Elves & Sprites

A small herd of Aries was running down the slope. They were, in fact, being chased by the fearsome predators of the Red forest, the Armbrus wolves. The wolves stand tall at about 6-7 feet, and their silky fur is a beautiful mixture of white and orange. With their long sharp teeth, sharp claws and magic, they are a race of very dangerous beasts which inhabit the northern slopes of the mountains. They can coat their fur with intense lightning magic and release it on their prey at close distances. In fact, sometimes their magic can be so strong that most of their victims are burned to death. And...we are here, hiding on their path to make an ambush on the predator itself.

When I was busy imagining how we are going to kill such a strong beast with just a small knife, the Aries ran fast and crossed our ambush point. The ground shook as if I was standing near a fast-moving diesel locomotive. The forest was also making strange noises.

After a few seconds, the wolves came running. They were fast, but not enough to catch up to the Aries. Suddenly Mimosa lept on one of them and caught it by the neck and rolled over. She then quickly killed it by stabbing with her knife in between the ribs where the heart was supposedly located. The other wolf stopped on its tracks and was staring at her by baring its teeth and collecting lightning on its fur coat. I was spellbound by her display of such amazing movements and strength.

"Kenny, I have left the other one for you. And don't worry about the lightning. Most of the undead are immune to it."

What? I have never even wrestled with a dog, and you want me to wrestle with that moving electric transformer? And how do I kill it with just this small knife. But no matter how much I complained, this other world it too crazy.

Then something strange happened to the wolf. Yellowish mana was leaking from its whole body, and its eyes started glowing. Large flashes of electricity were surging from its head to its tail.

"Hmm...looks like it can do a full body enhancement."

Doesn't that mean that it has become far more dangerous? Why are you just sitting there with such a calm face?

Although I was pretty scared, I slowly pulled out my knife. When the wolf noticed this, it changed its target and charged on me.

"Come on Kenny. You are way stronger now. Just let your instincts flow."

When the wolf had reached close enough, it made a lightning attack. The yellow flashes struck my knife and travelled through my clothes. But none of it actually harmed my body. Looks like I am really immune to it.

When its magic attack didn't have any effect, it made a leap and tried to bite my hands. I managed to dodge it with my sharp reflexes, which also has been upgraded to a peculiarly high level.

But its claws did manage to reach my left hand, though there was no wound. My skin is way tougher now. This boosted up my confidence.

This time I made a charge. Its lightning attacks were all negated, and its fangs were dodged.

After a few seconds, I managed to slip to its side and caught it by the neck like Mimosa. The wolf struggled with its claws and sent stronger lightning attacks. But none of them had any effect on me, and I, although hesitating a little, slipped the knife through its heart.

----

"That was awesome, Kenny. You even overwhelmed the wolf at its full power. Looks like your mana capacity is very high. I think you are an outstanding warrior."

"I...I just tried my best." I replied. After that she dragged the dead wolf, and I stood up and straightened my clothes.

Mimosa then made a deeper cut on the wolf and pulled out a small gem-like crystal from its chest area. Then she showed me the faintly glowing crystal.

"This is what we call the mana core. When a living being dies, all of its remaining life force and mana converges near its heart and form this clear crystal. In other words, it contains the soul."

Knowing that my mood dropped a little which was apparently evident in my face.

"My my...don't get so worked up over this, Kenny. This is all according to the laws of the Guardian. Here is the interesting part! You can absorb the core and improve your overall mana capacity. In other words, you can get stronger." Saying so she passed me the core.

But as soon as I held it, the clear diamond-like crystal became cloudy, and then turned into beautiful white smoke and disappeared. I felt a small cold feeling in my hand, and it slowly spread to my heart.

"Woah...that was fast Kenny. Generally, you have to supply a little amount of your own mana. Only then, the core starts to get absorbed." She said with a surprised look on her face.

"It all really happened on its own. But it really felt good as it was absorbed."

"Hmm.. well, let's not worry about the little things and dig in." She tore one of the arteries and started drinking the blood straight from the body.

Woah...this is real. I am watching a real vampire drinking blood. If I were to tell this to the fantasy lovers of earth, they would surely be burning in envy.

