The Road East (Epic LitRPG Adventure - Book 2) (Fayroll)

by Andrey Vasilyev

  “How high?”

  “For Level 170 and higher.”

  I whistled. “That’s quite the valuable scroll,” I couldn’t help but notice. “It’s more a weapon you can use to rule the world, and certainly not something people exchange for set items.”

  “Oh, please,” grunted Gedron. “That’s not the kind of person you are—I can see that. Or do you think you’re the only one who would have stopped to talk back in that dungeon? You’re slick, I’ll give you that, but you aren’t just some unscrupulous jerk. Plus, I didn’t have to tell you about the scroll. So is it a deal?”

  I thought about it and figured that we reap what we sow, and sometimes many times over. “Deal. Open your exchange.”

  I sent him the ring, which I’d picked up before heading over to the dukhan.

  “The agreement has been completed, and I return this signet ring to Gedron, the Elder. The Wild Hearts and their leader have fairly repaid the debt they owed me,” I said loudly and solemnly.

  “Thanks.” Gedron walked over and shook my hand. “You were obviously using us to take care of a problem you had, and I figure you probably had a hidden quest, but thanks anyway. And, remember that the Wild Hearts are waiting for you. Oh, and one more thing: if anything else like this comes up for you, just let us know.”

  “You’ll join just for the fun of it?”

  “Of course not—for a small share.” Gedron laughed happily, and I joined him.

  “Your people won’t give you any trouble about the medallion? Throwing it away and all that…”

  “That’s my problem.” Gedron glanced over at lighthearted clanmates with a satisfied look on his face. “Where are you going now?”

  “I have things to do. You know how it goes…” I answered evasively.

  He wasn’t the kind of person I wanted to be sharing my plans with. Of course, he was already an ally, and we had a good relationship, but still… Trust in God, but tie your camel.

  It was a shame that I passed up my fifty-fifty chance of getting that scroll, but sometimes you need to think of things besides greed. Gedron was a smart guy. He could count, and he knew he owed me one—his official debt may have been paid off, but he knew he still owed me after that deal. The Hearts are in the North now, so that might come in handy. I’ll probably be heading up that way sooner rather than later. I was pretty sure my next wonderful little dryad friend would be in the North.

  I walked down the hill to where everyone was still busy hugging and pulled up the internal messaging system. There was one more thing I had to take care of.

  Elina, hi. Are you online?

  I didn’t have to wait long for an answer.

  Yes. What happened this time?

  To me? Nothing. Something happened that everyone’s going to be talking about tomorrow.

  You’re scaring me. What’s going on?

  It’s a lot to write. Maybe I should stop by? I can tell you the whole thing.

  I’ll be waiting for you.

  I pulled out my portal scroll and was about to use it when I clapped my forehead. I hadn’t stopped to see what I’d gotten from Mandiblefighter besides the dryad’s soul. I started with the helmet.

  Tradon Helmet

  One of the few items left behind in Fayroll by the Tradon tribe, who, at one point, lived on the Gruskat Plateau before leaving to follow the True Noon.

  Protection: 440

  +16 to strength

  +15 to stamina

  +13% chance of parrying opponents’ blows

  +9% chance of stunning an opponent for 10 seconds

  This item is hard to damage.

  Class limitation: only warriors

  Durability: 380/380

  Minimum level for use: 47

  Not a bad helmet, though my Snake King Helmet was better. Still, I decided I would keep it in my chest rather than sell it. And what about that medallion?

  I was about to check it out when my eye caught something strange. A small wind kicked the sand up around the hill, though there were two small spots that interrupted the smooth lines. Somebody had been standing there. Somebody, it looked like, with very hairy feet.

  I didn’t suspect Gedron for a second—he had no motive. We’d also parted on good terms, so he had no reason to come after me. Sure, he knew I had a hidden quest, and a nice one at that if we I was summoning monsters like Mandiblefighter, but he had other things to worry about. His clan was on the rise. Maybe he’d come back to me in a few months, but not before then. Judging by the nasty looks he’d been giving me, chances were it was his security guy. Okay, I’ll take care of you. Just let me check out the medallion first.

