The Azure Dragon

by Vladimir Vasilenko

  I wondered if they were regular mobs or NPCs? There is a difference—mobs are simply whipping dummies. NPCs are independent characters, often involved in some quests. Mordecai told me that he even took quests from hisses. May this baby is part of a quest too?

  Soon I had to switch from tree-climbing to mountaineering. Good thing that the local rocks were designed for this: they were old, cracked, overgrown with creeping plants. Climbing them was easy and pleasant. I quickly overcame the half-collapsed stone ridge that encircled the flat top of the volcano and took a break.

  From here, a magnificent view spread out in front of me. Like through an inverted lens, the valley with a lake in the middle of it and the jungle stretched out on the slopes of the volcano. The valley was like a bowl of a fountain. From the lake, a dozen small rivers flowed, cascading down into waterfalls.

  Looking around the jungle, I noticed a huge tree with a white trunk in the northeast. It towered over the others like a lama in a flock of sheep. It was taller than three hundred feet for sure.

  I tried to estimate the distance and direction to it as accurately as possible and put a mark on the map.

  It seems to me that this is that Celestial tree that Bao talked about. It might come in handy.

  The Eternal Banyan was located on the opposite shore of the lake from me, but I recognized it right away, too. You can't mistake these things for anything. This tree was not very tall but powerful, with a spreading crown, like a hemisphere. Its trunk was so thick that it seemed that it was not one plant, but several, stuck together.

  I saw white ruins, half hidden by trees, on the left bank of the lake. I think Bao also mentioned them—that's where Hanuman lived. But I made a wise decision to stay away from there and went to the Banyan on the right bank. On the way, I automatically looked in the interface.

  Yes! Maverick's online!

  Since the beginning of the session I was so busy that I really did not think about how to start a conversation with him. I had some ideas, but I wasn't much of a negotiator...

  Oh, here goes nothing! I gotta do it now. He may not be in the game for a long time.

  He didn't answer the voice call, so I jotted down a text message.

  "There were problems with the deal. But I have a different proposal. Contact me when it's convenient."

  I decided to play on his curiosity. Of course, I was bluffing. But that's exactly what I had to do—intrigue Maverick and get him to contact me. I was pretty sure his first reaction would be to tell me to go screw myself. I couldn’t blame him. It's good that I didn't have time to take the advance from him in real life. I woke up after that memorable session in Genghis’s camp, with the communication set turned off, so I couldn't tell Maverick where to send the payment. But it was not even about the money. In negotiations with him, I drove him bonkers. I got so paranoid to sell too cheap or that this dude would screw me, and in the end, I was the one who dropped out without a word, breaking the agreement.

  The familiar voice caught me halfway to the Banyan.

  "Hello stranger! Mr. Mongoose!" He greeted me sarcastically. "Well, well, mystery man, you have exactly one minute to tell me what you have to offer."

  He took the bait! Now I got ya!

  "No, you have one minute to tell me who you told about the Eye."

  "Excuse me?"

  I figured that with Maverick, the best defense would be an offence. If I started making excuses, or asking for help, he wouldn’t listen to me. So the only option was lying. Lying through my teeth.

  "Only you and I knew about the Eye of Dahamesh. But, coincidentally, shortly after I left you, some dudes banged me and took the loot. No, I'm not accusing you of anything, of course. I don't think you'd break your word. And why would you do that? I don't think you'd miss a few thousand eurocredits, would you?"

  "They took the Eye? Such trophies are attached to the player! There’s only a ten percent chance of dropping them from the inventory.”

  "That's what I thought too and wasn't really worried. But, you know, even a stopped clock tells the right time twice a day."

  "Yeah, bad luck…"

  Judging by his tone, I successfully flabbergasted him. Let's keep going!

  "So who else could have known about the Eye and blabbed about it? Maybe one of your people? Kane, Gustav?"

  "No way! In another time I would have ordered to kill you for having such suspicions. But…"

  "What?"

