Etherious: Fresh Beginnings: A Fantasy LitRPG Adventure, page 19
Frank sighed in resignation to Arthur’s question before replying.
”It basically is, except that it isn’t anywhere near as potent. The only good thing about it is that it doesn’t require touch to work. Apparently, at higher levels, you can literally create an aura of healing. At least that’s what a tutorial adviser told me.”
That actually sounded like a pretty damn useful skill, and Arthur quickly noted it down as something he had to learn. He’d initially dismissed it as obsolete since he already had his regeneration, but the aura aspect mentioned was certainly interesting. Speaking of auras, something in this room tickled his senses, almost as if there was some background noise he couldn't quite put his finger on.
”We just need one more person to join us before we’ll be ready for our interview,” Arthur said to the red-headed duo. Before he could even start looking around for a potential candidate to complete their group, however, he was interrupted by a soft, feminine voice.
”I’d be willing to join if you’d have me.” The woman's voice came from behind him, sweet and inviting. Turning around, Arthur saw that it belonged to perhaps the most beautiful woman he had ever seen in his life. She had dark black hair that seemed to flow like a river around her perfectly proportioned face, red full lips that looked downright exquisite, and eyes filled with quiet amusement like she was laughing at a joke only she was privy to.
She carried herself like she knew just how good she looked and her-. Arthur snapped out of it. What the hell was going on? There was no way he would ever actually care so much about how someone looked. He never had before. Arthur was immediately wary. Something strange was definitely afoot, and he got the feeling he'd finally identified the source of the 'background noise' that was putting him off earlier.
Perhaps it was a mental skill the beautiful woman had used on him or some other nefarious means to capture him in her charm, but Arthur warily decided in his head that this woman was dangerous. He'd have to watch his head around her.
His willpower wasn’t his highest stat by any means, but anything that could go through 190 of any attribute was not something to be underestimated.
“Stop doing that,” Arthur warned, his voice filled with an unspoken threat when he saw that his two teammates were still transfixed by the woman's beauty, staring listlessly at her face like starved dogs before a meal.
Her smile dropped instantly, and her face went through various stages of surprise, anger, and shock before finally settling once again on amusement.
“You're no fun, Arthur. And besides, doesn't that make you a hypocrite?”
She pouted cutely, and Arthur felt a little of his tension ease when he saw Rachel and Frank return to normal, though they did appear confused for a moment, blinking around as if they didn’t know where they were. A hypocrite? What does she mean by that?
“But that's okay. It's only wrong when I leave my aura uninhibited. You get to do whatever you want. The same rules don't apply to you, do they?”
The woman spoke in her strangely melodic voice, but she seemed a little angry. Certainly sarcastic. Perhaps even disappointed. Arthur couldn’t place her accent, but it sounded foreign.
Aura? I have no idea what's going on anymore. Was that the effect of her aura? Have I been unconsciously releasing mine all this time? What the hell even is an aura?
“At least you're different from the rest of this riffraff. Even if you're an arrogant douchebag who can't stop posturing,” she continued, extending a well-manicured hand for Arthur to shake. Okay, whatever his aura was doing, it was definitely giving off the wrong impression.
“The name's Mira. And I’m sorry for your friends over there. They weren’t supposed to get affected, but I think your aura’s weakened their natural defences by a significant margin.”
“I don't want to get off on the wrong foot, so I also apologise for focusing one of my passive skills on you. I thought you were one of the types that like projecting all their skills outwards. God knows I’ve met the type before, but I’m guessing you’ve just got poor control."
Nearly everything she’d said was out of his realm of knowledge, and went over his head. Was he supposed to know what she was talking about? Arthur hesitated for a moment before deciding to take her hand his own, identifying the strange woman as he did so. He saw her smile widen into her first genuine expression since their meeting and was shocked when he saw the system message that appeared in front of his eyes.
Mira has allowed you to partially see past her Veil
Human (Evolved- Rank F), Level 73
Chapter 22
The Interview
Arthur stood there in the hospital waiting room, stunned into silence for a long moment as he tried to come to terms with what he had just seen. She was level 73. How did a human become so strong in only seven days? It was quite literally impossible. Unless she went and killed everything in her Tutorial, people included, Arthur thought morbidly. It was the only explanation he could think of that explained her high level.
Mira giggled loudly in a way that reminded him of the stuck-up rich girls in high school that he’d always tried to avoid but never really succeeded in. Just as fake and forced too. Frank and Rachel were still recovering from her earlier aura charm, so Arthur was the only one to hear her next whispered words.
“Don't worry. You’ll catch up soon enough.”
Arthur tried to shake off the confusion he was feeling; he needed his head in the game right now. Mentally re-evaluating everything he knew about the beautiful woman in front of him, he reassessed her threat level from annoying to moderately dangerous. With his unique advantages and the fact that he was a literal stat monster, he was certain he could beat her if it came down to a fight, but it always paid to be cautious.
Arthur knew he was pretty special with his crazy titles and experiences, but Mira, the woman in front of him, reminded him he wasn't the only one who'd encountered some lucky opportunities. Her brand of power told a dark story, and Arthur was certain he didn’t want to end up as one of the supporting characters inside it. They probably didn't live very long. I guess I could be the hero that saves everyone.
