They passed through another village near the middle of the day. Its astral space aperture was small, producing only a large pond. It had a quarrying operation, but it was much smaller than the waterfall village.
“Are apertures the only water sources around here?” Jason asked.
“No,” Rufus said, “but more of the green stone appears around the apertures. The bigger the aperture, the higher grade stone you’ll find.”
They only stopped long enough for Rufus to select another notice from the village’s adventure board.
“We’re on track to reach the river by nightfall,” Rufus said. “We have time for another one. Hand me a blank sheet from that box.”
Jason spotted the box of blank paper under the noticeboard, taking out a single sheet and handing it to Rufus. Rufus took a bronze medallion out of his pocket and touched it to the notice on the board. The medallion started glowing faintly until he touched it to the blank sheet Jason had retrieved. The glow faded and text appeared on the paper, matching that of the notice.
“This is the Adventure Society badge,” Rufus explained. “You’ll get your own when you join.”
“I would have thought you got enough from the last monster,” Jason said. “Wasn’t I underwhelming enough?”
“There are always more lessons to be learned,” Rufus said, handing over the paper.
New Quest: [Monster Notice: Lesser Earth Elemental]
Local townsfolk have spotted a monster in the area that matches the description of a lesser earth elemental. Slay the creature before it becomes aggressive and starts attacking travellers.
Objective: Defeat [Lesser Earth Elemental] 0/1.
Reward: Crafting material.
“Earth elemental,” Jason read. “That’s like a pile of rocks and dirt that roams around and punches people?”
“That’s the one,” Gary said. “They have those in your world?”
“Just stories,” Jason said. “So let me guess. I fight the thing and find out my abilities don’t work on it because you can’t poison or bleed out a pile of rocks. I get the snot kicked out of me, you step in to save me and I learn an important lesson about failure and picking your battles. Is that more or less the idea?”
“I think he’s got your number, Rufus,” Gary chortled.
“Um, yes,” Rufus said, reaching to take the paper back. “It’s fine; you don’t have to do it.”
“No, I’m doing it,” Jason said, keeping the paper. He marched off in the direction of the village gate.
“I know you want to teach him to be a proper adventurer,” Farrah said to Rufus, “but I don’t think he’s like the spoiled rich kids at your family’s school.”
“That’s becoming clear,” Rufus said.
The earth elemental looked like a snowman made of packed earth and sand, but with thick arms instead of frail sticks. It was only around two-thirds of Jason’s height, throwing off dust and dirt as it slowly moved. Jason rammed his dagger into its head.
Special attack [Punish] has inflicted [Sin] on [Lesser Earth Elemental].
[Lesser Earth Elemental] has no motive spirit and is immune to curses.
[Sin] does not take effect.
[Lesser Earth Elemental] is does not have living tissue and is impervious to necrotic damage.
Additional necrotic damage from special attack [Punish] does not take effect.
As expected, Jason’s abilities had no effect. What he hadn’t anticipated was that even the hole from the knife closed up as soon as he pulled it out. He stabbed it again and again, as he was struck in turn by the elemental’s crude, heavy arms. The elemental showed no signs of waning. For every chunk of earth he dislodged with his knife, more entered the hole to fill it.
Desperate, Jason crouched down and wrapped his arms around the elemental, gripping it tightly as he heaved back with all the might he could muster. His strength may have paled in comparison to Gary, but it was still improved over what it had been just a few days ago. With a wild roar of effort, he strained to straighten his legs, wobbling, but successfully standing up.
In Jason’s grip, the creature was lifted completely off the ground. He staggered as he leaned back for balance, but managed to stay upright under the weight. He clenched the monster with one and a half arms, stabbing at it with as much force as just his forearm would allow. It wasn’t powerful but he kept stabbing, with the repetition of a sewing machine. As he did, the creature brought its crude limbs down on Jason’s shoulders and back. He tucked his head in, shielding it as best he could.
Dirt crumbled away under Jason’s knife as he struggled to stay upright under the creature’s weight and the pounding blows it rained down on him. He stumbled, almost collapsing, but more and more of the creature crumbled away in larger and larger chunks. Jason’s breathing was a death rattle as earthen fists hammered force through his back and into his lungs. His arms burned as they barely kept the creature in their air, his shoulders beaten until they felt like pulp. Finally, the creature crumbled away all at once, spilling though Jason’s arms in clumps.
You have defeated [Lesser Earth Elemental]
Quest: [Adventure Notice: Lesser Earth Elemental]
Objective complete: Defeat [Lesser Earth Elemental] 1/1.
10 portions of [Pure-Heart Sand] have been added to your inventory.
Quest complete.
100 [Iron Spirit Coins] have been added to your inventory.
Jason collapsed onto all fours, air escaping in hacking coughs that spat droplets of blood onto the ground. The others all ran up to him.
“I’ll get you a potion,” Farrah said, but Jason held up a hand to stop her. He then put it back down so he wouldn’t fall.
“No,” he croaked. “Familiar… heals.”
“It heals slowly,” Rufus said.
Jason turned to look at him, slowly pushing himself to his feet. He staggered, legs almost giving out again, but he stabilised, defiant. His breathing slowly lost its wheeze, each breath no longer agony. He crouched down and ran his fingers through the dirt.
Would you like to loot [Lesser Earth Elemental]?
He walked up to Rufus as the dirt behind him dissolved into smoke with a sizzling hiss.
[Monster Core (Iron Rank)] has been added to your inventory.
10 [Earth Quintessence] have been added to your inventory.
10 [Iron Spirit Coins] have been added to your inventory.
“If the familiar heals me, that ability gets better, faster, right?” Jason’s voice was still raw and gravely.
“Yeah,” Rufus said.
Jason nodded and started a stumbling walk back in the direction of the main road. Gary followed behind Jason as the other two looked at each other.
“What was all that about?” Farrah asked.
“Jason has a lot of lessons to learn,” Rufus said. “This was him pointing out that I do too.”
“Like what?” Farrah asked.
“Like determination. That being in a losing position doesn’t mean you lose, so long as you’re willing to pay the price of victory. In that sacrifice chamber, Jason was the weakest of all of us, collars or no. But he was the one who kept beating the odds.”
“He had some luck on his side,” Farrah said.
“My grandfather says the great adventurers are the ones who turn luck into fortune. And adventurers don’t come much greater than him, so he’d know.”
Farrah shook her head. “The whole thing smells of male posturing, to me. Why can’t you have a conversation, like normal people?”
“You may be right,” Rufus acknowledged, “but I think some things we can only show with our effort.”
Farrah made a distasteful groan. “Little boys and their posturing.”