Herald of Shalia Read online

  “Sebastian Frost,” Frost said while taking a few steps back. “But I think you know that.”

  “He claims he’s from another world,” Ena said. “And that he was sent here by Shalia. But he’s lying and he keeps acting nervous, like he’s hiding something.”

  “He appears to be revealing everything,” Lysandra smirked lecherously while staring at Frost’s naked body. Scan Lvl. 7 popped up above her head and she tilted her head as scan vanished. “What if we assume he’s telling the truth?”

  “Shalia has never sent a herald before,” Fayeth said. “She doesn’t have enough followers.”

  “Herald,” the word rang in Frost’s head like a gong. He’d definitely heard it before and he remembered the woman from his dream saying it. Frost stared at the white-haired elf and smiled as politely as he could. “Lysandra is it? I would like you to confirm something for me if possible.”

  “It would be my pleasure,” Lysandra said while bowing politely.

  “Are you an elf?” Frost asked.

  “Yes,” Lysandra blushed as she answered basically confirming he was in another world. She gave him a suspicious glare. “I have a question for you. Does it bother you that I’m an elf?”

  “It does,” Ena interrupted with a smug grin. “Earlier he said I was so repulsive that he couldn’t look at me.”

  “Bullshit,” Frost replied defensively. “I never said that!”

  “Don’t try to lie. You said you couldn’t even look at me,” Ena sneered. “Or are you going to deny it?”

  “I said that,” Frost confirmed while stifling a laugh. “But that’s not what I meant!”

  “Oh?” Ena said haughtily as if she had him cornered in a lie. “Then tell us. What did you mean?”

  “Really?” Frost looked at the gorgeous three elves as they waited for an answer. He couldn’t believe they were going to make him spell it out for them. “I didn’t want to pop wood while naked in a field!”

  “Pop wood?” Fayeth asked. “What’s that mean?”

  “Goddammit,” Frost groaned while gesturing toward his cock. “I did not want to get an erection.”

  “Frost,” Lysandra covered her mouth as the beautiful elf tried not to laugh. “Are you saying that you were worried about becoming aroused?”

  “Yes,” Frost said while shaking his head. “Obviously.”

  “By Ena?” Fayeth asked while pointing at the blue-eyed elf. “Ena?”

  “Y-y-you liar!” Ena snapped furiously. “He’s lying!”

  “Ena,” Lysandra giggled and placed her hand on the elf’s shoulder. “Take a deep breath Ena. It doesn’t seem to me that he’s lying. Although, this is an interesting development. I must say, I never knew Shalia had such a sense of humor.”

  “High Priestess?” Fayeth glanced pensively at Lysandra. “Do you believe he was sent by Shalia?”

  “It doesn’t matter what I think,” Lysandra said while turning toward him. Her smile made him feel like he’d just arrived home. “What do you believe Frost? Do you believe you’re Shalia’s herald?”

  “I don’t know,” Frost couldn’t help but smile back at the beautiful woman. “The word rings a bell.”

  “But he’s a human,” Fayeth said inquisitively. “Shalia’s an elf goddess? Why would she send a human?”

  “That’s even more evidence he’s lying,” Ena grumbled. Frost shot her a lecherous smile and she quickly averted her gaze. “He’ll put everybody in danger.”

  “I’ve decided to take him back to the village,” Lysandra’s smile looked almost predatory as she stared at him. “Would you like to return with us to our village?”

  “I’ll follow you anywhere if it means I get some clothing and some explanations,” Frost chuckled. He was surprised at how well he was taking everything.

  “Wonderful,” Lysandra beamed as she clapped her hands excitedly. “But, before that. May I approach you Herald Frost?”

  “Sure. And just Frost is fine,” he answered as the snowy-haired elf walked toward him. She circled him while looking him up and down, mostly down. “What?”

  “Are you really attracted to us?” Lysandra asked as she wrapped her arm around his. Her silky white gown was the only thing separating her ample breasts from his naked flesh and he desperately tried not to think about it. “You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”

  “There’s no point in denying it,” Frost chuckled nervously as the gorgeous woman pressed her body against him. “You must know you’re gorgeous.” He found himself staring at her long pointy ears. “But, can I just check something. For my own sanity?”

