to the one in the movie ‘Contact’. The Rings of the Atlantis Bifröst had begun to move and were slowly building up speed, and all over the City Teleportation platforms were active and ready to receive queues of people.

- - -

At the base of the Atlantis Tower members of the Starlight Spark Company were also watching the Atlantis Bifröst. All 217 members of the Starlight Spark Company were wearing a Light Blue military uniform that had Starlight Spark’s Seventeen White Stars insignia across the chest.

As the moving Rings of the Atlantis Bifröst gained momentum the centre of the Bifröst Ring System began to emit light similar to that of an electric discharge, and the light source grew brighter and it could be seen from all over the City.

There is a burst of energy and the Bifröst stabilizes. Everyone receives a System Notification.

~ Ding! ~

『Ding! 』

『System Notice! 』

Atlantis Bifröst Active

The Atlantis Bifröst is now Active!

To go through the Atlantis Bifröst you will Require a Bifröst Realm Key.

Only those in possession of a Realm Key will be allowed to visit other Realms.

To check the Status of your Bifröst Realm Keys speak the words:

•

Display Bifröst Realm Keys.

Into an Open Status Window

Bowden : " Huh!"

Grinder : " Display Bifröst Realm Keys!"

Bowden : " Display Bifröst Realm Keys!"

Elrick : " Display Bifröst Realm Keys!"

It seems like everyone opens a Display Bifröst Realm Keys window.

~ Ding! ~

『Ding! 』

『Bifröst Realm Keys! 』

Available Bifröst Realm Keys:

•

Ado 〘Authorized〙.

•

Alfheim〘N/A〙.

To Teleport to a destination step on the Bifröst Teleport Platform and then place your hand on the designated Bifröst Realm Key to begin Teleportation.

Axil : " Authorized?"

Grinder : " Alfheim?"

Axil : " There’s a slot for Ado, Alfheim and Svartalfheim on mine!"

Axil uses a show function to display it to the others.

Elrick : " Commander Bowden; it’s Time!"

Bowden : " Right!"

All Attention goes to Bowden

The military instructor that had been training Starlight Spark’s First Ranger Cavalry had recognized Bowden’s superior combat sense and put him forward as the force commander. Elrick has the role of Tactician and the other Executives occupy combat support roles while on the battlefield.

The choice of Bowden as Commander of Starlight Spark’s First Ranger Cavalry was an expected outcome since in Real Life he’d been a Corporal in the US Marine Corps and did 2 tours of duty in Afghanistan until he lost his left leg (above the knee) to an IED (Improvised Explosive Device) at age 22. Bowden used his benefits to gain 2 degrees in Bio-Chemistry and now works as a Lab Technician.

[p]

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!.

[/p]

People that are already on the Bifröst Teleport Platforms are transformed into energy and beamed to the centre of the Bifröst Ring System. Everyone looks at the extraordinary lightshow with amazement.

Bowden : " Cavalry; Form-Up!"

At the word of Commander Bowden Starlight Spark’s First Ranger Cavalry gets into formation forming 6 Full Raid Groups. Those not in the Raid groups take the Rear as support.

Swordin : " Good to go Commander!"

Bowden : " Move out!"

With a well practised manoeuvre they move towards one of the 50m wide Bifröst Teleport Platforms and with a Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! They disappear.

- - -

The 6 Full Raid Group arrive first and Elrick and the other executives follow with the rear guard. Each Full Raid Group has a Group Captain that leads the four parties into combat.

Elrick and the others emerge into a town. They are near a 200m high smaller version of the Atlantis Tower, and it too is surrounded by Teleport Platforms. They are at the centre of a town.

As soon as Group Captain Vava sees Bowden he rushes over to report.

Vava : " Group Captain Vava of the first Raid group Reporting Sir!"

Bowden acknowledges Vava

Bowden : " Situation?"

Vava : " Immediate vicinity secure sir! We’ve deployed scouting teams to a radius of 300m around the Central Tower! Sir; we are in a town called Vhon!”

Bowden : " Thank you! Briefing in 15 minutes; carry on!"

Vava : " Yes sir!"

Group Captain Vava leaves to rejoin his Raid Group.

Bowden : " Hiring a military Instructor was a Brilliant Idea Swordin, thanks to that we have a fighting force; they’re real Soldiers Now!"

