“What are you talking about?” The Baroness is always on target.
“I will tell you some very hot information,” I said. “I want, in return, all the information that you have about the divine hell.”
“Tantarial?”
“Yes. Full records. With the same story I take away the debt of Malice’s past, present and future help— and for helping me raise the volume of my mana. And finally - I want you to know why a player Dort Viderrr tried to kill me recently. He is an aggr.”
“What is the strangeness? Aggrs kill.”
“That boy is usually not very eloquent. The group has reason to attack me. But the fact is that, when we, almost at the same time, appeared on the revival plate, he cursed me out, but just once, and then let me go away quietly.”
“So what?”
“It's too little. For him, at least. At first I did not pay attention, but now I cannot stop thinking about it. I finally figured out- he was happy, although he tried to hide it. And he was not looking at me in the face, but in the neck and shoulder.”
“And?”
“He was hitting me there with his pathetic weapon,” I said. “When we fell off of the Rock in an embrace. Meaning - will you check me?”
“Yes. I am interested too. Tantarial - there you go again, Ros. But fine - if the information is worth it to you. The same thing about Malice. I will pay him to pay for the work with real money. He will be happy to make it. But only if the information is worth it. Well?”
By this time, the Baroness had been joined by two more players. She did not stop them. Then they were trusted by her. Okay, fine.
“Right now, about two hundred war ships are making their way to one place in the ocean,” I began to speak.
“Where?” Interrupted one of the “henchmen".
“Do not interrupt!” I interrupted, and he shut up. “The ships belong to several clans. Why exactly - I do not know. But that's not all. Below them are still two hundred more of ships - if living dinosaurs and sharks can be called ships. The Achilot fleet.”
“Go on,” nodded the Baroness, who looked like a panther ready to pounce.
“If you do not know about it, they are not exactly your allies,” I added.
“I know,” confirmed the Baroness. “Go on!”
“All ships are under a powerful magic veil. And they are all going to one small point called the Kvantonsky Crevice.”
“Fuck ….” breathed another player and the Baroness leaned forward.
“Kvanton?!”
“Yes. Shall I go on?”
“Yes.”
“What's strange, or worse, is that about an hour ago a huge red crab ran to the Kvantonsky Crevice, followed by Krabbers and Achilots. And then, without stopping, crashed there. Straight into the abyss.”
“Digratsy?!”
“Yes,” I said. “The fallen god. Half of his escort remained on the edge, and continue singing their songs - although I cannot imagine how you can sing in chorus underwater. They lit up mysterious blinking blue lights. Arranged a lot for him. There were lots of weapons. Many magical auras. The overall impression is that the whole crowd is gathered there, waiting for his appearance. This is the info. Does that cover the cost of what was requested by me?”
“If it is correct— I owe you!” Said the head of the Sleepless. “What is your source?”
“Divine,” I said. “Everything is accurate. I do not know what you will do with it.”
“Tell the analysts. Inform the allied navies. Let flagship go there,” ordered the Baroness, and her henchmen disappeared. “Ros, are you free? Do you want to take a ride on the ship?”
“Are you aware that my Navigator skills will activate? I am staying away from ships.”
“That’s what I am relying on,” the Baroness’ gaze was level. “You will understand what it is to stand on the bridge of a flagship.”
“They will know my name.”
“There is a risk. But we will give you a disguise. A masking spell.”
“Fine,” I nodded. “Right now?”
“Almost. In a few minutes.”
Turning, the Baroness cried the other players, who had already understood- something interesting was afoot.
“Anyone who is free - all aboard the flagship! And Malice, to me. Did he sink those ships?”
“Tell him to come! And the trio of battle mages! Give each of them some crystal mana pots. Assign five supporting mages to each. Where is Scarlet Leopard?”
“In the “real” world.”
“Call him! Even those who are experiencing Decay! Ros, come with me!”
I hurried after the girl, eagerly inquiring:
“Is it due to the fleets that we’re in such a hurry? Or because of Digratsy?”
“Both. But the priority - the cargo of Digratsy.”
“Cargo?” I thought.
“You're asking about Tantarial.”
“Yeah.”
“And you asked the divine source about it? About the Gods in hell?”
“Yes.”
“So he left you to it. Or she? Snessa?”
“Herself.”
“Kvanton is directly related to Tantarial. A passageway for the achilots— the easiest of all. I do not remember all, only excerpts .... it is somewhere in the middle that it says… my memory is already full…”
We hurried on, and she read on the go, in a singsong voice:
Kvantonsky’s darkness is deep and terrible
There is a hidden secret
Under a layer of saline water in the dark
On the rocky bottom, among formidable creatures,
Lies a quivering bundle of light
To show you the way!
But every achilot should remember—
That light is the only joy
For all who live in the abyss of darkness.
The ray of light in a dark eternal kingdom
Dilutes the bitter darkness.
Do not be crushed by the water
Do not be torn to pieces
Do not get lost in the eternal darkness.
See the light at the end of the road
Reach the bottom … but the path of Kvanton
Cannot be found by anyone ...
