by Sergei Katz
We managed to get out of the quagmire a couple of minutes before the end of the symbiosis. A map of our journey appeared before my eyes soon afterwards. To be honest, I was shocked! The map showed that the path we took for the first four hours could be described as being lost in a labyrinth: it showed that we mapped out quite an interesting path as we tried to visit every hill.
— Alex, do you happen to remember how we got to the first hill? — I asked the boy, who was resting under a tree.
— Yes, sort of accidentally ... We were immediately caught by two packs of wolves, and we fought with them, constantly on the retreat, — Alex replied.
— So, it really seems that we were incredibly lucky. By the way, do you have a map? — I asked Alex, curious to find out if the characters in the game actually had maps, or navigated in a different manner.
— Of course I have one! — Said Alex.
— Then take a look at our path before we started walking from hill to hill.
— Wow! We seemed to have been bewitched!
— That’s true. It seems to me that we needed either some sort of amulets, or protective magic. Did the hunters tell you anything about this? — I asked him.
— No, — thinking about it for a moment, the boy answered, — we never talked about the quagmire.
— Well, then as soon as we get back you can try to find out some information, — I sighed, — because we could have been stuck there for eternity. We even had to stand on top of a hill to find our way out of the quagmire.
— Yeah, — the boy agreed. His face turned pale as he now imagined being stuck in the quagmire forever.
— It’s all over now, — I reminded the boy. — We did what we set out to do, and now we can enjoy the acidic expression on the face of our bald, cunning friend.
At the mention of the trader, a smile returned to the boy's face.
CHAPTER 15:
SOMETIMES IT IS JUST
THE BEGINNING
We decided to stop for a break. Alex showed me how to build a fire with the help of the fire crystals. Also, he explained to me which tree branches were best suited for a fire without smoke, as well as which ones to burn when you needed to produce smoke. Although there were only pine trees around, depending on the color of the trees, the effect on fire would be completely different.
Since we needed a lot of heat without smoke, I collected the branches from a particular type of brown tree. While I was busy making the fire, Alex shot a few rabbits to provide us with meat. After that I found two large branches that looked like slingshots, only with three branches, and I sharpened the ends of another two with leaves to fashion skewers. The world appreciated my efforts:
You have created “A primitive portable barbeque and 2 skewers”. These items can only be used once. No bonuses on offers.
“Primitive! How come? I didn’t make a barbeque, but just picked up a couple of sticks! Okay, it doesn’t look brilliant. Let’s take a look at my achievements to date, shall we? What am I? A scout or a craftsman ... That’s odd ...” — I looked into the logs. — I appreciate the fact that I turned off the messaging service myself, so let’s have a look at my achievements to date ...”
My “Intellect” had finally reached 15 points, and now for every extra point I earned, I would receive: 20 mana points (300), an increase in magical damage by 2.5% (37.5%) and the effect of combat spells acting X seconds, where X <1 minute has increased by 0.1 second (1.5). The effectiveness of the “Wild Magic” spell has increased + 11% (12%). My “Herbalist” ability, thanks to the Walking Grass and the pine trees had jumped by 18 points (97): a little more and I would move on to the next level of ability. My “Scout” ability was also doing quite well: up +15 points (18). My “Pathfinder” ability had only climbed by 3 points (14), but that’s no surprise. I had hardly tracked anything, because I’d spent most of my time in the quagmire where no tracks are visible. My “Quiet step” ability finally reached 15 points, and for this I received a bonus: 1% for each unit, for moving without being detected while moving slowly (15%). Somewhere towards the end of the journey through the swamp, I finally reached 15 points for “Attentiveness” for the flowers I found and 15 points to my “Reflexes” ability, as a result of engaging in combat with one of the Green Nasties.