  Black Widow Medallion

  Made for Master Sam, a heroic snake-fighter, in honor of his victory over Tu-Shu, an enormous arachnid.

  From the Spider’s Sting set

  Set includes:

  Black Widow Medallion

  Black Widow Ring

  Protection: 340

  +18 to agility

  +24 to intellect

  +18% protection from poison

  +14% light damage

  +17% damage done with piercing weapons

  +8% mental resistance

  Durability: 880/900

  Minimum level for use: 65

  Class limitation: unlimited

  Can only be equipped with 55+ intellect.

  Cannot be stolen, lost, or broken.

  The following bonuses are unlocked by using the full set:

  1 random class ability

  +20% movement speed

  +15% chance of finding hiding places and treasure

  A great item, to be fair, but meaningless for me. Although, on the other hand, there’s no such thing as a meaningless item. There are just items you haven’t figured out how to use yet.

  Okay, my inquisitive scout friend. It’s show time.

  I opened my portal and set my arrival point as the Thunderbirds’ clan fortress. I wonder what kind of alarm system they have for unwelcome visitors.

  There turned out to be no such alarm system. A stupid scout named Vikky, though, was bereft of his ability to blend into the shadows when he turned up right in the middle of the fortress courtyard surrounded by a dozen of our veterans and, to add insult to injury, a bewildered Elina.

  “Hagen, who’s your friend?” she asked me.

  “Oh, he’s no friend of mine, he just decided to come along for the ride apparently.” I was enjoying the situation.

  Vikky tried to use his ability, but there appeared to be some sort of magic block around the clan fortress. Realizing the futility of his efforts, he froze and peered around with a hunted look on his face. What he saw was a group of kind, smart, and honest players who were starting to slowly and inexorably hem him in.

  “Run, little boy,” I said. “While you still have the chance.”

  Vikky squeaked, slipped between somebody’s legs, and shot off like a bullet for the open gates. He melted off into the field on the other side of the walls. Once he’d gotten far enough away from the hooting and hollering of my clanmates, we saw a portal flash open.

  “And now could you explain what all that was about?” asked Elina.

  “Certainly, madam. Right here or in your office?”

  “Let’s go, Mr. Chivalry.” She sighed, and we walked into the fortress.

  I had only been there twice, and not for a while, so there was no outpouring of emotions resulting from being back home.

  “You don’t come by very often,” said Elina, as if reading my thoughts.

  “Ah, so much to do.” I sighed sincerely. “Not a spare minute.”

  “True. The storm, getting married, and who knows what else?” responded Elina in agreement.

  I nodded. It was true.

  Finally, we arrived at Elina’s office. I noted that it was fairly small and plainly decorated—she was impartial in her tastes, I concluded.

  “You thought I’d have trophies on the walls and piles of gold?” She smiled. “No, I l
ike it simple.”

  “No, nothing like that,” I answered. “I already figured out that we’re a more ascetic clan.”

  “Does your tongue ever stop wagging?” Elina frowned. “It’ll get you in trouble one of these days.”

  “There you go getting angry for nothing. I may crack my jokes, but I have information for you. And a present, too.”

  I pulled out the medallion and handed it to Elina. She glanced at it and stared at me.

  “Where did you get this?”

  “Gedron gave it to me. After the show.”

  “What show? Can you please just explain everything that happened like a normal person without all your wisecracks and double meaning?” She was starting to lose her cool. “It’s impossible to talk with you!”

  I sat down in a chair near the table and gestured for Elina, who was shocked at how forward I was being, to sit down in another, before beginning my story. Except for the part where Gedron invited me to watch the raid or even participate in repayment of my debt and to get back his ring, it was identical to the truth. I also added in that we’d flipped for the item I’d just shown Elina. As an unpleasant person once said, the crazier the lie, the easier it is to believe it.

