Keymaster

by Sergey Zaytsev

  The door, which led into the Vale of the Seventh Seal creaked, and the familiar shaggy muzzle peeped into the gatehouse.

  “Here,” said Rawrk. “Go out.”

  All right, I had more important things to do, the experiment could wait. But, before getting out, I took care of the next consumable. I loaded the Altar with the ingredients need to create a Dimensional Door. The fear that things wouldn’t work without Tinnie being present was unwarranted. The Altar accepted the offering and the process began. Tinnie had definitely become a talisman for good reason. I guessed that I would craft the Key at the reserve Altar in the Citadel, after dealing with the Seventh Seal. And since I would get there only after a few hours, I would get both items at about the same time.

  We got out of the stone corridor and into the open. After the stagnant atmosphere of the gatehouse, the fresh air seemed almost cleansing. The Okhtans, having crawled through the workshop after me, were once again behind my back. Someone from their group cursed under his breath. And with good reason.

  Not counting Rawrk, twenty Raksh stood before us, all full-fledged warriors levels 25 to 29. Lined up in front of the entrance in two rows, still like statues, with their orange glares faced in our direction, they looked like a force to be reckoned with. They all looked so similar, so much so that it’d simply be impossible to distinguish them if not for the nicknames. Each warrior was armed with four daggers with a bone handle. Those intended for the upper limbs hung from the straps crossing the chest, while the other two were fixed on the belt together with an empty bag for loot and a flask with the Tincture — only the bare essentials, as it was their norm.

  Fury peeked from under my elbow, pushed me aside, and meowed restlessly when she saw so many strangers. Extremely pleased with himself, Rawrk looked at me full of pride.

  “Tell me, my furry friend,” I said quietly, “did you bring those who are ready to follow me, or is this just a delegation?”

  Rawrk cast a strict look at his men, as if he were the boss of a group of negligent subordinates, and then nodded importantly. His behavior changed a lot during his absence. Having appointed him as an intermediary between the Hunters and the Raksh, I, without knowing, raised his status in the eyes of his kin. And since his was now level 20, he had clearly received a reward for some hidden quest. In fact, the true leader of the group was a level 29 Raksh named Jarook; the crown icon in front of his name confirmed his status, but he didn’t seem to mind Rawrk’s being in charge.

  “Yes, sai,” he replied. “Warrior doesn’t love ask questions. Loves to act.”

  “Sai?”

  “In our language, respect. Elder.”

  “I get it. A respected elder. I’ll remember that. But you still need to work on your vocabulary. And how many of them are ready to join the Hunters?”

  Rawrk lifted his chin even higher. His eyes glimmered and whiskers trembled.

  “All of them!”

  It cost me a lot of effort to continue acting like a proper “respected elder.” My lips twitched eager to spread into an enthusiastic smile. Half a million free XP had just been home delivered to me. My increased Charisma and reputation were, figuratively speaking, regularly pouring water on the mill wheel of my XP. I turned to the Okhtans.

  “Caraster, you have a new task. Take Lail and a couple of other Kobi to the Citadel. The Fangores on the plateau have probably respawned by now. I don’t want the little ones to be attacked on their way there. If they can do on the second Altar what they did on the first, we’ll be one step closer to our goal.”

  “Are you sure that these furballs won’t rip your head off the moment we turn away?” Caraster grumbled, looking at the Raksh with long-standing hostility.

  I decided to send the Okhtans away for a good reason. Although they were incredibly fast, the Raksh were more suitable for long distances. With them by my side, I wouldn’t have to keep slowing Fury down, as I had to do on the way to the elevator. Besides, if the Raksh, being straightforward and simple creatures as demonstrated by Rawrk, took your side, they would rather die than betray. One couldn’t find better support than them.

  “I know that they won’t let us down,” I assured Caraster without any doubt.

  “Fine, human. Not a hair will go missing from the Kobi’s heads. You’ve my word.”

  “Perfect.” I jumped on Fury. Leveling Riding was not in vain, I felt more comfortable and stable on her than ever before. “Follow me, warriors. Let’s save your world.”