But as I watched her, a strange feeling crept up my throat. I was thirsty. No, it was not just a healthy thirst. The fresh smell of flesh and blood tingled my nose. The feeling of disgust was being replaced by a strange attraction. I tried to calm down as much as possible. There was definitely something wrong here. I sat down under the shade of a nearby tree to rethink about this and calm my mind.

Yup, I am sure. I think I also have vampiric urges. This is possible considering that I am an undead.

"Ah...Kenny is a pervert. You have been staring a lot at me you know." She said teasingly.

"I..I didn't mean to. I am really sorry. Actually, I feel like, I want to taste the blood, too."

She looked at me, with a puzzled look, for a few moments.

"Are you also a vampire, Kenny? Your features definitely don't look like one though." She asked.

"I am...not sure. But I definitely feel the urges to taste the fresh blood and flesh."

"Well, it is certainly not impossible. This world is truly vast, and there are a lot of unknown things." She said after a little thinking. " Come here, Kenny. Have a meal."

Their smell was really invigorating. I took a drop on my fingers and licked it. Ahhh...the strong taste, little saltiness and the sweet aftertaste. It might become my favourite drink from now on. I thought.

I sank my teeth further and drank to my fill. Mimosa was collecting good meat from the other dead wolf.

"By the way Kenny, you ate your vegetables in the lunch right. Vegetables upset the tummies of vampires. Don't eat them unless necessary okay."

Heh...Am I on a flesh and blood diet from now on? I thought. But I don't feel sick though. Better to stay away from those now on. I don't wanna rush to the toilet in the middle of the night.

----

The return journey was swift and easy. I had learned to control my strength a little. So we ran fast and crossed the woods in no time. The fast-moving scenery, the wind on my face, the strength in my legs, it was an awesome feeling. I was little-troubled thinking that I might crash into something at that speed. But my reflexes that are sharp on a superhuman level kept me safe.

It was evening, by the time we reached the High Gardens. The professor was surprised when he was told that I was a vampire.

"Hmm..you are certainly an undead. But, as far as I know, all vampires have red eyes and do breathe. You must be a very peculiar vampire. Well anyway, we can accurately determine your race during the identification process. Let us head to the city hall when the sun goes down." He said. "I will also show you a nice bar and the pretty ladies that visit it regularly..hehehe..." He started grinning while imagining something.

"Grr.r.. master...He is definitely thinking something dirty." Aah...Mimosa's eyes are scary.

----

The town of Alison is a lovely medieval style town. There is a small port on the lake shore where fishermen sell fresh fish caught during the day. Some have set up grilled fish stalls and various other small eateries in the beautiful sandy beaches of the lake. A small market street, bustling with people, extends from the sandy shores to the centre of the town. It is filled with various shops, eateries and bars. Farther up the street, there are the government buildings, public facilities and the expensive merchant guilds. Small lanes branch off from the main street and lead to the residential areas.

'We are currently walking in the busy evening street. It didn't take much time to reach here as we all ran fast through the forest like ninjas! The prof. is wearing a waistcoat like a jacket over long sleeved shirts and trousers and long boots. There is also a short mantle on his shoulders with a strange emblem. He said that it was the symbol of his party during his adventuring days. He didn't explain much apart from that.'

Going on long adventures in a fantasy-like world in a man's romance. I wanna join the adventure guilds sometime in the future too. There are numerous guilds in this world. In most parts, they are managed by a special branch of the government. The guilds receive fundings based on their annual achievements. Apparently, there are many perks of joining a guild; like getting exemption from the annual taxes, apart from the mandatory tax of the guild, and getting preferences while trying to get admission in military schools and research institutions.

After walking a little, we came across an ample open space in the middle of the city and saw a big church like building at the opposite end. The prof. explained that this open space is used for public meetings and festivals and the building is the city hall.

We entered a small office like building near the city hall. The interior was lined with numerous desks and counters. But, only a few people were present inside. All of them were human. Hmm..come to think of it, that was the first time I met humans after coming to this world. They looked no different from the humans that I knew. All of them had brown or blonde hair and fair skin. And they appeared taller, which might actually be because I became shorter after I came to this word.