My “Attentiveness” ability had increased by 15 points per unit, 1% extra for finding invisible items (15%), and 0.5% for finding hidden items (7.5%). Also an extra 0.1% for finding items hidden with the help of magic or magical devices (1.5%). The increase to 15 points in “Reflexes” pleased me: 1% extra to help dodge critical strikes (15%), 0.5% to help dodge standard strikes (7.5%), and 0.1% towards automatically doing the right thing in a fight (1.5 %).
“I am making definite progress, and the better my abilities become, the better the bonus is. The fact is, as I expected from the very beginning, after 15 points everything would progress much more slowly. So far, I can afford to develop every agility at the same time, but when I choose a class, I will have to seriously concentrate on the key agilities,” — I sighed.
By the time I finished examining the logs, the meat was already cooked. Alex turned out to be a very good cook: he sprinkled some herbs on the meat before hanging it over the fire, and this developed a crispy crust, but it stayed tender and delicious inside.
— That’s really tasty! — I praised the boy. — Where did you learn how to do that?
— One of the hunters showed me this simple recipe. You don’t need to be a skillful chef to cook it, it just comes naturally. But for this to happen, I cooked meat for a whole year for ten hunters.
— It took you so long? — I was surprised. — New abilities open up to me very quickly. I have been in this world for less than two weeks, and I've already discovered and achieved a lot.
The boy stared at me in admiration:
— Have you really been in our world for less than two weeks? Wow, the fortune teller told me that the Newcomers would be very weak when they arrived, but that they would learn with incredible speed. I guess that even she didn’t predict how quickly this would happen. Those born in our world learn slowly, and progress faster if they have access to books and teachers, and instantly only with the help of magic or magical items. But such a thing is a rarity.
— Don’t be sad. — I decided to cheer the boy up. — If you want, I can teach you something that I know, or tell what to do to discover a particular skill.
— Really? — The boy’s demeanor changed instantly. He had been sad, but now he was full of enthusiasm. — If you have some unique skills above the 20-point level, or even have abilities that were not gifted to you up to the level of craftsman, but also some skills above the level of 25 points ...
— Hold on a second, I haven’t developed to such a level yet! — I confessed.
— Not to worry. You are progressing quickly enough, and maybe you will have time to develop another new skill. I would be grateful for any training.
— Excellent, — I was a little afraid that there was nothing new that I could teach him, and that this would deflate his mood again. — It's time for us to move on. — This moment seemed to me as good as possible to start our return to the village. — It would be insulting to miss out on our payday after everything we have been through.
The way back turned out to be much easier than the journey to the quagmire. Alex and I had already worked together as a team, and we already knew how all the monsters we came across were going to behave. Also, the fact that most of my abilities had stretched beyond fifteen points played a part. So I allowed myself to pay a little more attention to the surrounding forest. Basically, I tried to track down some more spiky thistles and, as soon as I found one, I immediately cut it to down to ground level.
The boy watched me and giggled at first, but a few fights with the turtles we met had reminded him of the usefulness of this plant. The giggles were gone, and instead the boy pointed out the plants to me if I had missed one for some reason.
The second item
on our list was to find edible berries. From habit, I searched not only at ground level, but also in the tree canopy, because in the forest of the Fairies the yellow fruit grew high up on the trees, and I had got used to doing this.
— This is probably edible! — Alex exclaimed, pointing at a pine. Obviously, I ignored his comments, but my attention was caught by a black pine tree that stood between two red ones. I was attracted by the over perfect arrangement of the trees and the combination of colors. Everything about the red trees seemed to be normal, but I found something about the black one disturbing. I stopped and began to carefully examine the tree. My intuition was hyperactive, like a predator preparing to strike. I examined branch after branch, but didn’t notice anything unusual.
Alex, already tired of teasing me, sat down on the grass waiting for me. The boy was smart and already realized that I had a reason to pay particular attention to a tree that at first glance didn’t look any different to the other trees in the forest.
— Have you discovered anything yet? — Alex asked.