  Chapter 60

  The weather turned bad by noon.

  The darkened skies showered us with snowflakes, and the icy wind returned to torment us once more, chilling me to my very core. and trying to rip the hood off my head. If it weren’t for the Raksh, the location of the Seal on the map wouldn’t have helped reach its destination. The mountain terrain in this sector of Lunar Rainbow was difficult, confusing, and dangerous even for an experienced traveler. I had no illusions that I was a skillful mountaineer; this was my first time here, and I had no intention of returning. Even though we had a map and the guides, at times it was impossible to immediately understand where to go next or where to put your foot without risking falling into some hidden chasm. We were surrounded by steep walls, rocks jutting out of the snow and dips in the ground that were scattered around the place.

  I had no doubt that no outcast had never set foot here until now, and that completing this quest would last for several days without the help of the Raksh, and not hours, as was our case. After the weather worsened, we had no choice but to continue blindly, relying entirely on our guides and their animalistic senses. Sometimes disappearing from sight, their silhouettes would appear in the middle of the insane blizzard a couple of feet in front of us.

  Once again, faced with a particularly difficult part of the path, I jumped into the snow and let Fury run in front of me, entrusting the search for a safe passage to the Direcat and her sharp instincts. We moved on, climbing along the bed of a narrow gorge, which was littered with round boulders, rising one after another like steps that looked as if they were made by the rough hands of some giant. More than six hours of running, the bad weather and the difficult path seriously depleted everyone’s stamina, and we were all in need of rest. So whenever it was possible, I would jump off Fury’s back and run alongside, giving her a chance to rest.

  Rawrk immediately caught up and followed us closely, grumbling something under his breath in his native tongue. He made it a rule to look after me personally, acting as my bodyguard.

  Another hundred grueling jumps, climbs and runs later, the path began to level. I paused for a moment to catch my breath. Scooping up a handful of snow, I shoved it into my mouth. My throat was dry and I had long drank my last reserves of water, and I didn’t want to waste my Tincture.

  I looked around.

  My escort didn’t lag behind. Raksh silhouettes jumped over the stones, skillfully using all six of their limbs. While we were rushing at full speed over the flat areas Jarook, having noticed some mobs not far away, would sometimes disappear with a couple of his men to hunt. But they would always return, easily catching up with the rest of us. They were surprisingly quick.

  The chat suddenly came to life. Stinger’s voice distracted me, and I slowed down to avoid accidentally falling into some pit.

  “Wise? How’re you doing there? You’ve been silent as the grave for the last two hours.”

  “I have nothing to report yet. It’s all the same mountains, stones, snow, cold and wind. If the map is correct, we’ll soon get to the last Seal. What’s new in the Citadel? Have you got into a fight over there without me?”

  We were in the southern outskirts of Lunar Rainbow, some twenty miles from the Citadel. Before we left, I wondered how the clan chat would work if the maximum distance was only six miles. But I soon came up the solution. Even when exhausted, my brain still came up with ideas. One of the clan members was selected to hunt and scout within six miles from us, somewhere inside the Diamond Crown Valley; anothe
r one was at the same distance from him, and so on, all the way back to the Citadel, thus creating a chain of repeaters, expanding the capabilities of our clan and operational management.

  “Nah, everything’s quiet for now,” Stinger reassured me. “The outcasts, of course, are still suspicious; most of them never saw me before. But the guard duties in the Citadel are being carried out regularly. I’m starting to like these Okhtans. They say little, and work lot. They know what to do without any further clarification. Smart guys, they are, just a bit cranky, and their stare gives you goosebumps. By the way, Vial of Essence Reanimation at the first Altar is ready. Do I order a Vial of Soul Reanimation, like the one that’s being made at the Citadel?”

  “Just a sec.”