Chiding himself for his childish thoughts, Arthur reminded himself that he knew so little about ether and the system in general, never mind all the different paths someone could take to power. Who knew how many monsters Earth had produced in the last week, never mind the wider multiverse out there? There were probably people on this very planet that would completely destroy him in a fight.
Putting on a strained smile, Arthur smiled appreciatively and said, “That's a pretty high level you’ve got there, Mira.”
He mentally congratulated himself for sounding so calm and collected. The woman maintained her smirk of quiet amusement, while Frank and Rachel just looked at him in confusion, having finally regained some of their mental faculties. It took him a moment to realise why they were looking at him so strangely.
Oh, that's right. She's got that strange veil thing of hers going on. Concentrating on his Identify skill, he tried to see what everyone else did when they identified Mira. It took him a moment, and Arthur almost choked when he saw that her identification displayed a measly level 14, less than a fifth of her actual strength. No wonder his teammates were looking at him like he was crazy.
“So,” Mira interrupted his musings with a teasing smile, “How about it? Can I join your group or not?”
Fuck, that's going to get old real quick.
Arthur looked uncertainly at Rachel. He didn’t want to make such a big decision for the rest of his team, and he hadn’t come up with a good enough reason to tell them they should decline her request. He could of course out her for her deception with her level, but felt that was a little extreme response just because he didn't like her. Before he could even open his mouth to speak, though, Frank answered her question.
“Sure,” he said. “We were just looking for the final member to complete our group, actually.”
"Those aren't decisions you should make alone, Frank. We're a group. Those kinds of decisions need everyone's input." Arthur said, watching the other man flush in embarrassment. It was a little harsh, but Arthur knew from experience it was best to establish boundaries earlier on. He turned to look at Rachel. "As long as you're fine with it, then I've got no problems." His former classmate nodded her head.
“Aww, thank you, I don’t know anyone else here, and your group looked the most approachable,” Mira gushed, clasping Frank's much larger hands in her own, causing the man’s skin to flush again, though for a very different reason. She’s already got him wrapped around her finger. Arthur sighed wearily. Just another kind of person Arthur couldn't stand: a man that thought with the wrong head. He couldn’t really blame Frank, though; Mira was a stunning eleven out of ten beauty. Now, if only she wasn't so suspicious, Arthur would have had no qualms about getting to know her better.
He was quickly getting annoyed by Mira’s weird act. It was completely different to when she'd talked with him when the cousins were charmed. Why perform for the crowd? He'd seen people do it all his life, nice people that became arseholes the second they were in a group, guys that did the opposite. It made no sense to him. Arthur was pulled away from his thoughts by the group that had just returned from their ‘interview.’
They looked happy, and Arthur could tell from the excited way they were speaking with each other that they had secured a job in the hospital. Looking back at his newest team member, Arthur asked the question that had been on his mind since he'd first seen the woman’s high level, “So what other affinities do you have besides healing?”
Arthur saw how Mira's carefully crafted mask of joviality dropped for an instant at his invasive question, revealing the calm, calculating woman underneath. She seemed to want to hide her abilities just like he currently was, most probably for the same reasons, and he knew it would anger her that he’d revealed the game she was playing so soon. It was a dick move, but he wanted to pay her back for the little stunt she'd pulled when they first met. She could deny it and try to make him look like a fool or answer truthfully and gain a little rapport with him. The way she responded would dictate how he moved forward with her.
Arthur saw frustration flash across her face for a split second before the fake, bright smile was back, so quickly that anyone not looking for that specific reaction would’ve missed it. Mira feigned a look of surprise. She could lie, in which case she'd assume that Arthur would reveal her high level, or she could come clean and put all her cards on the table. Arthur wasn’t actually going to sell out her secrets just because he didn't like Mira, though, but she didn't need to know that. The ball's in your court.
“How did you know? What gave it away?” she finally exclaimed after a long, drawn-out silence, false shock written all over her face. At least she wasn’t denying it. Your level 73 tag, maybe. Arthur wisely chose to keep his thoughts to himself. He’d already antagonised her enough for one day. He'd come here to make connections, not enemies.
“I don't know, it was just a feeling I had,” Arthur said, shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly, choosing to go along with the weird game she was playing. It took two to really put on a convincing idiot show. After all, anyone with even a fraction of intelligence should’ve realised Arthur was speaking out of his ass, but hopefully, the lingering effects of Mira's charm dulled the cousins’ wits for a little longer. Frank's IQ had dropped into the single digits anyway, in front of a beautiful woman.
“Well, I'll let you know after you tell me what yours is,” Mira replied.
“You're not gonna lie and tell us you don't have more than one too, now are you, Arthur?” She teased him.
He didn't fail to notice that she somehow already knew his name despite it not coming up in their conversation, which meant she’d probably been listening in on them before approaching. There was no way Mira had come to the hospital specifically for him now, was there? He hoped not.