“I do not remember the rest. But I will give you the info. The bottom line is - there is something important at the bottom. Some even saw it, but could not get it. Although some of the achilots were able to reach the bottom of Kvanton.”
“Right,” I nodded again, remembering the painting in the taverns and hotels, where a player called “Ichthyander” reaches his hand to the bottom of Kvanton.
“The bottom of the place resembles a crowded fish tank. Only instead of fishes, there are creatures, which multiply and devour one another at an incredible speed. And for them, the clot of light - it is not only joy, as written in the cheesy rhyme. It is a kind of catalyst. A magical reactor, the core of magic - according to our analysts. You understand?”
“Not really,” I confessed. “But is this part of the key to Tantarial?”
“Yes. But this is ridiculous! It is a catalyst for all the underwater monsters! It's like the Holy Grail for achilots!” Barked the Baroness furiously. “If they could get to the light, their own submarine fleet would be strengthened so much! Nothing would be left of the fleets on the surface! Only chips swaying on the water! Mother of God! We fucked up again! And how! Previously, they could not get to it - although they tried- because Kvanton’s protection was extremely powerful, and these creatures would destroy just about anything, and anyone. But that was before! And now they have thrown in a beast!”
“Digratsy,” I guessed at last. “Shit… They dropped the mad king crab into Kvanton.”
“Precisely. And Digratsy would be able to get to it! Because that is Digratsy’s home! Something to eat, and enough cold for him to thrive in! And if can they control him to any extent, that crazy thing will pick up the LIGHT with its claw and pull it up - which will immediately strengthen the
ships of the achilots! Shit!… Get ready, Ros - time for you to lead the battleship!”
“I will lead it, I will lead it,” I puffed. “Where are we going? No more teleport scrolls?”
“We are going to a stationary portal,” explained the Baroness. “Did Snessa say anything else to you, Ros? Anything?”
“She did,” I confessed. “She whispered a lot of things. “She said tomorrow, the Gray Orcs would attack the village of bog creatures placed in Stinking Swarms. The attack will take place tomorrow at around noon, and it marks the beginning of the arrival of thick fog. She did not ask me anything directly, but I got the hint.”
“Do not go,” said the Baroness.
“You do not like bog-creatures?”
“Funny folk. Terribly vindictive. I will send two troops of clan fighters. They will help lessen the impact a little, and I would not mind boosting our popularity there a bit. And before Snessa. It is necessary for us to atone a bit for our old sins.”
“Okay. Increase popularity and atone for sins,” I said with relief, because all my thoughts were now focused only on Tantarial.”
“Thank you. I owe you one. Do you have any requests?”
“Mm-m .... something really nice for a lady-paladin,” I suggested.
“Let's see what there is in the arsenal. Was anything else mentioned your divine source?”
“That your brother’s skills of deceit and trickery are comparable to her brother’s.”
“That’s true.”
“Deceit? Isn’t that kind of a bad character trait …?”
“It comes from his dad,” snorted the Baroness. “I got your message about my brother - Malice passed it on. And about our meeting in the real world. I am glad you finally decided to do it, Ros. It is high time.”
“To see you in real life?” I smiled. “Yeah. It is high time I see the real face of an almost all-powerful clan leader.”
“Right. Anything else from Snessa?”
“Nothing.”
“And Tantarial? Given your crazy good luck, you might have found out something new.”
“Anything is possible,” I shrugged.
“So?”
“So where the teleport?”
“You are greedy after all, Ros.”
“I have not yet seen your compilation of information about the gods in hell,” I reminded the Baroness. “Perhaps you will just give me an envelope with a single sheet of an old paper, with the inscription "We do not know anything.”"
“You'll get everything about Tantarial. I am not going to fool around with someone whose actions sometimes lead to such surprising results— or who possesses what as our analysts have long referred to as the Roc Factor. Well, here we are. Ready? We will arrive on the hull of the combat ship.
“Let’s move,” I nodded, and stepped into a small oval room lined with glowing amber tiles.
“Through this teleport, his majesty of Algora arrives to the restaurant,” explained the Baroness. “And he leaves the same way. Like the other royals. The teleport works like a laser point, with a very clear targeting. This was one of the main reasons I wanted to buy a restaurant.”
“Nice.”
“Put this on,” said the Baroness, getting some clothes from a mahogany cabinet near the teleport. “Disguise.”
“Also from the royal shoulder?”
“Yes. He often likes to be discreet. The king of all races and worlds alike. He loves wine and blood, silk and steel, diamonds and gold, maidens and men, and has both a shocking reputation and complete anonymity.”
“Thank you for enlightening me. Interesting hat.”
“Let’s go.”
A flash. Soft, full of crystal chimes, am enjoyable play of colors. A breeze ran through my hair. Makes sense— even the teleports of kings are of a special VIP class.
The shrill cries of gulls.
The smell of salt.
The lapping of waves.
The steady wind blowing at my face.
The deck, swaying below my feet.
