The Way of the Clan 8

by Dem Mikhaylov

  Newspaper articles mostly said the same thing – the old continents rebelled. What the Sleepless sarcastically referred to as "The Rise of the Apes". The new clans had rebelled and made a riot, which almost overwhelmed the mainland with fire.

  The more I read, and the more I applied to the information I knew from the Sleepless, the more I began to get worried. It was getting bad. Honestly. Today was an easy day, but there was a baggage of information which I had to put together to form a rather gloomy big picture…

  Thirty-seven clan fleets had given up the campaign and abruptly deployed their ships, setting them on the reverse course. They had soberly assessed their own capabilities and realized that the chances of completing the journey were very slim, but there was a chance of taking over land on the continent. And they preferred the bird in their hand, rather than the one in the sky.

  The trouble was that they did not need so many cargo ships, barges and warships to return. Therefore, large-scale trade deals took place right on the water, as a result of which many clans received dozens and hundreds of new, well-equipped ships, and many “local” mercenary soldiers. This somewhat changed the alignment of forces at sea. And it did not change in favor of the leaders, and not in the favor of those who breathed down their backs. No — this added chances to the third echelon – those following the core of the main fleets. They sharply increased in strength and speed, and began to bite the heels of the leaders, to sink their cargo schooners, to kill their lagging underwater creatures. The atmosphere was hot. Military clashes occurred several times per hour and more and more expensive ships were turning into nothing.

  Some of them began with only three boats. And now, having picked up floating debris from the coast, they were like piranhas following the giant clans, biting and biting them at the heels...

  On the ground, things were even worse. Ownership of land changed with the speed of shuffling cards. The robbery was so serious that tens of large villages and about a hundred small villages, farms, apiaries and forts had simply been devastated, and all of their inhabitants had been killed! There was nothing left, and no one! Nothing of value. Hundreds of miles of fields were ruined, the harvest taken and sold, the owners of the fields killed.

  The Lake District was a complete mess! Countless herds of cows and sheep were killed or sold, the shepherds perished, the guards following the shepherds. Judging by the illustrations, everything looked like it did in the times hunting bison, where thousands of animals were killed during the day. Only there were only animal carcasses there, but here there were also skins, horns, bones, meat, and so on. But the essence of it did not change – the digital cattle had suffered so much that it was impossible to restore their numbers quickly. The fishing villages around Naykal were being destroyed – sometimes just for fun! And the lawlessness was not ceasing.

  If you looked at what was going on from the outside, it was general anarchy — unpunished robbery, where there is nothing to be afraid of. No one would come and give a kick in the ass. Everyone had seemed to go mad — to things that were simply abnormal. They burned the apiaries, destroyed guard posts in dangerous zones, where you need constant protection against terrible creatures creeping from the marshes, from deserts, from the sea or from under the earth. As a result, the monsters quickly realized that there was no one to stop them and quickly went on the offensive, organizing slaughter with each arrival of twilight and bloody fun until dawn. And for some, sunlight was not a hindrance – they continued to kill in the daytime.

  Furthermore — the outlaws had offended many peaceful races and peoples. The same bog-creatures were raided and killed for their internal organs and for bundles of rainbow shells that are their currency. And no one was punished for it. The goddess Snessa, who protects them, did not wait. This morning, a massive magical strike of terrible force took place. A blow of divine magic that razed a large settlement of land, which had been chosen by the looters as a temporary base. The problem was that, in addition to the "bad" guys, there were also "good" guys there. And the magic did not discriminate — she brushed over all of them, without exception, with the hellish poisonous comb. Against the goddess Snessa, the god Nephiri immediately ascended, whose several believers had suffered during the sudden attack. The great creatures exchanged a couple of volleys, and this was why two hills and one castle disappeared from the face of Valdira. Then the god Sness, twin brother of Snessa, joined the cause, stood up for her sister and started a real war against Nephiri. The situation was trying to resolve itself, but it was turning out badly.

  The patron of the war, the god Graharg, was delighted and inspired by the outrage in the world and announced the beginning of the battle against the goddess Iwawa, who had long given her peaceful sayings and healing to the forests. Two more gods. Iwawa and Graharg. Scary stuff.

  Guided personally by Graharg himself, his legions were in full swing towards the already afflicted Lake District, the dwelling place of many believers in Iwawa, and the place where many of her children dwell. She herself continued to sleep, being protected by paladins and light priests. She could not get up, anyway — half the world was looking for Talnik, the only son of Iwawa, because only he was able to wake up his mother. But if Graharg got to Naykal, he would quickly find one of the daughters of the goddess Iwawa and finish her off without pity. This would definitely awaken the bright deity ... and then the real fun would begin.

  So far, Graharg was trying to persuade, not to create troubles. But he did not want to listen to anyone – Graharg was very arrogant and strong. The cause was also uncertain— he had threatened to finish off the bright, good Iwawa, but everything was just a threat. Still, he seemed to be pushed by someone.

  What frightened me even more – hundreds of squealing and laughing ugly harpies were circling over the legions of Graharg, heading to Naykal. But these creatures from time immemorial served the goddess Guorra, the multi-armed goddess, the merciless one, hating all light. Two horrifying powers united?