Swordin : " My short time in the US Coast Guard taught me that there’s no substitute for a real seasoned instructor!"

Axil : " It’s not just them!"

Grinder : " Indeed! We’ve also gained immensely from the training"

Hammerin : " The $5000 spent on training is money well spent!”

As they talk they open their status and information screens and read information about the town of Vhon.

~ Ding! ~

『Ding! 』

『Information! 』

The Town of Vhon;

•

A small Town that is slightly larger than a large village. .

•

Population is estimated at 5500.

•

Vhon has been recently gifted a Guild Tower by the Asgard Continental Republic as compensation for participating in a trial of a new Adventurer force from Earth. The Guild Tower includes a Teleportation Portal Generator and Teleportation Platforms, and the Guild Tower also generates a Barrier around the Town Vhon that extends 1.5km beyond the wall. .

•

Vhon is 4km across and is equipped with a 20m high wall that forms a circle around it..

The people of Vhon came to the Knox Continent along with those of other towns as part of a colonization effort by the Vale Kingdom.

The Vale Kingdom is the most powerful of the Independent Nations of Ado and for the past forty years has waged war against the barbaric demon races of the Knox Continent.

Bowden : " Ahhh! Elrick?"

Elrick : " What is it?"

Swordin : " You’re Glowing!"

Elrick : " Ohh!"

Swordin : " Your Skin is actually Glowing!"

They notice that Eyes from all around begin to focus in on them; drawn in by the Soft Golden Glow emanating from Elrick.

Elrick : " This could be troublesome! I forgot that High Elves are the Ljósálfar; the Light Elves. It’s one thing after another with this Cursed Elf; the only way to control the Glow is with the 【Light Magic】 Sub-Skill."

Axil : " If I had my 【Shadow Magic】 Sub-Skill I could shield you!"

Swordin : " The 【Shadow Magic】 Sub-Skill cannot contain the Devine Light Magic of the Ljósálfar. Bowden; at night it’ll be your turn to Glow!"

Bowden : " The Night Elves only glow under Moonlight! So; only if there’s Moonlight!"

Axil : " Light Elves Glow under Starlight, Moonlight or Sunlight! Elrick will light up like a Christmas tree regardless of time of day!"

Ha-Ha! Ha-Ha! Ha-Ha! Ha-Ha!

Everyone laughs, and even those nearby who overhear laugh; all at Elrick’s expense. However Elrick knows it’s all in good fun so he takes it on the chin like a champ.

- - -

15 minutes have passed and the scouting teams have returned at reported to their Group Captains. Everyone gathers around the executives and the briefing begins.

Grinder : " Since Everything is pretty much as expected we can proceed as planned!"

Swordin : " Director?"

The Natives of the Realm Eternal use the Word Director for someone who holds a company position equivalent to Managing Director (MD).

Elrick : " Vhon has 4 Exits so I need Raid Groups 1 to 4 to each choose a gate and recon the Area within 500m of the wall while moving to re-enter Vhon at the next clockwise gate. I need info about the life in this Area, and while you’re at it pick up any thing that can be used as weapon or seems valuable. I need Raid Groups 4 to 6 to set up 4 man teams and do a sweep of this town; politely Ask the Natives Questions about anything pertinent. I want to know about the wildlife, food, demons, security and most importantly the who’s who of this town. The rest of the Executives have pre-assigned tasks so we’ll get to them. Regroup here in 2 Hours!"

Bowden : " This is a Recon only mission! Avoid deadly foes; however should a minimum risk target of opportunity avail its self don’t hesitate! You have your orders!"

The Group of 217 people wearing the same uniforms dispersed and went off in different directions.

- - -

While the other Executive Managers of Starlight Spark fan out to complete their assigned task Bowden & Elrick as essentially the leaders of Starlight Spark go into the Adventurers Guild building to register a Clan. Even though Starlight Spark gains many of the benefits of a Clan this does not extend to the benefits associated with the Adventurers Guild.

In order to receive Quests Parties have to be Registered with the Adventurers Guild; there aren’t Quests for Individuals, and if an individual wanted to act alone he/she would have to register a party that has only one person. The analysis on the Phoenix website strongly advised against acting alone; the warning indicated that even the basic Magical Beasts are too powerful for an Individual.