The prof. walked straight to the reception like a desk in the far inside of the hall and rang a small bell which was on the counter. He rang it a few more times. Responding to it, a short fat man came out from the door which was behind the reception desk.

"Ah..isn't it the professor? And you are here. Did you cause another trouble with the ladies?"

"Hahaha...you do have quite an impression of me, Mr Dogbane." the prof. said. "Today I came to make an ID for Kenny here. He lost it in the forest on a small hunting trip."

"Hou...you must be new in this town, young lad. There are very few people of the pixies here. Anyway, your ID is essential. Keep it, safe lad." Pixie! Do I look like a fairy? Aren't those supposed to be girls? Come to think of it, I have not seen a pixie before. I might look similar.

"Ah...you don't have to worry Mr Dogbane. He is actually my distant relative. I will make sure to remind him of the important stuff."

"Is that so?... Well then, let's enter the basement." He said, pulling out a key from his inner pocket.

We followed him to the basement of the church. There were lobbies alongside the corridor which led to a grand door. The professor requested for privacy. The man nodded and stayed behind at the door, and we entered inside.

The inside was dimly lit by a rough pyramidal crystal structure which looked as transparent as glass. There was a different spherical crystal on top of it. The prof. explained that it is the tip of a large shard of a 'virgin crystal', a crystal with no attributes, which is connected to the ley lines under the ground. Ley lines are the underground streams of Astral Energy that supposedly run all over the planet. The sphere on top of it is a product of 'Magic Engineering'. It uses the knowledge of the planet's oldest spirits to determine a person's race and identity, and then records it in a small virgin crystal card. The card then transforms according to the characteristics of the person's mana and becomes a unique ID card, as if specially made for that person. Generally, the identification of a person is made when they become ten years of age. Then they are considered mature enough to be treated as citizens.

The device required a small drop of the person blood as input to work. I bit the back of my hand and then, a small drop of white substance appeared from the wound. Dense white fumes arose from it, and a few moments later, the 'drop of blood' became crystal clear.

'Is this supposed to be my blood?' I was confused. Well, this world is strange in a lot of ways. Thinking so, I poured the drop atop the sphere.

As soon as the drop touched the sphere, a wave of light ran down the sphere, and the crystal pyramid started glowing strongly.

"Hmm..thats unusual. The glow should last for only a split second." The prof. pondered. "Well, the card should come out anytime soon. Do you know how to read the card, Kenny?" He asked, and then answered his own question, he said "You just need to spread your mana, and the letters shall appear. The card records your mana signatures, so it can only be operated by you."

The card appeared from a slot of the sphere, sometime after the prof. finished his explanations. It was mostly white with a little blue around the edges. I poured a little mana and letters appeared with a glow.

----

Name: Kenny

Level: (unknown)

Race: High Undead, High Sprite

Age: (unknown)

Sex: male

Note: This ID was made at the Alison relay point. The ways of using

this card and the terms and conditions are on the other side.

----

I flipped the card and saw various official stuff written on the other side.

"High Undead and high Sprite! I have never witnessed this before." the prof. exclaimed in excitement. "This can explain your unusual features, Kenny." He was baffled after I showed him my card. But, I was more worried about my age this level stuff.

The professor explained that the level denotes the experience of the person in using mana and his mana capacity. A newborn usually starts at lv 1 and his level naturally increase till the age of 10. After which, its natural growth slows down and ultimately stops by the age of 15. After that, it can solely be increased by learning to control and use mana. It can also be increased by absorbing the cores of other living organisms stronger than the person.

It is very similar to the levelling systems of the RPGs!!

When I asked the prof. and Mimosa about their levels, they showed me their ID cards.

----

Name: Prof. Augustus Agrimony

Level: 1024

Race: High Elf

Age: 923

Sex: male

Name: Mimosa

Level: 1713

Race: Vampire

Age: (unknown)

Sex: female

----

'Wh..What are those numbers? Isn't that pretty high? Or is that pretty normal in this world? And that age...Then, aren't they just old hermits who live secluded in some old ruins in the middle of the forest?' I couldn't stop myself from thinking like that.