  Graharg and Guorra. A truly deadly combination. A nightmarish alliance.

  A fight was about to begin between the higher creatures. This was the beginning of the terrible War of Gods. While no one was yet overthrown, the fighting had already begun.

  What was most terrible – many fortresses, castles, huge citadels, whole mountains, small forts and even some cities begin to close their gates and forbid entry to all players with only rare exceptions. "Locals" wanted to live— this was their basic instinct. And realizing that there was a complete mess outside, they decided to shut their doors and wait out the threat. In many localities, there was nowhere to hide from the enemies, there was no one to ask for help and protection. Gladly howling aggr players had not lost anything – they were never allowed to settle in peaceful settlements before anyway. They were used to adversity. And now they are collecting an abundant bloody harvest, killing and plundering peaceful players who lost the opportunity to hide behind secure walls.

  "Locals" turned away from foreign players who had ceased to fulfill promises. The gates and doors were closing, the warriors in steel gloomily looking at impregnable walls, threatening death to any impudent person who dared to knock ... as it was a long time ago – in the first days of the game, when Valdira began to accept the first players. At that time, there were no established relations, and each step caused distrust of "locals". Now history repeated itself. While everything was not so bad, if you looked from under the clouds towards the rising black smoke of ruined settlements, the burnt fields and valleys ... if you looked, it all became clear – the worst was yet to come.

  “Attention! There is alert number two! The detachment of Malice has stumbled upon the enemy! There are hundreds of skeletons in strange seashell armor! There is a cemetery! A fight has begun!”

  "Oops ..." I uttered in utter confusion...

  “You can see ancient gravestones. We send the picture — please advise. Malice keeps the attack of three skeletons at once, but it is difficult for him. The skeletons look n
ormal, but their skulls are twice the size of normal. We are fighting with aliens!”

  “Got it. Need backup?”

  “Not required. We will manage ourselves. Since Baron did not ask for help, it is all the more sinful for us.”

  “Less bragging! More doing!”

  “No, boss, really we will manage – it just suddenly started.”

  “OK. Report every ten minutes. You have a maximum of five hours! Collect samples of weapons, minerals, and so forth under the "New Location" protocol.”

  “Sure.”

  “Good luck, fighters. We are waiting for you to come back in full force and with lots of loot.”

  By this time, Klest and Goldie had come to stand by my side and pierced me with their looks. Klest could not restrain himself, and asked impatiently:

  “Ros, and what is on the third islet? The one which we do not have time to visit?”

  "How should I know?"

  “I do not know how, but somehow you do ...”

  “I said it randomly! BB, do you believe me?”

  “Well, since I have not yet gone collecting flying fish — yes, I believe you,“ the Baroness held out. “Amazing guess, though... right up to the graves ...”

  “It is just the canon! A tropical island means that the creatures will be cannibals, obviously. If there are black gloomy clouds – it immediately suggests the undead, and other dark creatures – because they do not like sunlight. I just blurted it out based on the books I have read and the game experience. I guessed...”

  “Our analysts also predicted dark creatures on the island,“ agreed Goldie. “And the undead was the most likely option. They do not even need to think of an ecosystem, less trouble for the developers.”

  "Uh-huh." I nodded. "It is simple and easy. Take five hundred skeletons and ten Liches, put graves with empty coffins everywhere, hide jugs with gold somewhere and add stone gargoyles, black dead trees and an ominous whisper of the wind. You understand.”

  “We understand, we understand,“ Klest shook his head. “Five hundred skeletons, yes? How many Liches? Ten, you say?”

  “Are you kidding me?”

  “A normal coincidence. Goldie, tell them there are a few hundreds of skeletons! No less than ten Liches!”

  “Klest!”

  “I’m just having fun. Frightening them with a sinister joke, ha-ha-ha ....”

  “Sure,“ I was offended. I went to my corner of the bridge, sat down on a bench, threw a cloak over my shoulders, shook out the pages of the Messenger and continued reading.

  My thoughts involuntarily returned to the islands. Negligent populating. The undead was one of the easiest types of monsters to employ. They did not need an ecosystem because the ghouls either do not eat anything for centuries, or they eat those who they come across. And so, you do not have to worry and think through a food chain, like: worms eat the land mixed with guano, worms eat teddy bears, bears eat other bears, which likes to eat a long-eared bat that often enjoys living in the ground of guano ... With the undead, there is no need. Again, it was easy to think around the environment – an abandoned castle, an old cemetery, a deep burial ground located at the bottom of a foggy abyss or inside a hollow mountain ... add gold here and there, some blood stains, some quiet moans, and done...

  That was what they had done. I blurted it out at random, and had hit the target a second time. Now try to prove that you are not a spy ... but of course, there was nothing to prove.

  "We found the gold!" A jubilant cry came from the screen showing the second island, the one inhabited by the undead.

  “I knew it,” I growled fiercely, almost tearing the newspaper.

  “So what?” Shouted the BB in response, calling out from the bridge. “Do you not have enough money?! Why the hell do we need gold? Search for artifacts!”