Registering a Clan with the Adventurers Guild required a minimum of 32 people to form a Full Raid Group, and the cost is 50 Silver Coins. Registering a Party with the Adventurers Guild costs 50 Copper Coins. Members of Clan can use User Interface System to form Parties that are Automatically Recognized by the Adventurers Guild. The Natives of the Realm eternal also have an Interface System identical to that of the Users; they can join user clans & vies-versa.

- - -

After a 40 minute wait Bowden & Elrick finally arrive at one of the 10 counters; the Female Clerk looks at Elrick with wonderment.

Elrick : " Hello!"

There’s no response from the Clerk.

Elrick : " Hello! Hi there I’m …"

There’s still no reaction; only a growing smile plastered on the Clerk’s face.

Elrick : " Ehh?"

Bowden : "Umm! Excuse me miss?"

Slowly regaining her composure the grin on the Clerk’s face becomes more severe as sparks light-up in her eyes as she makes eye contact with Bowden. The girl goes into an irrecoverable trance as she begins to swoon over Bowden.

An older male Clerk rushes over and another attendant leads the flustered girl away into the back office.

Clerk : " Sorry about that! It’s just that none of us in this Town have ever seen an Elf until today; let alone a Light Elf!"

Bowden : " Oh!"

Clerk : " There are Half-Elves but no true Elves! Women love beautiful things, and as people go none rivals the Elves in beauty!"

Elrick : " Right! I’m Elrick Starlight; Director of the corporation Starlight Spark."

Bowden : " And I’m Bowden Starlight; Security Chief of the corporation Starlight Spark.”

Elrick : " We are here to Register a Clan"

Clerk : " The cost is 50 Silver Coins, and Clans have up to 25 Clan officials; would you like them to be the same as the executive managers of the corporation Starlight Spark?"

Elrick : " Yes please!"

The Clerk then manipulated an interface that was visible to Bowden & Elrick, and as soon as he was finished pop-ups appeared to both Bowden & Elrick.

~ Ding! ~

『Ding! 』

『Information! 』

Clan Created

Name: Starlight Spark Clan

Leader: Elrick Starlight

Number of Members: 217

•

Members: 〘Click〙 .

•

Clan Equipment: 〘Click〙 .

•

Treasury: 〘Click〙.

•

Others: 〘Click〙 .

Clerk : " Would you like to purchase a Clan communications system for 40 Silver Coins?"

Elrick : " Yes!"

Once again the Clerk then manipulated an interface.

Clerk : " Registration Complete! Anything else?"

Elrick : " Thank you! Would you perhaps know where I might locate an Alchemist?"

Clerk : " Alchemist? What for? If you’re in need of potions the Guild has them for sale, or the merchants outside can sell you anything you need. The Plant Mage Herbalist nearby can cook-up almost anything!"

Elrick : " No! That’s not it; We’re in need of the skill unique to an Alchemist’s Skills."

Clerk : " Is that so? There is only one Highly skilled Alchemist in this Town, but he’s …"

The Clerk’s Eyes wonder as if making sure that no one can overhear.

Bowden : " Is something wrong?"

Almost hesitantly the clerk speaks.

Clerk : " The person you’re looking for is Arvin the Alchemist; he’s a Beast Race Half-Elf”

Bowden : " Beast Race Half-Elf?"

Clerk : " His mother was a Foxtail and his father is a Night Elf; your kin!"

Elrick : " What’s the problem then?"

Clerk : " He’s a Difficult person! He’s old and set in his ways; Arvin is over a Hundred and twenty years old and apparently even his children thought him a bit odd."

Bowden : " 120 years?"

Clerk : " He is Noble Born after all! Longevity is one of the only things the Nobility inherit from their Continental lineage!"

Bowden : " Noble Born? Continental lineage?"

Elrick : " Could it be … ?"

Clerk : " You’ve probably guessed right! The Asgard Continental Republic exist almost separately from the rest of us mere mortals on Ado. Continentals as we call them wield incomparable power due to their High SP; chief amongst this being their use of the resurrection Magic spell; a specialty of your Kin."

The Clerk points at Elrick.

Elrick : " My Kin?"

Clerk : " When the Vale Kingdom first Launched a military expedition to the Knox Continent they fought legions upon legions of Demons. In one of the first battles Vale lost over 15000 men; but for the whim of a Golden Elf-Dragon the entire expedition would have been lost."