  "Shortly after you left, the security detail at my mansion, indeed, spotted a break in. More precisely, they missed the intrusion but spotted the spy when he was leaving the building. An assassin with invisible aura. We failed to catch him or identify him. But, technically, he could overhear our conversation."

  That’s what I was counting on! I have long puzzled over how Genghis found out about the Eye of Dahamesh so quickly. The only explanation that came to my mind was that there was a leak from Maverick himself. It all happened right in the same game session.

  "So that's it..." I pronounced, trying to sound incredibly disappointed. "I didn't think of that. I was sure you had better security. Good thing that assassin didn't kill us right on your premises."

  "Yes, my people screwed up," Maverick admitted reluctantly. I guess I was rubbing it in. "I'm shocked."

  "You're shocked! I'm totally screwed! I thought I'd hit the jackpot! And now…"

  "Yes, I'm sorry. I can imagine this really irks you. It's not easy for me either. I had already prepared the pedestal for the Eye in my trophy room. But if you are not a collector, then you won't understand what it feels like when a rare exhibit slips right out of your hands."

  "I, on the other hand, know all too well how it feels when eight thousand credits slip out of my hands."

  "Pfft, these are just trivialities! If it bothers you so much, I'm even willing to compensate you with a part of the amount. For moral damage, so to speak. On the condition that the rest of our arrangements remain in force."

  I barely restrained myself from a victorious cry and tried to keep my voice skeptical.

  "Well, we'll see. I promised that if I find something rare and unusual, I'll offer it to you first. And by the way, that's what I wanted to talk to you about.

  "Did you find anything?" Maverick bucked up.

  "Not really. But I think I've got something. I need to dig up more info on it. Do you have informants in the Corsair guild?"

  "What do you need to find out?"

  "Rumor has it that they got some valuable artifact, the rarity and value of which is not inferior to the Eye of Dahamesh. Do you think it could be true?"

  "Maybe. For the last few weeks, they've been regularly hunting Big and Small Cruxes. They're sea monsters. The Small one drops loot that is never higher than ‘Rare’ in level. But with the Big Crux might drop something really valuable—legendary and mythical objects."

  "I'm pretty sure they hit the jackpot whether it's thanks to a Crux or something else. Can you find out what it is?"

  "Do you want to steal it?"

  "Possibly," I said evasively. "I have some sort of a plan, but first, I need to know what this thing looks like. And most importantly, if it's worth taking a risk."

  Maverick fell silent for a long time—I even checked if we were still connected. I had almost reached the Eternal Banyan when he spoke again.

  "Okay, I'll try to find out. If I get any information within the next few hours, I'll contact you through the chat."

  "I'll be waiting."

  "Good luck, Mongoose! And don't expose yourself anymore."

  I'll try!

  I didn't say anything out loud. Anyway, I quickly forgot about this conversation as soon as an amazing view opened up before me. I was so fascinated that I think I stopped breathing.

  The crown of the Eternal Banyan spread out like a huge green dome filled with golden light and singing birds. I was bursting from inside with inexplicable delight. Honestly, it felt like heaven.

  The air here was sweet and spicy. The fragra
nce seemed to come from the small snow-white flowers that were strewn with the branches of the tree. The petals of these flowers were profusely falling from above, swirling in the air like snowflakes. It even seemed that they dissolved before they could reach the ground because it was clear under my feet.

  Nothing grew under the shade of the Banyan except thick green grass that was ankle-high. The clearing around it was as flat as a football field, without any hint of a path, as if no man had ever set foot there. Or anyone, for that matter. I looked back and realized that I didn't leave any footprints either—the grass immediately straightened after I stepped on it.

  The vanara cub seemed to be impressed too. He climbed up on my shoulder and twisted his little head in all directions, his already huge blue eyes were wide open in amazement.

  There was not a soul around, except for the birds that fluttered high between the branches. I walked slowly to the trunk of the tree, and a soft invisible blanket of serenity enveloped and pacified me—just like during meditation. I thought I even heard the distant sounds of toms and flutes.