— I don’t know, — I admitted honestly, — but there is just something different about this particular tree that I can’t get out of my mind.
The boy thought for a minute, got to his feet and notched his bow ready for battle:
— The hunters always taught me: if someone in the group has a strange feeling that they can’t explain, then prepare for battle, — he explained to me with an incredibly serious tone. — I also believe this is true. One day we were out hunting when we were attacked by Forest Hobs. They shouldn’t have been in that part of the forest, but there they were, and we avoided being killed because we were on alert.
— No, this time it’s not Forest Hobs, — I said confidently. — I've dealt with them before.
My gaze slid from one ordinary looking branch to another, not noticing anything unusual, but my subconscious mind kept telling me that I was missing something. My intuition also crawled out from hiding and began to attract my attention. I went back to the previous branch and began to examine it in a new light. My intuition took a wait-and-see attitude. It’s been well-bred, and I let it do its job without distraction.
I examined the branch for probably tenth time: the leaves were ordinary for this type of tree, needle-shaped, and 5-9 centimeters long. Each branch had around a dozen cones located in pairs ...
“There’s nothing unusual about this branch!” — already irritated, I thought about it, and began to consider each set of cones separately: — “Bingo! There's one cone on its own, not in a pair!” — deciding to give this my full attention, I took a couple of steps to the right, in order to alter my angle of view. — “Eureka!!!”
It was as if the blinkers had come off: the cone was a disguise for a completely different type of fruit that was bright white and egg shaped.
“How come I didn’t notice it before? I must have been under an enchantment ...” — I was completely surprised.
— Come over here and see what I have found! Let’s find something to knock it down with, so I can practice my skills in throwing and accuracy, — I called to Alex.
— That’s not going to happen, — said an unfamiliar voice coming from my right side.
We were met by a strange person dressed in a cloak with a hood of a dark blue color. His mouth and nose were covered by a dark burgundy neckerchief. Under his cloak he wore a shirt with a high neck and trousers of the same color as his cloak. He wore dark brown military style boots, and his gloves were the same color. All of his clothing looked simple, but durable. When the Sun lit him up, I could make out that it was a person, at least visually, but who could tell what was under the clothing - perhaps his skin was covered in scales. He had shoulder length chestnut colored hair that cascaded down from under his hood. His cold, grey eyes were staring straight at me.
— This fruit belongs to me. I found it a week ago and decided to give it a little time to ripen.
— I'm surprised that someone from the Newcomers was able to spot it. Personally, I found it with difficulty, but I searched for it specifically, and then after I found it I hid it with magic. It's too early in your time in this world for the Newcomers like you to be able to notice things like this. You should still be in the Fairy kindergarten.
Alex, who had long ago cocked his bow and kept it pointed at the stranger, asked me in surprise:
— Did you really get out earlier than you needed to? Why? Everybody knows that the development is faster under the tuition of the Fairies of the Forest.
— Yes, I decided to get out before the others did: the early bird gets the worm, — I joked. Then I looked at the stranger, smiled at him and replied firmly: — My apologies, but why should I believe that you found the fruit first- maybe you saw us and decided to follow. As soon as I found the fruit, I decided to keep it for myself, and perhaps the protective magic came from the fruit itself. Forgive me, but I have no intention of handing over this apparently rare and valuable fruit to you. By the way, we outnumber you too.
Even as I spoke, I was preparing myself for an attack from the man: it was clear that neither of us was prepared to yield.
— That’s a shame, — my opponent sighed, and this sigh flowed smoothly into an attack with two long knives.
I dodged to the right and tried to cut one of my opponent’s arms with my sword. Alex fired off a shot, but not in my opponent’s direction, but rather at something else that was coming up behind him.
— I'm not alone, either, — my opponent grinned. — Nutcracker, attack the little boy.
A hairy crab appeared behind Alex. It was disgusting looking! The crab was almost a meter high, with two huge claws. I knew that Alex would have a major problem dealing with such an adversary: chitin protected against most arrows, and the crab moved at a decent speed as well.