Elrick : " What did the Elf-Dragon do?"

Clerk : " The Elf-Dragon rumoured to be the king of the High Elves showed up with a 1000 strong army of Steel Golems. The Steel Golems drove back the legions of Demons and the Golden Elf-Dragon used Devine Light Resurrection Magic to restore the lives of Every Vale soldier that died that Day; 17000 survived the day limit, and 4000 were lost forever!"

Elrick : " Right; there’s a one day limit on Devine Light Resurrection Magic"

Clerk : " Yes a corpse older than a day can only be revived by Shadow Resurrection Magic as an Undead. So; when you Shape the Light of your Aura remember that you do so In the Name of a Great People!"

Elrick : " I’ll always remember! Thank you!"

Bowden & Elrick leave the counter and head over to the self-service terminal where they Purchase the 『Archery』 Skill at 1 Silver Coin for Each member and 【Bow】 Sub-Skill at 50 Copper Coins for Each member. For all the members of the Starlight Spark Clan the cost totalled 325 Silver Coins & 50 Copper Coins. Total expenditure for the day had reached 415 Silver Coins & 50 Copper Coins; that’s $8310.

Elrick & Bowden went off to see Arvin the Alchemist.

- - -

As Elrick & Bowden reached the Alchemist’s workshop situated about 1.7km from the town centre they could see a clearly displayed Sign.

『Ding! 』

『Alchemist’s Workshop』

~ Arvin the Alchemist! ~

•

I reserve the right to refuse service to Anyone! .

•

I only work on things that interest me! .

Bowden : " He-He! He-He! Ha-Ha! Ha-Ha! This is gonna be a thing!"

Elrick : " You said it!"

Bowden : " This guy is probably just like you"

Elrick : " Whatever do you mean?"

Bowden : " The first time we met I was struggling to grind in Ancient Magic and soloing wasn’t working out, and I was considering quitting the Game. Then you showed up and said; [Tough day at the Office? Fate is with you Newbie! For on this Day Fortune smiles upon you! Here take this; my best creations]. You then handed me 2 Rings; a Strength + 10 Ring and an Agility + 10 Ring. Before I could thank you, you had logged out!"

Elrick : " I was going for the Mysterious Crafter Role playing style!"

Bowden : " Those Rings changed everything for me; and not just in the Game! With 3 times the Strength and Agility I could grind at 4 times the previous rate, but that simple eccentric act of yours opened my eyes to the effect people had on others. I was able to open up to people more freely. When I looked for you I learned that you had moved to another in game City. It was over a year later when we came into contact again and by them you had formed the Guild and you wouldn’t let me join unless I had 2 university Degrees!"

Elrick : " Well; it looks like it’s open. Let’s find out if he really is similar to me!"

Elrick & Bowden open the door and enter the workshop to find a young boy and a Half-Elf man with the tail of a fox sorting what looks like herbs. The man looks like he might be in his early forties but Elrick & Bowden know that he’s over 120 years old.

The man looks over to the door and a smile comes over his face at the sight of the Elves.

Elrick : " Hello! Greetings I am …!"

Elrick is interrupted by Arvin.

Arvin : " Welcome! Welcome! As I live and breathe! In all my days I never imagine that I would be granted the opportunity to gaze upon one of the Eastarli"

Bowden : " Eastarli?"

Arvin : " Right; there’s no way you would have known! My father once told me that in the old days the High Elves were known as the Eastarli. The Eastarli are Elves of the High Mountains of Eastal. The high altitude region of the east on the main continent of Alfheim is known as the High Mountains of Eastal; and Eastal was the name of the kingdom of the High Elves."

Elrick : " I see!"

Arvin : " So what brings you to my workshop?"

Elrick : " My Clan wishes to undertake a Clan quest to clear a field in the west of Vhon of rodents, snakes, crows pigeons and other pests. So we’ve come here seeking a method to instantaneously produce large amounts of Carbon Dioxide."

Bowden : " A Carbon Dioxide grenade if you will"

Arvin : " I see! Very clever; a poison that is harmful to animals but does not affect the agricultural product. Very clever indeed!"

Elrick & Bowden look at each other with pleased expressions as Arvin ponders.

Elrick : " It may even improve the agricultural product"

Arvin : " Indeed! Alas I cannot assist you!"

Elrick : " Why-ever not?"