  What looked like a tangle of strange growths on a huge trunk from afar turned out to be a skillfully created bas-relief depicting a long serpentine dragon with fish fins. It seemed to be encircling the entire trunk in several coils, and its head was turned toward me. Coming up closer, I realized that this bas-relief was not carved on the trunk but grew from the inside. The Banyan's bark was thick and porous, developing into this three-dimensional pattern in a bizarre way, and the hollows in it represented the nostrils of the dragon, its eye sockets, and mouth.

  I didn't come too close. I stopped a few steps away and bowed respectfully to the tree. For some reason, it seemed quite natural at the moment—this ancient mighty giant inspired you and certainly caused respect at first sight. Knowing that this was one of the main shrines of the Artar monks, these feelings intensified. Perhaps, I assumed my identity to heart, but I really was overwhelmed with emotions at the moment.

  Finally, I sat down on the grass and took the lotus position. Little vanara got off my shoulder, ran around, making squeaky grunts, and then sat down beside me. He even copied my pose that looked quite comical.

  As soon as I started the Meditation cycle, I was bombarded with system messages.

  You have made a pilgrimage to the great altar of the Azure Dragon. You have access to the basic skills of the Wood Element.

  You have made a pilgrimage to the great altar of the Azure Dragon. New information was added to the description of the class quest "Master of the Wood Element."

  You have received the Azure Dragon's blessing. Within the next 3 hours, your Strength is increased by 10%, and the speed of mastering the Wood Element skills is doubled.

  Of course, curiosity took the best of me, and I opened the interface for more information. First, I checked the quest description.

  Master of the Wood Element. Monk class quest. Challenge the monkey King Hanuman and defeat him. To challenge Hanuman, make a ritual offering to the altar of the Azure Dragon. Gather the seeds of the three Great Uobo trees and add to them the light of The One Who Stops the Flow of Rivers. When the seeds germinate, Hanuman will come to your call.

  Wow. Well, the pattern is almost the same as for the Black Turtle test. I wish the explanation of what I need to be looking for was clearer and more detailed.

  A new tab with the Wood Element skills was activated in the section of martial arts. The skill constellations looked about the same as for the Water Element: most of the icons were blurred, but in the center the small patch with the icons of basic skills was visible. For now, I had only two or three in the attacking and defensive branches.

  Well, let's see…

  Lashing Branch. Attacking skill. The monk freezes in place and uses a charge of pure Qi to prepare for the crushing blow. Within ten seconds, his physical resistance increases by 100, and his Strength increases by 20% of the base value every second. He can interrupt the process at any time, dealing a blow with the used weapon or using his bare hands. After the impact, the Strength indicator will return to its original value. Movement from the spot and the use of other attacking skills in preparation for the strike will cancel the effect of the skill. Skill level 1. Progress: 0/20.

  It sounded like I'd have a compressible spring as a weapon. Well, following the tree analogy, the branch would bend and then recoil when it is released. Bonuses were decent even at the first level. If I saved maximum energy, I could hit with a bonus of 200% to the regular Strength. The only question was: what kind of a fool would just sit during a battle and wait ten seconds for the enemy to prepare for an attack? I think it'd be more real if accumulating anger took no more than 3-5 seconds. Even then, it would be kind of long. In general, this technique was potentially very powerful, but its use was a little complicated.

  I had just a few pearls left—not enough for all new skills. This didn’t look particularly promising. Of course, I should have tried to upgrade it at least by a couple of levels—just to see how bonuses change and grow.

  Here was the second attacking ability of the Wood Element school:

  The Tail of the Dragon. Attacking skill. The monk uses a charge of pure Qi to deliver a crushing circular kick, knocking back and stunning his opponents. At the moment of impact, the monk's body is protected by a shield of pure Qi with the strength of 200 units (physical protection), and the Strength is increased by 50%. The duration of the stun effect is inversely proportional to their Strength. The minimum duration is 3 seconds. If one opponent takes the hit, the Strength bonus is doubled, and the minimum stun duration is up to 5 seconds. Skill level 1. Progress: 0/20

  Yes, this was that epic kick with a turn! I chose the monk class basically to be able to do that. However, I was more influenced by the old thrillers and cartoons about kung fu than the game mechanics of the class.