"Umnn...are those big numbers pretty normal?" I asked out of my sheer curiosity.

"Hahaha....that is certainly not the case.'' The prof. explained, "The level of a normal citizen is about 90-150. If your level is about 250, you can join the army as soldiers. A knight is generally at about 300-500. But a strong adventurer can go as high as 600. There are a few people who go as high as 1000. They are usually at the high positions in their line of work. And the people above that are rare. But there is an exception to this. There are people with occupations like blacksmiths, healers, priests, alchemists and few artists whose level are higher than normal. But generally, they lack battle experience and related skills."

"Woah...then, aren't you and Mimosa quite special?"

"Professor was quite a big explorer in his early days, you know. He and his original party mapped out some of the biggest ruins and undiscovered lands of the west. He has also studied most of the archives that were discovered in those."

"Ah..well, those are quite the stories of the past. These days only a few know about me." the prof. said. "Aren't you quite the strong one as well Mimosa?"

Indeed. Mimosa is quite strong, even from the perspective of a robust former adventurer like the professor. Mimosa said that she was rescued by him from a soul-trap crystal a few hundred years back when he was exploring the ruins in the northernmost part of Wisteria. Since then, she has been serving him as his maid.

Now, she doesn't clearly remember, for how many years she has been trapped there. Her childhood memories are also hazy. As for her strength, she was born with strong mana levels which continued to grow fast as she matured. There are many people like that even at present times. Such type of people is known as 'Godlings'. But, even among them, the strength of Mimosa is on a completely different level.

"Well Kenny, it will be better if you keep you 'high Undead blood' a secret. Most people still view them as followers of the Evil God. If people inquire about your race, you can introduce yourself as one of the sprite races. Your hair and eyes have many similarities with them. Even with the trained eyes Mr. Dogbane thought you to be one of them." the prof. said.

Th...that is something dangerous that I heard there. Evil God...and his followers...will I be the target of persecution then? I was very terrified after hearing that. So, I decided that I will never let my secret out and try to live in the society as a pixie. Though I am not sure how much I resemble them as I have never met one. But, it is definitely better than being burned as a witch. Later, I came to know that the sprite races are rare, except the elven forests of the far west. The high Sprites are even rarer. Most of the scholars don't even believe in their existence.

"What is this Evil God professor?" I still asked him as there is no mistake in knowing.

"He is known as a notorious and evil God. He appears in the stories of the creation of this world. I have a small book of legends and lores back in my study. You can read it later." he said. "Some of the stories are very exciting."

"Oh! by the way, Kenny, do you know to read and write the letters?" Mimosa asked.

"Yes, I think I can manage it." The language here is English, and I have no real problem with it.

"Now then, shall we go down to the city and have some delicious ale?" the prof. declared with joy.

----

We returned to the High Gardens back at night. There were no real problems with night travels. Mimosa and my eyesights are well suited for the dark like having night vision. The dark forest looked bright, as much as a cloudy day. The professor can also see in the dark to some extent. But, not as good as us though.

After reaching the mansion, Mimosa went to prepare dinner and the prof. and I went to take a bath. He was a little drunk after visiting the bar. By the way, Mimosa and I went around the market doing a little shopping. The visit to the market was fascinating. There were all kinds of unknown food items all around. From some strange herbs to the weird eggs, from the scary looking fishes to the exotic meat, everything was different from my memory of earth.

We went to bed a little early that night, as everybody was a bit tired. One of the beautiful rooms of the second floor was assigned to me. I quickly crawled into the bed and closed my eyes. But there was no severe fatigue in me though. Well, that is one of the advantages of not being a human anymore.

Various thoughts haunted me after that. What will happen to the people who knew of me back on Earth? Was I declared missing? What will I do from now on? Will I be able to return someday? Or....do I wanna return? Will I be able to live here?

But more importantly, what happened to the other students who were in the class at that time? Did they also come here? If so, where are they?

And, then again, how did I actually come here? I was thinking a lot that night till when I fell asleep.