Creaking ropes and rigging. Sails…
Shrill whistles. The stamping of feet. Cheerful shouts.
I am on a ship ....
A gong drowned out the cries of birds and the lapping of the waves. A powerful voice clearly declared:
Ahoy! Raise the sails!
Navigator aboard!
The ship Sapphire Swift is announced as the flagship!
The ship Sapphire Swift gets a special flag!
The Ship Sapphire Swift gets a special trail, visible for three hours after its passing - any ship, raft, boat or other floating raft or underwater vessel can follow it. It can be seen from the air, but only from a height of two hundred meters at most.
The ship Sapphire Swift gets increased overall strength - 25%
The Ship Sapphire Swift gets greater strength parts - 25%
The Ship Sapphire Swift gets increased speed - 10%
The Ship Sapphire Swift gets enhanced maneuverability - 10%
The Ship Sapphire Swift receives an increase for the range of tools of any type - 10%.
The Ship Sapphire Swift gets increased fire resistance - 10%.
The Ship Sapphire Swift gets increased magic - by 10%. (Except for divine).
The Ship Sapphire Swift gets enhanced capacity - 20%.
The Ship Sapphire Swift gets increased passenger capacity - + 12 members of the team.
The Ship Sapphire Swift gets rainfall decrease - 15%.
The Ship Sapphire Swift gets increased range and viewing clarity from two positions - the choice of captain - by 25%.
The Ship Sapphire Swift gets increased range and viewing clarity from any capital - by 50%.
After a few deep breaths, I reread the very long text, realizing that I simply did not have time to read it all.
The Ship Sapphire Swift gets a set of specific actions abilities activated by command of the Great Navigator, or the captain of the ship.
The list of additional actions craft skills of Sapphire Swift:
Jerk Forward / Ram.
Possible frequency of activation - every six hours.
Description of the action: the flagship rushes forward at triple speed and goes one nautical mile, after which the speed drops. It can also ram into a neighboring ship. In this case, the ship maneuverability drops to fifty percent of the original. Damage to the flagship will be minor - ten percent of the total force of the impact.
Additionally, if the ship is destroyed, the ability to recharge will be reduced by half (minus three hours) when attacked through ramming. If the flagship goes "through" the attacked obstacle, its speed will start to decrease exponentially.
When ramming, the total weight of the ship is taken into account as well. Formulas for calculating the damage from stroke or triple speed may be requested by the Great Navigator and delivered to his address.
Howler.
Possible frequency of activation - every two hours.
Description of the action: when activated - (should be carried on board a special creature device) - the flagship will issue a special sound at tenfold power, at a distance of many tens of miles. All the ships of the home fleet instantly know the exact location of the flagship.
This is to be used in cases of thick fog, snow, rain and other weather conditions, or other modes of blocking visibility.
Attention! Howler will be heard by all vessels! But hostile and neutral ships will not get the location of the flagship.
Take down the sails!
Possible frequency of activation - every five hours.
Description of the action: sails will be instantly lowered / propellers will be stopped.
Raise the sails!
Frequency of the action - every five hours.
Description of the action: sailed will be instantly raised / propellers started.
And there was still a lot, lot more information! I had read only a small part! I did not immediately grasp the meaning of all of it.
“Who is th
e captain?” I asked, looking up from the reading and turning to the Black Baroness, who was pulling me up the broad staircase.”
“Me!”
“I hand over the controls to you as leader,” I said, giving over the controls.
“Got them.”
The head of the Sleepless did not take long to figure out the list, and immediately began from the beginning.
“Raise the anchor! Steer! Out of the harbor now! Look alive!”
“Aye-aye, Baroness! I mean— captain!”
A minute later, filled with the roar of falling chains and ladders, there was a new order:
“Team - raise the sails!”
The sails, a massive amount of fabric, was raised in just a second. Swift creaked and groaned under the strain, and then the deck of the warship shook and started forward, gaining speed with every moment.”
I climbed after the Baroness and ended up at the higher and ended at the bridge located on the rear of the giant flagship. There were many people here - and more were arriving. And most of them scattered in all directions - to their places.
“Aim at that fishing boat!” Cried the Baroness, and the ship veered slightly to the side, aiming for a lonely little boat upon which stood a slack-jawed player wielding a net.
“We will crush them!” Shouted someone with an overdose of adrenaline in his voice.
“Do not forget to compensate,” called someone else.
The ship approached the boat, and a new command was heard.
“Ram!”
And we surged forward like cowboys riding on a bull. Swift raised her nose and flew forward.
B-bah! The crash was not too loud, and then the boat of the angler was sinking. The ship continued to fly forward.
“Change the position of the sails! Proceed! Report to me about the readiness of impact! People! This is a dress rehearsal for battle! Do not fuck it up! And if you do, do not be offended if I make you stay on the beach.”
“Baroness! And what about those on the beach now?” Said a knight running by, poking a finger at the quickly diminishing port.
“What's there? Oh ... do not worry about them. They are too late. And now — Howler!”
The Way of the Clan 7 Page 25