  Without hesitation, I spent one of the last four pearls to open up this skill. A powerful blow with a guaranteed stun, working on a single target or an entire area—what really was there to think about? These power attacks were exactly what I needed in my arsenal. I could, of course, have kept using a bunch of Water Columns and Blow Waves. But, first, they took two steps and, thus, two Qi charges. And second, the whole trick of Blow Wave was additional crushing damage by the Water Element, which ignored physical armor. By itself, this blow was not stronger than a regular one. The Tail of the Dragon, on the other hand, was more powerful due to the fact that it gave a good increase in Strength at the moment of impact. Also, the increase was percentage-based, so it would scale as I level up.

  Even the description of the first two skills showed the difference between fighting styles of Water and Wood schools. Water was tied to Agility, evasiveness, the speed of blows and movements. Wood was Strength and power. The attacks were slow but powerful.

  All right, let's see the defensive branch.

  The first thing I saw was the passive skill icon.

  Strong Roots. Aura. The monk uses a charge of Qi to give strength himself and his allies. Due to the Wood Element, the Strength index increases by 5%, excluding bonuses from other skills, auras, potions, and equipment items. Duration: 60 minutes. The radius is 20 feet. Skill level 1. Progress: 0/100".

  That was clear. It was the same as Transience aura, but gave a boost to Strength, not Agility.

  Heart of Oak. Defensive skill. The monk uses a charge of pure Qi to temporarily increase his defense. The monk's body acquires additional armor that protects him against physical damage, ice, and lightning, but has a weakness to fire. Characteristics of the shield: physical armor 100 units, protection from ice and lightning 50 units, additional fire damage -25%. Duration: 120 seconds. Skill level 1. Progress: 0/20.

  That's what I thought. If the monks of the Wood Element school emphasized Strength skills, they needed to compensate for the lack of speed. We can't wear iron armor, so the only way is to strengthen the body with pure Qi. Actually, 100 units of armor was a lot to start with. A little less than an iron
cuirass. In combination with my leather armor, it would be quite strong, almost like good steel. And as I level up, it would make sense to up the armor class too—titanium, orichalcum, and so on. But the armor was temporary and required Qi charges.

  It was difficult to find the right balance between the use of combat techniques and pumping the main characteristics! Other classes didn’t have this dilemma: all they had to do was keep upgrading everything. As that wasn't enough, now I had to choose the area of my main focus: Water or Wood.

  Actually, from the beginning, I've had this fixed idea, to master all five elements, even though Bao was trying to talk me out of it every time I brought it up.

  "Don't be afraid of someone who is learning a thousand techniques at once, Mongoose. Be afraid of the one who is learning a single technique a thousand times."

  I knew in my heart that he was right. The game mechanics were built so that it was most effective to focus on one main characteristic and two or three techniques that'd be beneficial to it. Perfecting them was key. But for now, I was not going to give up on my idea. I really wanted to experiment, trying myself in different styles. In addition, combining the skills of different schools, I could come up with my own build, which could be stronger than any standard ones. Not only did I choose a hybrid character, required to develop several characteristics, I would make him a hybrid build, as well. I was not trying to sit on two chairs—I was trying to occupy the entire row.

  But at least I'd be as unpredictable as a monkey with a grenade.

  So, what's the third skill in the defensive branch?

  Thorns. Defensive skill. The monk uses a charge of pure Qi to sow next to him the seeds of magical thorns, which will slow down or stop the movement of opponents in a certain area. The diameter of the area is 10 feet. The lifetime of thorns is 30 seconds. Skill level 1. Progress: 0/20.

  This was some wicked forest magic, but, really, a very useful spell. I immediately thought of a whole bunch of situations in which it would be useful. So, on second thought, I invested a pearl into this skill.