Arthur smiled. He didn't mind revealing his water affinity. He’d already decided not to keep it a secret, and besides, too many people had seen him use it already for it to be kept under wraps. That's why Arthur drew on his now vast ether reserves and used it to draw out some water from Rachel's open bottle.
“Water affinity,” he answered quickly, as everyone turned to look at the tiny blob of floating water with varying degrees of surprise on their faces.
Mira looked like she didn’t care, while Rachel was amazed at the magical sight. He let go of his spell, and the water immediately dropped back into the bottle. It had been far more difficult than he’d expected to manipulate such a minuscule amount of water.
If Mira had noticed his struggle, it didn't show on her face. Instead, she gave him an appraising glance before saying, “That's a pretty neat trick you’ve got there,” as she clapped her hands in applause.
“I'm a tri-affinity mage, actually; healing, poison, and dominion.” She dropped the bomb like she was reading off a grocery list, completely uncaring about how insanely rare her abilities were, nor how her audience would react to her revelation.
Frank, Rachel, and the rest of the people eavesdropping were obviously shocked at her admission of having multiple affinities, but Arthur simply nodded his head. He was a little surprised at her having three magical affinities instead of the two he’d expected, but it wasn’t that big a deal.
He could guess what poison magic was like and firmly promised himself to watch what he ate around Mira in the future, but that dominion magic of hers, however, was completely new waters for him. He'd never heard of it before, but he had a fleeting suspicion that it was responsible for the charming aura she seemed to have cast on them all earlier. Arthur was also curious as to what exactly Mira's healing skill was. He was pretty certain it'd be something he'd want to learn for himself, but Arthur felt like he'd already pushed the dangerous woman's buttons enough for one day, and asking her to reveal another one of her abilities was pushing his luck too far.
Thankfully, Frank, desperate to talk to the new love of his life, asked the question for him. Always the great actress, Mira maintained her face of a happy-go-lucky woman, but Arthur could see that she was becoming irritated in the subtle tells that she couldn't quite hide how she actually felt with the interrogative route the conversation was taking.
“Well,” Mira began, the beaming smile on her face now looking a little strained. “It's a passive skill called Resurgence that increases my natural health regeneration by one percent per level I have in the skill, by constantly running my ether through my body in a specific way. The effects are halved when my ether reserves are below ten percent of their max.”
Arthur was amazed by the description of that completely broken skill, and the fact that Mira had gone into so much detail without being asked. It seemed like she’d done a lot of self-testing, something Arthur sadly lacked when it came to his own abilities. It had been one thing after the other, first the wolves, then meeting Liz and Mat and then finally the Rat attack. That's a poor excuse. I could have made the time. No one forced me to go on a wild hunt through the forest.
With Resurgence in his arsenal, he could enhance his already absurd health regeneration further and literally become an unkillable tank. It was a skill he absolutely had to learn. Rachel echoed his thoughts.
“How the hell is that even fair? That skill is way too good for someone who's just awakened. You’ll have to teach it to me as soon as possible.”
Arthur saw some of the good-natured amusement return to Mira’s face as she placated the excited girl.
“Hey, hey. Don’t worry, I’m sure we can all learn something from each other.” The statement was spoken with a pointed look in Arthur’s direction. Before he could think of something to say in response, they were interrupted by the low cough of someone behind them.
“Excuse me, Agent Adams would like to see you now,” one of the woman’s bodyguards said. Arthur wasn’t sure which of the two he was. They both looked exactly the same in his eyes- same black suit, same rugged features; they even had the same stink eye, honed to perfection, which they both seemed to like directing at him.
Turning around, the man briskly walked away, indicating with an arm that they should follow him. The newly formed group quickly walked past the double doors the government official passed through, following his brisk pace along a drab corridor until they arrived at a single large door.
The stiff man quickly walked through it, gesturing for them to remain outside. Thirty seconds later, he emerged from the room.
“Miss Adams is ready to see you now.”
Arthur swallowed nervously as he stood at the threshold of the woman’s office. Interviews had always made him feel uncertain of himself, and he honestly wanted a job at this place, especially after meeting the treasure trove of skills and information called Mira. As long as he watched his step around the poison mage, he was sure they could have an amicable, if not perfect, relationship. Still, if things became annoying, he'd be the first to jump ship.
Taking a deep breath, Arthur stepped through the door and followed his team into the office. The room was large, with a massive oak desk dominating most of its space. Behind it, Julia Adams sat in a straight-backed, uncomfortable-looking chair, exuding an air of official authority. Indicating the four plastic stools arranged in front of her, no doubt for the interviewees, she ordered, “Sit.”
The group quickly obeyed her commanding tone, sitting there in awkward silence as the woman slowly observed them one by one. She focused on Mira for a second, a frown of displeasure briefly making its way onto her face. There was recognition there, she very clearly knew who the poison mage was. Julia's attention shifted to Arthur, and she steepled her fingers and rested her elbows on the desk.
She leaned forward and finally spoke to Arthur. “I’ll advise you now. No matter what game you’re playing or whoever it is you’re working for, you should back off. They didn’t pay you enough for this, kid.”