Arvin : " As impressive as your concept of vermin extermination may be; the process of producing the necessary Alchemic chemicals is tedious!"

Bowden : " What?"

Arvin : " It doesn’t Interest me"

Elrick : " He-He He-Ha! He-He He-Ha! He-He He-Ha!"

Elrick bursts into laughter.

Bowden : " Really?"

Elrick : " Excellent! Just splendid! HaHaHaHa"

Arvin : " I’m glad you can appreciate my position"

An Idea popped into Elrick’s head as he noticed a sinister smile on Arvin’s face; 〚Elrick: “He wants to negotiate because he wants something from us!” 〛

Elrick : " If I may sir?"

Suddenly a serious look appears on Arvin’s face.

Arvin : " Go on!"

Elrick : " Is there perhaps some method by which we might persuade you to overlook your aversion to tedious work?"

Arvin : " I’m glad you asked that question"

Bowden : " Oh?"

Arvin : " I’ll do the tedious work if you agree to sell me 20 litres of your Blood"

Bowden : " Our blood?"

Arvin : " No! Only the Blood of the Light Elf is valuable. The Transparent blood of a Night Elf doesn’t have the same properties as the Silver Blood of a Light Elf”

Elrick : " How much for a Litre?"

Bowden : " You’re considering this?"

Elrick : " I don’t see that we have much of a choice!"

As Elrick looks at Arvin the shrewd Alchemist realised they are resigned to acquiescing to his demands.

Arvin : " If my assessment is correct and you haven’t acquired the 【Light Magic】 Sub-Skill then a litre of your Blood is worth 85 Copper Coins. The value of your Blood would increase by 85 Copper Coins for every unit of EXP in 【Light Magic】; Thus if you were to acquired the 【Light Magic】 Sub-Skill a litre of your blood would be worth 510 Copper Coins"

Elrick : " Why is it so valuable?"

Arvin : " It’s a potent ingredient of High End Healing Salves and potions that recover both Health and Mana."

Elrick : " What’s the maximum amount of Blood you can take from me at once?"

Arvin : " 2 litres is the Maximum that can be taken at once, but doing so would leave you unconscious for an hour and when you wake up you’ll feel groggy for another hour. After that it’ll take 5 hours for your Blood to restore its potency, though that’s only possible if you have the 【Light Magic】 Sub-Skill; otherwise it’s 24 hours for your Blood to restore its potency."

Bowden : " Elrick; if you decide to do this the company can’t afford to finance your acquisition of the 【Light Magic】 Sub-Skill. However if you finance it personally you can keep any of the benefits from the sale of your Blood."

Elrick : " Understood! I’ll do it! However I’m gonna need enough Carbon Dioxide grenades to cover 40 Fields"

Arvin : " If my math is correct enough Carbon Dioxide grenades to cover a field with a metre high Carbon Dioxide fog will cost 37 Silver Coins. Forty fields should cost 1480 Silver Coins or 14.8 Gold Coins"

Elrick : " Only if you Provide food, water and a place for me to rest while I recover from giving you blood."

Arvin : " Deal"

Elrick and Arvin shake hands.

Bowden : " Elrick; we’ll have to hunt without you while you rest and sleep. And the distance between this place and the Field will be a challenge for you given your stats."

Elrick : " Understood"

Arvin : " I can sell you my old Mana Bicycle for 5 Silver Coins. It consumes about 2 Mana per minute so it’s less efficient than the newer 1Mana per minute Mana Bicycle which cost upwards of 25 Silver Coins; the really High-End top of the line Mana Bicycle costs 2 Gold Coins and are equipped Mana Crystals that can store 1000 Mana for propulsion. Though for that price you might as well purchase the 5 Gold Coins Mana Powered 5 seat Carriage."

Elrick : " I’ll take old Mana Bicycle for 5 Silver Coins; I have plenty of Mana so that’s not an issue."

Arvin : " Then I’ll get Started on the Carbon Dioxide grenades"

Elrick : " And I’ll go acquired the 【Light Magic】 Sub-Skill and return"

As they left the workshop Elrick realized that his Knowledge, Wisdom and Intelligence Attributes had all Gained a full unit of EXP.

『Ding! 』

『Attribute Gain! 』

• 《Knowledge = 16》

• 《Wisdom = 16》

• 《Intelligence = 16》

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