  I wasn’t sure how much Elina believed my tale, though she listened with interest.

  “Of course, you didn’t think to record all of that,” she said when I finished.

  “It wasn’t that I didn’t think to,” I answered in an effort to regain some of my standing. “I was afraid to. Who knows what they would have thought? They were looking at me like I was the plague as it was.”

  “Well, obviously, after the battle… So, it looks like the Wild Hearts are back from the dead.” The little mistress of a large fortress left the room, giving me an order as she did. “Sit there and don’t move a muscle.”

  She was back soon. “Let’s go.”

  “Go where?” I asked reasonably.

  “Where we’re supposed to go.”

  “Where is that? I’m not supposed to go anywhere. I’m hungry and tired, so I’m just supposed to be going home.” I had guessed where she was taking me and balked at the prospect. It wasn’t a horrible idea, though I was certainly not in a hurry…

  “You can wait; we all want to go home. Here, have a biscuit.” She put a biscuit in one of my hands and pulled me away by the other.

  We quickly walked back down the same corridors we’d just traversed. Out in the square, Elina opened a portal and quite literally dragged me inside. Let me tell you, the fortress—well, more of a castle, really—the Hounds of Death called home was monumental and built to last centuries. The high walls of the outer circle were made out of enormous boulders, while it almost looked as if the inner castle was made out of a single piece of stone. The courtyard was enormous. As soon as we walked out of the portal, a young man wearing the Hounds’ colors came over to us.

  “Milady Elina?” he asked.

  “Exactly.” She bowed her head slightly in assent.

  “The mistress is waiting for you and your companion. Follow me.”

  He walked toward the fortress with us in tow, leading us down hallway after corridor after passageway. Judging by what could only have been an incredibly circuitous route, I wondered if the young man in front of us worked as a taxi driver in real life.

  Finally, we stopped in front of a massive oak door. He knocked.

  “Yes?” came the answer.

  “Mistress, Elina the Wise, clan leader of the Thunderbirds, and a companion named Hagen are here,” our guide barked out sharply.

  “Send them in.”

  We entered an office that also had very little luxury to speak of. In contrast to Elina’s complete lack of décor, however, there were a few decorations. It was elongated, with a massive table at one end that had the Gray Witch on one side and two chairs on the other. Two cabinets and a couch rounded out the furniture. There were two swords and a staff hanging on one of the walls. On the same wall, was a board covered in at least fifteen pendants featuring some kind of emblems. Behind the Gray Witch, was another board, though it had only five pendants—one of them, I noticed, was our clan’s. On the next wall, was yet another board covered in pendants. I was pretty sure I knew what the boards were for.

  “Good afternoon.” Elina curtsied, her arms stretching out to either side.

  “Greetings!” I followed her lead with a bow.

  “Oh, come on, my friends, forget the formalities,” said the Gray Witch, who remained seated with a happy smile. “Sit down. I’m very glad to see you. Hagen, I see you recognize the Fayroll heraldry?” The Witch gestured to one of the boards with her chin.

  “Yeah, it’s interesting. That’s your list of conquests?” I pointed to the board with a few pendants.

  “Yep,” the Gray Witch said proudly before gesturing to the wall behind her. “And these are our friends.”

  “And these are the ones you’re not sure about.” I waved at the third wall.

  “Exactly,” said the Witch with a laugh. “So, what are you up to this time, my irrepressible friend?”

  “Well, I went to see Mandiblefighter,” I answered lightly. “Remember the big spider that used to be around?”

  “Yes. But nobody’s seen him for quite some time if I’m not mistaken.”

  “Somebody has,” I responded. “I got quite a good look at him just half an hour ago.”

  “Where was that?”

  “By Makh-Talag, an abandoned city.” I gestured behind me. “In the East.”

  “What was he doing there?”

  “How should I know? Gedron invited me…”

  Once again, I wove my slightly altered tale. The Gray Witch listened with keen interest, not interrupting me once or asking any questions, though it was hard to tell from her face what she thought of the whole thing.