  “You can check anything you want,” Lysandra smiled seductively.

  “Well,” Frost cringed a little. “I don’t know if this is rude or not. But here it goes. Can I tug your ear? I’ll be gentle. I just want to see if it’s actually real.”

  “If it’s real?” Lysandra looked almost disappointed. “If it’ll put you at ease. Go right ahead.”

  “Thanks,” Frost said as she pulled her hair back so he could get a better look. Everything seemed real but he needed to be absolutely sure. He ran his fingers along her ear looking for a seam of some sort and gently tugged in several different areas. Finally, as he reached the tip, he took it in two fingers and carefully pulled on it.

  “Oooh!” Lysandra giggled as Frost released the tip.

  “I’m sorry,” Frost blushed as he realized that the ears were definitely real. “I just wanted to be sure. Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome to touch my anytime,” Lysandra laughed while squeezing his arm. “Now, let’s get going.”

  The forest path was distractingly vibrant and small bits of information were still popping up whenever he focused on something. The more he looked around, the surer he became that he was actually in another world.

  Fayeth was listed as a level nine archer and Lysandra was a level thirty-five priestess. Information on their weapons and armor was also popping up whenever he looked at something a little too closely but without a frame of reference it was meaningless. It also seemed that any attempt to focus caused more detailed information to appear.

  If he was in a game world, he needed to start figuring out what all of the information meant. He also needed to find ways to compare the information. A level is irrelevant if he doesn’t know the level cap.

  “Do you always keep your scan active?” Fayeth asked while quickly stealing a glance of his naked body. The emerald-eyed woman blushed and quickly turned back toward the path. “Doesn’t it give you a headache?”

  “Is that why I’m seeing all this?” Frost asked. “How do I turn it off?”

  The entire group stopped and stared at him. Ena looked somewhat irritated by the question and Fayeth appeared intrigued. Lysandra, on the other hand, was attempting to mask her excitement.

  “Your scan is level ten. Do you really expect us to believe that you don’t know how to use it?” Ena scoffed and stomped ahead. He remembered her scan was only level three and Lysandra’s was level seven.

  “Close your eyes and think of turning off scan,” Lysandra said without judgment. Frost did as she directed and when he opened his eyes the numbers were gone. “Better?”

  “Yeah, thank you,” Frost said somewhat surprised. “I didn’t think it would be so easy.”

  Without the distractions of the stats and information popping up everywhere he could finally just see them as people. Unfortunately, he was seeing them as particularly beautiful people and quickly started thinking of chairs, sports, and anything else to keep himself under control until he got some pants.

  “Can we hurry up and get those pants?” Frost chuckled anxiously.

  “Are you sure you want them right away? Don’t you want to take a bath and get some rest first?” Lysandra asked as they continued walking. The white-haired woman flirtatiously stroked his arm. “I could always keep you company.”

  “Don’t tempt me,” Frost said while trying to avoid staring at any of them.

&n
bsp; “Don’t worry,” Fayeth said politely. “The village is right up ahead.”

  CHAPTER 2

  Frost realized it was no use denying that he was in another world as he gazed at the small village.

  The village was surrounded by a roughly five-foot-tall stone wall covered in vines and had two small wooden gates on either side. In the center of the village there was a good-sized garden filled with gorgeous flowers and a well in the center. Frost could see brightly dressed elven women waiting in line with buckets to access the well.

  At a glance, there were around twenty wooden houses the size of small cabins and two large buildings made of stone. One of those buildings was probably a temple based on the carving of a goddess decorating it. But he wasn’t quite sure about the other building, maybe a storehouse of some sort.

  “That’s where we keep the animals,” Lysandra said as if reading his mind. “Would you like to get a closer look of the village?”

  “Yeah,” Frost said while coming to terms with his situation. “One second.”