— Alex, keep it at bay until I finish my own problem, and then I'll help you! — Back in the swamp, I explained to Alex that a continuous movement, during which he would deal damage to his opponent but wouldn’t allow him to strike back, was known as a “kite technique”.
— You are so presumptuous, — It seemed to amuse my opponent that I thought I could defeat him.
He really was a stronger fighter than I was, and also faster than me. About once every five seconds I received a new cut from one of his knives. The damage wasn’t great, a maximum of 10-15 life points, but at the same time I hadn’t managed to inflict a single blow on him.
“It's time for a change of tactics, — I thought to myself, and threw a needle thistle into his eyes.
Unfortunately, his reaction was excellent: after noticing my movement, he jumped back. I expected such a reaction, so immediately after throwing the thistle, I conjured up the “Falling Leaves” spell over the place that he was most likely to fall back to.
— It's not bad so far, — I smiled at my opponent who had leaped back even further away. — Although I got you a little bit this time.
His whole cloak was full of holes, and there was a cut on his cheek. While he looked at me angrily, considering his next move, I executed a “Wild Defense” spell.
— Maybe you'll surrender the fruit after all? — I asked.
— Clearly not, — the man took off the handkerchief, and an arrogant smile appeared on his face. — I thought this would be boring, but it looks like you've developed well while the Fairies were looking after you. Let's see what else you got.
A dozen throwing knives flew towards me and my opponent rushed at me flat out. Somehow I managed to dodge or palm away most of the knives, except for two long ones: one of them slashed me on the ribs. A felt a strong pain course through my body.
“Whatever, it could have been worse.”
Your blood is contaminated with an unknown poison. Every ten seconds you will lose 2.5% of your life points. There is a risk of further deterioration, with another five seconds of poisoning.
“Nope, things just got worse.”
— So, I finally got you, — my adversary smiled, n
ot stopping his attacks with the knives for a second. — You have already been very lucky. I have cut you many times, but only now has the poison started to take effect.
Deciding to put even more pressure, my opponent began to make faster and more reckless attacks. When you were aware that every cut could seriously poison you, you automatically try to avoid being cut, and that leads to new mistakes. For a couple of seconds after the poisoning, I missed more than ten potential strikes. At the same time, the accumulation of poisons in my system meant that after another two attacks I was now losing 7.5% of life points per second.
I quickly used the healing crystal, and then pretended to stumble over a branch. “I have enough mana to keep me going for the moment, so win or lose, I can’t allow this fight to drag on much longer. My enemy is clearly stronger than me, and I’ve been lucky so far ...”
I threw a “Crippling Blow” in my enemy’s direction, and luckily enough I caught his leg. It worked, and I damaged one of his organs. My opponent roared with pain. There was no time to waste. I jumped at the crippled fighter and began to attack him with all my might. I had run out of mana, and with that the “Wild Defense” spell collapsed, but thanks to the wounds I had inflicted, my enemy had lost the ability to move freely, and this limited his range of attacks.
I threw another spiky thistle, more out of habit than expectation, but I got lucky again. My opponent was prepared to jump out of the way, but he forgot about his injured leg. He made the right decision in a split second to evade my attack, but this gave me enough time to throw a second thistle in the direction I guessed he would move to, and I guessed right. The needles pierced the man’s right eye, and the world witnessed to another scream.
Alex's warning cry came from behind me along with the rustling noise of fast approaching crab legs. There wasn’t much time left. It would have been unrealistic for me to fight against both of them at the same time. My wounded enemy was attacking at a frantic pace, and his attacks became even stronger and faster. I tried to move to positions where it was difficult for him to see with only his left eye, but he carried on attacking, even when he couldn’t see where I was standing. He, like me, heard the approach of his pet and realized that he must hold out until its arrival.