  The crafting timers were ticking away in the settings menu, updated in real time while remote communication was maintained. Good thing that Stinger reminded me. I was so focused on the road that I forgot all about it. Dimensional Door and Dimensional Key had long been obtained and put aside — I didn’t know yet what they were, but having them close at hand couldn’t hurt. Then we started crafting other items; anything could come in handy. But the main thing that we needed to do now was to accumulate more Vials of Soul Reanimation.

  The Kobi and their skills were useful, and the problem of accepting them into the clan suddenly solved itself. As soon as they found themselves in the Citadel and near Tinnie, they immediately became inflamed with the desire to join our ranks. Tinnie must’ve persuaded them in her own special way. Moreover, while I was running across the plains and mountains, another two dozen Raksh and three dozen Kobi arrived to the Shriek Plateau, waiting to be accepted. Upon my return, I was awarded a fuckton of XP, even though I had already gained a lot thanks to the Raksh.

  To top it off, I also got an unexpected achievement.

  New achievement unlocked: It’s Over Fifty!

  You have successfully recruited fifty new members to your clan in one day!

  Reward: Charisma +2 (12); +50% of current level XP (171,380); +0.5 saves (4.65)

  I could surpass Stinger pretty soon.

  Poor Stinger... He needed a month to rise to level 22, and while fighting for his life every day! I was just insanely lucky to have been in the right place, at the right time, to have gotten a unique clan achievement, and to have solved a rather simple riddle. Well, it seemed simple now when everything was over. It was probably hard for many to watch my levels skyrocket. But everyone was silent, keeping their discontent to themselves since my success benefited them. I felt that failure wouldn’t be forgiven. There were many ways to deal with those who don’t live up to expectations, the Lowlings’ story being just one example.

  I didn’t hurry to distribute my free stats. I don’t like to things in a hurry. And the six new levels accumulated me a fair amount of goodies. Also, starting from level 20 the system automatically awarded +3 to all five basic stats and +15 points for free distribution each level. In addition, Runner reached rank 3, and I was again offered the choice to take 25 points of stats, or 25% of my current level XP, which was 85,690.

  I didn’t think long. If the tendency to increase with each ten levels taken remained, then I’d have 50 stat points by level 40+. Against this, 25 points was nothing. And all of this XP was a bunch of quests that I wouldn’t have to do, or dozens of mobs that I wouldn’t have to kill. Farming and questing were essential parts of the game mechanic, but I wasn’t too comfortable playing the very tedious role of a butcher, so I’d rather take advantage of any opportunity to gain XP through quests that weren’t related to killing, thus avoiding wasting energy and time, and risking unnecessarily. Moreover, with my current stats, a couple dozen points wouldn’t save me in a critical situation. But a level increase would boost my chances, allowing me to fight on equal terms with stronger creatures, and survive in more difficult conditions. Also, the new level itself would increase some of my points. Not to mention that the quest’s description hinted at the importance of levels, but said nothing about stats. So, I chose XP.

  As a result, I now had in my “piggy bank” 85 stat and 12 skill points. I was now level 23 and had 68,950 out of 411,320 XP. My HP and energy automatically rose to 1,140 and 880, respectively. A half-kick wouldn’t kill me now. I was too tough for Arkoosh and his Racial Trick. Wise, that’s all water under the bridge now.

  “Is Chzher being too stingy with the socs?” Snapping out of my thoughts, I made three jumps along an almost sheer slope until I got to a new “step.” Dozen or so more of such obstacles lay ahead, consumed by the snowy whirlwind.

  “A courier just delivered a weighty bag from the Fortress. By the way, the resurrection of two dozen human players is on its way, per your agreement with the Dalrokts. Mashta personally chose the lucky winners. I hope that she wasn’t mistaken, and that her list contains capable people. They haven’t forgotten Chula, don’t worry. But this reinforcement won’t arrive soon, just so you know. Many of them died several times, and each death increases the period of resurrection, and we must also take the Phases into account, so… Two to three days.”

  “Too bad, but nothing can be done about that.”

  “When you come back, we’ll choose some normal armor for you, you won’t have to invent anything new for now. The Dalrokts opened all the vaults. A whole caravan with weapons and other gear arrived. I’ve already picked something for myself. You won’t be left out, I’ll take care of it personally. So what about the Altars?”