  “Why?” Ena glared at him suspiciously. It seemed no matter what he said or did, she was intent on distrusting him. “Are you trying to memorize the layout of our village?”

  “I just need a second,” Frost grinned. He was in a strange world with no friends, no money, and no clothes. That Shalia woman didn’t even have the courtesy of giving him a tutorial. “It’s just kind of hitting me that I’m really in a different world.”

  “We don’t have all day,” Ena said irritably.

  “Ena,” Lysandra chided the blonde elf. “He can take as long as he wants.”

  “Right,” Frost laughed and shook his head. If he was going to have to walk through a village naked at least it was in a well-built body. Not that his old one was anything to be ashamed of, but the new one was ridiculous. “Let’s go.”

  Frost re-activated his scan ability as they entered the village and looked around. It seemed the average villager was somewhere between level three and level fifteen with most being in the lower end of the range. Several of the elven women moved to hide behind each other as they saw him approach with the others.

  “Stop that!” Ena snapped while getting in his face. The anger behind her piercing blue eyes sent a chill down his spine. “It’s scary enough for a human to be in our village without him measuring us up!”

  Several of the onlookers tensed up as they watched the scene unfold and a few even clasped their hands together nervously. From the look of things, they weren’t concerned for him, but for Ena. In their eyes, he was the danger.

  “I’m sorry,” Frost said as he quickly stopped scanning. “I didn’t now,” he glanced at Lysandra who was stifling a laugh. All of the villagers were staring at him like he’d just walked into the women’s bathroom and he was more than a little bit embarrassed. “Should I apologize to everybody?”

  “You would apologize to elves? You certainly are interesting,” Lysandra said while squeezing his arm. Several of the elves relaxed as they noticed her holding onto him and he realized why she’d insisted on holding him. “If you’d like to apologize, apologize. But it’s not necessary.”

  “I didn’t know I was being rude,” Frost said loudly. “Sorry about that. Won’t happen again.”

  The onlookers’ fear quickly faded as confusion took hold. He looked down at Lysandra and the white-haired elf was once again covering her mouth while attempting not to laugh. She looked giddy with excitement and he wasn’t sure why.

  “Come on,” Ena groaned as she and Fayeth moved to block the front of him with their bodies. “Let’s just get home.”

  By the time they reached the front door of the temple it seemed the entire village was watching. As far as first impressions went, being paraded through the streets naked like some type of degenerate probably wasn’t the best. But he was relieved that none of the elves seemed to be terribly offended.

  “I’m really sorry everybody,” Frost said reflexively as the elves stared at him in disbelief. “I promise I’m not some weirdo.”

  “Isn’t that exactly what a weirdo would say?” Fayeth asked while opening the door to the temple.

  “Don’t listen to her,” Lysandra said playfully while finally releasing his arm to walk inside. “I think given the situation you’re doing quite well.”

  “Going inside or do you prefer to be gawked at?” Ena said while gesturing to the entrance.

  “Going,” Frost answered as he practically sprinted through the doors.

  The temple looked more like a tavern or lounge than a place of worship. There was a sort of stage-like platform at the far side of the room but between the entrance and the stage were sofas, tables, a bar, as well as doorway leading to a small kitchen.

  “This is a temple?” Frost asked for confirmation.

  “Yes,” Lysandra answered while walking toward the kitchen. “Would you like anything to eat or drink?”

  “No thanks,” Frost answered as his stomach growled.

  “I’ll fetch you something,” Lysandra said excitedly as she rushed off to the kitchen.

  “I’ll find you some pants,” Fayeth said while sneaking another curious glance at him. He couldn’t blame her. He’d snuck about fifty of them on the way there and it was apparently his. And it was only fair considering the number of glances he snuck of them.

  “You captured him!” a green-haired elf said from a second-floor banister. The voice sounded like the one from earlier, Renna. At least he was pretty certain it was her from the voice. “So, what’s the plan? Execution?”

  “Execution?” Frost chuckled nervously.

  “She’s joking,” Lysandra said while coming out of the kitchen with two large bowls of vegetables. “You’re a guest.”

