Indigo Elf

Ch. 6

Ch. 6

 

Arlen

I gulped nervously as Helen gave me the quest sheet that specified the details of the quest Helen had just accepted for us. I hadn't thought about it much when I arrived, but the language and writing in this world were very, very different from anything I had ever heard of or seen on earth. The quest was a level sixty extermination quest for a monster called a maggrit. I frowned, wondering just what a maggrit was.

"What's a maggrit?" I asked as I turned to the pair of them. Helen and Casper both remained silent, only opting to smile evilly at me. Dread slowly filled me as I imagined some strong and enormous beast with a taste for elf flesh.

With a hum, Casper brought up a screen and pressed some buttons. I blinked as a friend request from him appeared in front of me. I accepted it immediately, as well as the party request Helen sent.

"If we're in a party, we will all receive the same amount of experience, regardless of who does the killing. So, Arlen, you can take it easy and see how Casper and I handle battle. Also, here, I've had this for a while, and it'll be more beneficial to you than it is to me."

I gazed at the large brown book curiously. It looked as if it weighed twenty pounds and would break my arms as soon as the weight of it settled down on them. With a curious glance in Helen's direction, I grabbed the book and gasped as it started to float. I watched in amazement as the cover flipped over and a feather pen appeared in my right hand. I gripped the pen and stared down at the line on the page. With a shrug, I scribbled my name onto the line and flinched as the feather pen disappeared into a puff of smoke. What is up with everything disappearing?! The book suddenly started to glow, the color being a dark blue. Why did I expect that?

"That is now your spell book. You can add spells and use the spells that are already inside it. No other caster can even open it, it's yours and your alone."

My eyes widened and I looked at Helen in shock. This book may not have been a big deal to an archer like Helen, but to me, this was a big deal. I thanked her profusely and followed her and Casper as we made our way out of the adventurer's guild.

Handing Helen the quest sheet, I flipped through the pages of the book, looking for anything that I could use. I was a little surprised to see that the book was filled with level one spells. Maybe this book was the same as my ring. I hoped that as I grew in experience, the book would gain more spells.

"Looks like we're heading to the pit again," Casper sighed as he looked down at the sheet. My ears twitched as I registered their words. The pit didn't sound too promising. I released a breath and prayed to whoever was listening to not let me die after just being reincarnated into this world.

"Ugh, I hate that place," Helen huffed, "But the pit is a rite of passage for new adventurers!"

With a grimace, I held my spell book close to my chest and followed Casper and Helen as they led me to one of the many portals.

*-*-*

The pit was exactly as I imagined it, a dark hole that seemed to run through the planet. It was located in the middle of a plain field with nothing but tall grass surrounding it. What I wasn't expecting was the heat that was coming out of it. Just standing a few feet from it had all of us sweating bullets

The smell coming from the dark hole was something that I had never smelt before in my life. It was so horrible and so sharp it had me breathing through my mouth and tears streaming down my cheeks. I held my hand over my mouth as my breakfast threatened to force its way out of my stomach.

The smell wasn't the worst part, even the heat was welcome. No, the worst part was finding out exactly what a maggrit was. Maggrits were equivalent to maggots, just on a much larger scale. They were covered in slime and moving in and out of the flesh of what looked to be a long deceased reptile. There were so many of them that they filled up the entire pit. I was a little surprised to see that they were all level sixty.

"Maggrits are known for hunting down their prey and dragging their kill back to their nest. Left unchecked, they'll mature into giant wasps and become a lot more dangerous, which is why we are here now." Casper explained as he stared down at my disgusted face. I guess that's why their level is quite high. 

"No matter how many time this pit is cleared of them, the wasps always keep coming back to lay their eggs here. Maggrits do love heat."

I turned to look at both Casper and Helen and was stunned to see that they seemed to be unbothered by the smell. Surely they're not used to this?! The smell was something that I was certain even a dead corpse couldn't produce.

I gagged, "It's so gross!"

Helen nodded and equipped her bow, knocking an arrow. She turned towards me, "Do you mind giving me some flame?"

I lifted my index finger into the air and produced a small flame for her. She placed the tip of her arrow into the small flame and aimed the arrow at the pit. Casper unsheathed his large sword and I took this as a hint to distance myself from the pit.

"Maggrits do love heat, but they are extremely vulnerable to fire. Setting them ablaze is the best way to get rid of them, but be prepared, they will fight back."

As soon as she said this, she released the arrow and what I can only describe as a wail of agony sounded from the pit. The pit exploded into flames and I gasped in horror as one of them emerged from the pit. Upon seeing Helen, it hissed in fury and lunged for her. I was suddenly overcome with fear for Helen's safety and before I could control myself, I launched a ball made of flame at one of its black, beady eyes.

My heart beat rapidly against my chest as I was overcome with fear. Its glare was like ice, freezing me in my place. Shit! The maggrit released a howl of pain and came for me, deathly intent shining in its remaining eye. I squeezed my eyes shut covered my face and prepared to meet my death once more, but a battle cry and the sound of a blade meeting flesh caught my attention. Opening my eyes, I saw Casper standing in front of me with his blade at his side. The maggrit immediately shriveled up and stilled in death.

Placing my hand over my heart, I let out a shaky breath and leaned against Casper's strong body.

He turned to me, his bright eyes shining in disapproval.

"Never allow fear to overtake you that is the quickest way to get killed. And never recklessly attack anything. Always plan your attacks carefully. That could have ended very badly."

With that, he trotted off to kill the rest of the remaining maggrits while I stuck to the sidelines, replaying his words over and over in my head. It was silly of me to fear for Helen's safety. She'd been fighting alone long before I showed up and didn't need anyone protecting her.

I calmed myself down and stared down at the dead maggrit a few feet away from me. Next time, I will be better, and I'll fight alongside them.

_Gieo_

Sorry for the delayed update. A recent emergency needed my undivided attention. I am not that happy with how this chapter turned out, but I hope whoever is reading this enjoyed reading it. <3