  “We don’t change anything. We may need Soul Reanimation in the near future. The more, the better.”

  “Well, vsr it is then”

  “Sorry?”

  “Vial of Soul Reanimation. People shortened the name, it’s too long. Everyone’s eager to get their hands on it, too. Won’t hurt to have a stock of it.”

  “People shortened it?” I grunted. “For some reason it seems to me that this is your doing. Is Vial of Essence Reanimation a ver? And what about the Vial of Soul Exchange Sacrifice? Is that a vser? Is it? Seriously?”

  “Okay, okay, I got it, sheesh.”

  “If you need to shorten the names so badly, say Reanimators and Sacrificers. It’ll be easier to figure out which one is for players and which is for pets. Moreover, I’m the only one with pets here.”

  “Quit your grumbling. I’m on my way to the elevator...”

  “You’re needed in the Citadel as the officer. Why isn’t the clan chat enough for you? Just pass the order...”

  “I’m bored here, I want to stretch my legs. I’ll go myself.”

  “As you wish. What’s Mashta doing?”

  “Resting. She’ll be going to Madogost, so she’s discussing something with her guys. I’m not going to bother them. They followed Chzher’s example and loosened their purses. They brought all of their hidden goods to the Citadel. A couple of interesting rings await you, as a present and an apology.”

  “Does that mean that they’re with you now?”

  “You don’t need to fear the Lowlings, they’re not complete assholes after all. They want to escape as much as we do. It was Chzher who told them to be here. He sent them to protect the walls, since the outcasts have no other shooters.”

  “Reasonable. It somehow slipped my mind. Too many things going on.”

  “That’s what the team is for,” Stinger said philosophically. “What you forget, another will remember.”

  “How’s Marana?”

  “She stuck on the bridge between the towers, overlooking the neighborhood. She chose the role of the sentinel herself. She seems calm, but when I look at her, I constantly feel like I’m looking at a ticking time bomb, despite the fact that we periodically make her smoke the pipe that you so graciously left at the CC.”

  “CC? Control Center?”

  “Yeah.”

  “You and your abbreviations... You’re an abbrevianiac.”

  “Hey, I’m doing my best,” he grunted.

  “And the Dions? Did they even appear?”

  “You should’ve
seen it. They’ve made an entire parade: armor, brand spears, the whole shebang. But they never came more than two miles close, the damn horses... I personally went to meet them, wanted to chat about mutual interests and all, but as soon as I tried to get close, they turned around and left at full gallop. I obviously couldn’t have caught up with them, you can’t really negotiate while running and shouting.”

  “Is it because you lack Charisma?”

  “Chzher also tried, with the same result, and he has more than enough Charsima. They also shun the Raksh. Enmity isn’t so easy to forget, it seems.”

  “Let’s try it another way. Send Lail. They’ll not run away from a Kobi. Let Lail pass on our offer of cooperation. We have to join forces, and quickly. Old feuds between the outcasts, the Raksh and the Dions will have to wait. And if they absolutely can’t live without fighting, they can settle it once we get out of here. We now have a common enemy — the Creepoars.”

  “Maybe that’s why they keep running away? You did take a Succubus into the clan. She sticks out too much. Even a blind man would see her. And only a complete dumbass wouldn’t figure out what she is. If I were a Dion, I, too, would have my doubts.”

  “I don’t regret taking her in.”

  Chapter 61

  I jumped up to the next step and moved on, following the track trodden by the guides. Rawrk immediately picked up his pace so that he’d stay in front of me, his hairy back never leaving my sight. I envied the Raksh — with such a luxurious fur one had no need for warm clothes, saving themselves quite a lot of effort and Crystals.

  “There’s no doubt that Marana is an excellent acquisition as a fighter,” Stinger agreed gloomily. “But it’s because of her that there may be problems with our future plans. Not everyone is willing to tolerate a Creepoar after centuries of fighting. Everyone’s at each other’s throats already, even without her...”