Origin ARS 3 (Origin A.R.S.) Read Free Page A

Out of the surf rose several human-like creatures. It was hard to see any real detail at this distance, as the night was dark.
    The creatures who rose from the surf came a little closer and he was able to make out their features. They looked like something out of an old monster movie.
    Scott did not know what they were called in this world, but he knew names from Earth. Sahuagin, Mermen, the Creature from the Black Lagoon, and several others. They were rarely good people in any of those offerings. He did not want to think of himself as a racist, but if this world was truly patterned off of human pop-culture and mythology then those fish men were trouble.
    The mermaid cried out after she spotted the fish people. She desperately clawed at the sand and flopped forward further away from the surf. She was moving toward the campfire! That could not be coincidence. The tent that they were using provided a special sanctuary field. Monsters should not be able to see it. That could only mean that either the effect had been defeated, or the mermaid was not considered to be a monster.
    Scott had to make a decision. Rhea should be safe, if still slightly vulnerable inside the sanctuary field. Whoever that girl was, she was trying to reach the firelight. That meant that she knew that there was possibly safety or help there. The fish guys did not seem to notice the light at all. If they did, they did not care about it at the moment.
    He did not want to step into the arguments and issues of other people. For all he knew, that mermaid could be some sort of thief. However, his instincts told him that the girl crawling for safety was trying to fend off a monster attack. There was no way for him to currently know the level or difficulty of those possible monsters, but he could not sit there and let them get to her. Even if that was the smart thing to do, he would never forgive himself.
    The sanctuary field had been erected on top of a hill so that they could see the surrounding area better. Scott ran down the hill, on the opposite side of the mermaid’s location. He spent several precious seconds moving around the base of that hill in order to try and throw off the fish people in case they really were monsters.
    Scott ran out onto the beach and called out, “What’s going on out here?”
    Some might think that announcing his presence would be foolish. However, he knew better. What if he had been wrong? What if the mermaid was a criminal and those fish guys had been lawfully tracking her down? She could be a psychotic killer for all he knew. No, he had to get involved but he did not have to take sides immediately.
    “Gruaghrkle.” said one of the fish men after pointing at the unarmored human running toward them.
    There were seven of the scaled monsters. Three of them immediately raced toward Scott with their spears drawn. The lead fish dude shouted, “Meaghrt!”
    Scott suspected that the creature had slurred out the word, “Meat.” As far as he was concerned, that was a good enough answer to his question when it came to who he should try to help.
    The fact that the background music changed to an edgier battle tune also helped his decision making process along. It was a simple and effective tune, but it did not evoke much as a sense of danger. Scott was uncertain what to make of that until he made his first attack.
    The sorcerer decided to help them in their desire to find meat by creating a little barbecue of his own. “Burn!” cried the man. A golf ball sized dart of flame flew from his hand.
    The closest of the monsters did not even have time to cry out before he was caught up in an explosion that tore his body apart. The burning chunks of fish man splattered across the sand like unholy shrapnel and would continue to smoke for quite some time.
    “Maghric! Maghric!” screeched the apparent leader of the group.  The fish men who had rushed toward Scott stopped suddenly and flailed their arms before they turned around and fled at all