  When I finished, she sat across from me for a whole minute without saying a word. Her fingers drummed on the table. “So Gedron,” she said finally, “invited you himself?”

  “Yup. We met in Selgar at that one-eyed Ibrahim’s place. He offered me an exotic trip to see an elite monster and some kind of bonus in exchange for the ring.”

  “Yes, that was a good ring,” continued the Witch thoughtfully. “Elina, I think it was from the Fistandantilus set. Is that right?”

  “Exactly right, mistress,” my clan leader responded.

  “So, the ring in exchange for the chance to see that and a few free levels—an even trade, I’d say. How many levels did you jump, Hagen?”

  “Two.”

  “I was right. And, what was the thing he gave you?”

  “Things, mistress,” I said, ignoring how Elina’s face twitched. She’s only seen one, after all.

  “Which?” The Witch wasn’t looking at me. “A decent helmet, elite—not for the clan,” I said, glancing at Elina. Her face was stony. “And a set medallion.”

  “He gave you something for a set?”

  “Yes, though it isn’t anything special without the other half of the set.” Elina jumped into the conversation handing the Gray Witch what we were talking about.

  The latter looked it over. “Agreed. The limitations and attributes aren’t great. On the other hand, if you paired it with the ring, which we have in our clan storehouse, it wouldn’t be bad at all for a mage below Level 100.”

  “You have the second item?” asked Elina with surprise.

  “Yes, we have quite a few things,” the Gray Witch answered unflappably. She rang a small bell on the table, and the young man we’d come with appeared.

  “Flavio, my friend,” the Witch said to him, “please go to our clan storehouse and bring me the Black Widow Ring.”

  “I’ve never seen a complete set,” I said.

  “You’re about to,” answered the Gray Witch with a smile. “Easy-peasy.”

  A few minutes later, Flavio came back with a small box containing a signet ring that featured a spider carved into a stone. He placed it on the table. Elina put the medall
ion next to it.

  “And there’s the set,” the Witch said. “The smallest one in Fayroll, though, I think there are two or three more with just two items. Lichtenshtain’s equipment, nightshade, and something else.”

  “I think our clan would be happy to give you this medallion as a symbol of our friendship,” pronounced Elina stiffly.

  “Quite the contrary,” answered the Witch. “The ring is the weaker item in the set, and the party with the better item gets the whole thing. That isn’t our rule; you know that. So, I insist you take the ring. I would love to see you wear the set personally, in fact.”

  Elina wasn’t about to argue and instead bowed to the Gray Witch in thanks.

  The Witch turned back to me. “Well, my friend, did Gedron mention where he’s holed up now?”

  “Yes, he did,” I answered. “He’s in the North now, closer to the ice. He said it’s quieter there.”

  “Good choice,” the Witch answered. “I think he’ll probably lay low for another half a year, though people are going to start joining his clan after that victory. What do you think, Elina?”

  “Of course they will, but they’ll mostly be lower-level players. He’ll have to train them, so I think he’ll keep his distance for at least a year.”

  “Why did you come running to us, Hagen?” The Gray Witch changed the subject. “We would have heard about everything tomorrow, no? Maybe even today.”

  “Yes, and then you would have come after me wondering why I hadn’t said anything,” I said with a laugh. “I was better off telling you right away.”

  “Good point!” The Witch laughed with me. “That we would have. Did Gedron say anything about us?”

  “Not that I heard, but why would he share anything like that with me? He even sent a scout after me to see where I’d go.”

  The Gray Witch glanced quickly at Elina, who nodded.

  “Well, once again you’ve made me a happy camper,” said the Witch, rubbing her hands. “I should spend more time with you, what with all your adventures! Some people play this game for years without ever having anything to write home about. You’re definitely pushing right on ahead; you’re already up to Level 48.”

  “I do my best, mistress. The higher your level, the better!” I said briskly.

  “Agreed. That’s how I was, too. So, where are you going now?”