  "The Ros factor," murmured Klest, and I moaned, giving myself a vow no longer to express wise opinions and not guess at the anything.

  Being a game legend gives you a good understanding of what it is like when people escalate details of your biography. For example, now there will be rumors that I am capable of making prophecies about future dangers. A lie, of course, but many can and will believe it.

  And I'm a little worried.

  Because literally an hour ago the Baroness casually mentioned that the next issue of the newspaper will be devoted, seventy per cent, to one Rosgard the Great Navigator. A solemn presentation of the Great Navigator to the multi-million-dollar gaming community. The remaining thirty percent of the space will go on to reflect on Valdira's important personage, the Black Baroness. The BB also said that, in principle, my secret was not that serious. The Bulletin would not reveal anything new or secret, only to convey information to the widest masses of the population.

  I wonder how Gosha and Vlas are doing, by the way..?

  For the rest of the day, nothing bad happened — there were only a few battles that surprised many, and made the Baroness call the analysts and scouts by very colorful terms. But it was nothing to be surprised at.

  Several very large cargo ships wandered into the path of some torpedoes. The speed of the unknown guests was so great, and their appearance so unexpected that there was no room to maneuver. Teams reacted, activated magic shields. But it did not help. The things under the water flashed upward, landing in the bellies of the cargo ships, breaking through the hulls through and revealing their needle-shaped snouts shining with metal, their long eyes that flashed and their diabolical grins.

  Splinters flew in all directions, and the explosion opened the hull even more. The seawater gushed in with a roar, and masts collapsed. Surviving members of the teams did not have time to say anything before a dozen very real ghosts emerged from the smoke in the place of the explosion — who, with mocking laughter and howls, began to tear the sailors and rigging to pieces. Soon, two ships sank to the bottom, and the ghosts still continued to fight. They killed all life – including algae and fish. The third ship survived due to the quickness and experience of the team, which started a fierce opposition.

  The joke was that none of the Sleepless clan had any information about such a miraculous weapon.

  Did they know about live torpedoes? Yes, they did. High-speed fish equipped with harpoons are not uncommon in the world of Valdira. They have long been used in sea battles.

  Did the Sleepless know about exploding living things? Yes. The same traditional thing. There are countermeasures.

  And about the ghosts using magic and sharp knives? Yes, we have heard of them. Seen them. Fought them.

  And about the combination of all of the above together? No. That was a weapon no one had ever heard of or expected. The most striking thing was their monstrous speed of movement, their maneuverability and the terrible force of the blow. Add to this their power reserve – the fish overcame several nautical miles before they reached the rear of the armada. And they came at such an angle that the espionage squads that barricaded around us did not have time to turn around and intercept the aggressors.

  Worse still, this was not a trump card of enemy forces. Otherwise, they would not do this so superfluously. That is, such torpedoes can be considered a standard armament of the enemy and soon the blows would be repeated and would continue to be a regular threat.

  Baroness posed several questions loudly, with curses and gestures that did not promise anything good for the personal lives of analysts.

  Which clan did the ultra-torpedoes belong to? Or did they belong to several? How? What were the names?

  It smelled of either ancient magic or sudden innovation. If such mega-weapons are so easily and simply used to strike at cargo ships, what other super gears are hidden in the arsenal of an unknown enemy?

  Frightened analysts promised to quickly find out everything, and the embittered BB sat up on the main mast and silently looked at the horizon ahead. It seemed to calm her nerves ... She stayed there for the rest of the day, because nothing more happened.

  Then the fighters from the is
lands returned with a pile of trophies and a bunch of fascinating stories. Everyone was happy except Kaylen – she had no time. The girl sat cross-legged, zealously scribbling a magic pen in a magic book. I suppose, she wrote a new article for Bulletin...

  And something else ... Roska and Tyrant returned safely! As it turned out, Tyrant was able to slip into the ships sent from the islands. He simply jumped overboard with the wolf and swam after the mammoth Kolyvan. Orbit did not lose his head and took command. As a result, they came to the beach first. As soon as the sand stirred, Orbit immediately returned the mammoth, the wolf and Roska back into the water. On the beach, Kiso jumped out, and was immediately picked up in the muscular arms of the huge native. Personally, at that time, I was glad nothing was reported to me. I would have likely rushed out and tried to save the child…

  And I had only myself to blame. The goddess grew and grew, and I never spoke with her. I was alarmed by another detail — there had been no alert from the gaming system that my daughter was moving very far from me. Not the slightest mention. Why? And where was the message that my own pet swam to the islands? Valdira remained silent here, as well ... There was something to think about.

  Everyone kept talking about the results of the trip. The ships were clogged with trophies. Everyone was talking about the battles that occurred on the island. Malice and the Baron stood facing each other, arguing about whose island was more dangerous, whose fights were bloodier, who was more cruel – the undead or the ogres, what was more mysterious – the oldest crypt with a black stone in the shape of a skull the jungle with an abandoned temple entangled with vines.

  There were scout deaths — you could not do without them, though, and everything cost only a little blood. The huge combat experience of the recruits played a role, and, one could not underestimate the power of such monsters as Baron, Malice, and many others.