  “A guest? But he’s a human!” Renna jumped down from the second floor and landed without a sound. Frost reflexively turned on scan and saw she was a level ten thief. Although he could have guessed by the tightly fitted clothing and lean body. “Oh? Hasn’t anybody told you that if you’re curious you can just ask?”

  “I told you not to do that!” Ena said aggressively.

  “Sorry,” Frost replied while turning off the ability. Then something clicked with him. “How do you know I’m scanning you if you’re not scanning me?”

  “What kind of question is that?” Renna laughed as she stepped toward him. She was tan with short spring green hair and eyes that matched. She was a bit leaner than the others but still unnaturally beautiful with the same long pointy ears. “Don’t you know how to just look at somebody?”

  “I don’t believe he does,” Lysandra said cheerfully as she set the vegetables down on the table. “Heralds are sent from other worlds so it’s not unusual for them to be ignorant of this one.”

  “Lysandra believes Shalia sent him,” Fayeth said while tossing him a pair of pants. He blushed as he looked for a pair of underwear to put on first. “What? Are they not to your liking?”

  “I don’t suppose you have any underwear?” Frost asked politely.

  “Are you into wearing women’s underwear Frost?” Lysandra said teasingly. “If you are, I have plenty to choose from up in my room.”

  “No thanks,” Frost smiled at Lysandra. He wasn’t sure if she was just a tease or legitimately interested in him. “The pants will be fine.”

  Frost quickly put on the slacks and was surprised by how soft the material was on the inside. He was also caught off guard by how perfectly they fit him. He paused and wondered if it was like in games where all armor fit all races.

  “Did these pants magically change to be a perfect fit?” Frost asked Fayeth who gave him a confused look. “Did I say something stupid?”

  “While there are items of clothing that magically change size and style based on the wearer, those pants are just ordinary pants. Fayeth altered them so they would fit,” Lysandra said while gesturing at the food she placed on a small dining table. “Please, have a seat.”

  “Alright,” Frost said. He was so happy to f
inally be wearing pants he probably would have done anything they suggested. “Huh.”

  “Is everything alright?” Lysandra said while taking a seat next to him. Fayeth and Renna quickly grabbed the other seats while Ena sat at the bar. He looked down at the strange pile of vegetables. “Would you like something different?”

  “No,” Frost gulped while resisting the urge to scan the bizarre vegetables. He picked up his fork and took a bite. They weren’t that different from those he’d eaten growing up although they were slightly sweeter and stronger in flavor. He finished the plate and felt a little better. “Thank you.”

  “Would you like a drink?” Lysandra asked as the other three women stared at him. Renna and Fayeth with curiosity and Ena with distrust. “We have water, juice, and wine.”

  “Wine,” Frost said almost reflexively. “I could use a drink.”

  “Ena,” Lysandra smiled. “If you wouldn’t mind.”

  “I’m not serving him,” Ena said while jumping over the bar to grab a bottle. She tossed it to Renna who caught it without looking and handed it to Lysandra. “He can pour his own drink.”

  “Sorry about her,” Lysandra said while filling his glass. “It’s been quite a while since we’ve had a human as a guest.”

  “We’ve never had a human guest,” Fayeth said.

  Frost took a drink of the wine and while it tasted fantastic, it was pretty weak. He imagined he’d need to finish at least two bottles to feel anything.

  He slowly drank as he reflected on what he knew so far about his situation. He could put together that he was in a new world but he had no idea if the elves were trustworthy or tricksters of some sort. Additionally, based on Ena’s tone, humans were their enemy.

  “You seem uncomfortable,” Lysandra said politely. “May I ask why?”

  “Sorry,” Frost said as he looked around the room. “I’m obviously having a strange day. I woke up in a strange world surrounded by gorgeous women and I’m still coping.”

  “I see,” Lysandra smiled.

  “Gorgeous?” Renna asked with what sounded like genuine curiosity. “We’re completely average looking for elves. And humans find elves repulsive.”