Chapter 16: Chapter 16: Rina

Chapter 16: Rina

Rina walked in the forest. She was not like normal elves. For, she wanted to see the world outside her town. It was not enough for her to see the same old trees every time. Rina wanted to see it all.

As a result, she had left the elven village of Flargil, her birthplace. Hoping to be an adventurer, she had gone to Orestria. Only to be deemed too weak, her fighting style too clunky.

That didn't put Rina down, though. A vampire at the guild, Lucius, had told her that there was a freelancing adventurer at a ranch. So, she had headed to the nearest one.

The music coming from the fields was weird, as far as she was concerned. Yet, she went to investigate. It could be a siren. If she defeated a mob of that caliber, guild master Yima had to pay attention to her.

What she found was a fat man playing a harp. He didn't look like a siren. Wearing a gray tunic and beige pants, he looked to be concentrating. Rina waved her hand up, until he noticed her and stopped playing.

"Hey, good day to you. Do you happen to know where I can find a freelancing adventurer that has taken residence in these parts?" She called, moving closer to the man.

"That would be me. Do you have a quest in need of completing? Karl and I will be able to do it in the evening," Thomas told her. For, his day was taken up with making the wheat grow.

"You are the adventurer?" She looked at him with a more critical eye. He looked like he could be snapped in half by a hobgoblin.

"I am a summoner. Karl is my summon. Karl," Thomas called, and Karl came out of the forest. Rina blinked at the blue dragon. A dragon summon. Weren't those SSS ranked? Suddenly, Rina liked her prospects much more.

"So, what is an SSS ranked summoner doing at a ranch?" Rina asked. Thomas shook his head.

"I am Z ranked. Karl is a slime," Rina blinked at the dragon and the dragon blinked back.

"Can I touch him?" she reached out towards Karl, who bared his teeth at her.

"I don't think he will appreciate that. Only I can touch him. We have a contract," Thomas told her. "My name is Thomas, by the way."

"Rina," the elf girl offered her hand, and Thomas took it. He positioned it, so the back of the hand was facing up, bent down and kissed it.

"Pleasure to meet you, Rina. Now, why are you here?" Rina blinked at the man. Why was he treating her like a lady? She was an adventurer!

"I want a spot at your party," Rina demanded. Sure, Z was laughable. She was higher than that. But, if this man were the only one who would take her seriously, then she had no choice. 

"I don't have a party. It is just myself and Karl," the dark-haired man said, as he let go of the elf's hand. "Plus, I intend to stay in here until Karl becomes big enough to fly long distances."

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"Well, I have nothing against staying in here, either. Come on, give me a chance. I am an F ranked archer," she said and gave him her best pleading look.

"I will just slow you down," Thomas continued, looking down. The only thing he had going for him was Karl. Too careful to summon more slimes, in case they didn't end up getting attached to him as the slime-dragon, he kept to just one summon.

"We can have each other's backs. Come now, Thomas. If you don't give me a chance, I will have to remain a solo adventurer," she whined. Thomas blinked.

He supposed that, for himself, that wasn't so bad of a thing. He had Karl. Might get another slime that would turn into something else, later on.

But for Rina, who was an archer, that was too dangerous. Thomas nodded then. If Rina stayed with him and didn't complain about him playing the harp all day long as Karl ate away the forest, then they would get along just fine.

"Fine, but the party doesn't have a name," the former receptionist told her, and Rina rubbed her chin.

"How about Slime Party? I don't think it is taken," Rina offered. Thomas looked at Karl, who was walking back towards the forest.

"I suppose that is good enough," he said, and the elf girl grinned at him.

"So, why are you playing in the fields?" The elf asked him. Thomas pointed at his harp.

"It can help things grow faster. Only plants, though. Watch," and he began to play. Rina watched as the wheat began to rise up, the grains forming and filling up.

"This is spectacular, Thomas," she exclaimed. "Where did you find it?"

"In a goblin den," Thomas didn't stop playing. He needed to make the wheat ready for harvesting by the end of the day, so he could move to a different patch of the field tomorrow.

"Well, I'll go train, then," Rina took out her bow, and an arrow made of light appeared. She shot it towards a tree, but it didn't reach it. Rather, it fell on the road.

"Too little mana again," she murmured, as she nocked another arrow.  Thomas watched her as he played. No matter how far off the mark her arrows would fall, she wasn't giving up. He smiled. Worse partners could have stumbled on him.

When night fell, the two of them went to the Bull's Horns Ranch, where Owen was waiting inside the house. The farmer took one look at Rina, and pointed at a bucket with paint.

"You will be painting the fence tomorrow. Otherwise, scram," Rina scrunched up her nose at that, but nodded. The land was Owen's. Anyone who overstayed their welcome was a trespasser.

For dinner, the protein that Thomas had eaten come from cheese. Owen had run out of ham, and he had not wanted to butcher a chicken. Thomas was so hungry he didn't mind. Cheese was allowed in the zone, if not advised.

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