Fayroll [04] Gong and Chalice

by Andrey Vasilyev

  The Supreme Vila didn’t get up, though she turned to look at me with wild anger in her eyes. Ah, somebody didn’t really want their dear old mom coming back to the world. It did make sense; she was the queen of her swamp, and now she’d have to start taking instructions from someone else again. If looks could kill, I would have been a pile of ash small enough to fit into a cigarette packet.

  Mesmerta pointed at me. “This person is engaged to one of your girls?”

  “Yes, Goddess,” the vila replied.

  “Move the wedding back six months,” the goddess ordered.

  What? Move it back? Yeah, right!

  “No, no, no,” I said, waving my arms. “We need to cancel it, not move it back.”

  “And why is that?” The goddess pursed her lips.

  “How do you know what will happen later?” I needed to wriggle my way out of the situation, so I was pulling out all the stops. “What about bringing your husband back? How do you know what plans he’ll have for me? And in the meantime, there the girl will be, sitting and waiting. I feel terrible for her…”

  The goddess looked at me dubiously, though she nodded in agreement. “You may be right. Regina, cancel the engagement.”

  The Supreme Vila got up from the ground, looked at me with intense disgust, and raised her hand in the air. “By the power vested in me, I dissolve the union between Elmilora Krakh Taug and Hagen of Tronje free of all mutual grievances and curses!”

  That shout was followed by her lowering her hands and sending one parting shot in my direction, though she didn’t bother to look at me as she did. “Are you happy, you dog?”

  “Not exactly,” I replied, turning to the goddess. “Could we make it so that Elmilora forgets me completely? As if I were never there at all? She’s a sweet, kind girl, and I’d hate to see her upset.”

  The goddess nodded and snapped her fingers.

  Your engagement with the vila has been dissolved.

  You can no longer count on the support of the vilas throughout Fayroll.

  Marshes are no longer 50% more passable.

  I didn’t really care about the marshes. Still, I knew I’d have to keep an eye out; the Supreme Vila was not likely to forget what I’d pulled off. The way she’s looking at me…

  “Is that all?” The goddess stared at me with poorly concealed annoyance.

  “No,” I replied frankly. “I have one more question. A tiny one!”

  The goddess sighed deeply.

  “Mesmerta, do you happen to know this language?” I held out the scroll I’d had in my bag for who-knows-how-long, the one nobody knew what to do with.

  “Ah, the heritage,” the goddess replied after barely unrolling it. “You’re not supposed to read it. Those aren’t letters; they’re symbols. You’re supposed to use it.”

  “What do you mean?” I stared at her. “How do I use it? And what’s the heritage?”

  “We didn’t leave all of a sudden,” Mesmerta explained. “Each of us set up our own temple and servant, or, in some cases—like mine—several servants. And then we prepared a heritage, which was the knowledge or ability we thought most important for the follower who would find it. We all made the scrolls together and left them around the world. This scroll is one of those heritages. If you serve one of the gods, you can use his or her name to get the knowledge he or she hid within it.”

  “Wow,” was all I could say. They’d gone a bit overboard on that one. How was someone supposed to guess?

  “Are we done now?” The goddess was starting to tap her foot impatiently.

  “Yes, that’s it, thank you,” I nodded. “Oh, who should I talk to when the quest is done? Or if I have questions about all this divine stuff?”

  “Talk to her, Eiliana,” Mesmerta replied, pointing to the frozen dryad. “And hurry.”

  “Of course.”

  The goddess herself didn’t interest me much, and it looked like the feeling was mutual. I pulled out the scroll and turned it around in my hands.

  “In the name of Vitar, give me your knowledge!” It sounded ridiculous, but…

  You completed a quest: Through the Centuries

  Reward:

  500 experience

  Ability: Polyglot

  Getting an ability sure was nice.

  You learned a new passive ability: Polyglot, Level 1

  You learned the ancient languages long-since disappeared from Fayroll. If you find documents from the age of the Ancients, you will be able to read them.

  The scroll burst into flame and disappeared.

  Congratulations!

  You can use the heritage left by Vitar, the God of War: Resurrected Legion.

  You can restore the Legion of Light, which disappeared from Fayroll thousands of years ago, and become its first legate before the return of Vitar.

  For more information, say “Legion of Light.”

  Now, that was cool. I decided not to jump right in, however, as I wanted some time to think about it. There was no deadline I had to say the words by, after all.

  The goddess was standing in a circle of her children explaining something to them hurriedly. She kept glancing up at the lightening sky.

  “All right, I’ll see you all later,” I said loudly. “Can I go?”

  The goddess turned, nodded shortly, and waved her hand, at which point a small opening in the dome appeared. I waved and walked out through it. As soon as I was through, the dome closed up behind me, and I couldn’t help but note that I could no longer see what was going on inside.

  If I hadn’t been left with yet another headache to deal with, I would have been more than happy with how things had turned out. And why not? I’d shaken my tail, picked up some goodies, and hadn’t been working for nothing. The fact that I was going to have to run up and down the whole continent again—and I had no doubt that I’d be doing just that—certainly wasn’t anything to get excited about, of course. I was exhausted—I could feel it in my bones.

  Why did I get into that fight with the goddess? What was the point of trying to get her angry, even if I was doing it subconsciously? I knew, or at least I could guess. The last few months had me frazzled, more emotionally than physically. The constant duplicity, both in the virtual world and real life (which, incidentally, were on a collision course to merge into one) was gnawing at my brain. All I could think about was how to find my way out of the latest trap, and when my influential and dangerous bosses would turn on me. When they did, I knew, I’d have to hand over everything they’d given me—though they’d take it with interest. I never have believed in human kindness. Throw in all the many people I’d met in those past few months and everything they wanted from me, and it made sense that I was tired. I just happened to take it out on the goddess.

  ***

  As I stepped out of the forest, I realized that my day was far from over. On the other hand, I was happy that I was going to clear all my slates in the space of one night. That, at least, was a pleasant proposition.

  I can’t say that I expected to find nobody there waiting for me. As soon as Eiliana told me about the spies hanging around, I realized I’d have to explain what was going on. But I didn’t expect to see quite so many people.

  On the edge of the forest and spreading out onto the plain were at least fifty players, many of whom I knew.

  The Gray Witch was sitting on a log, her head lowered. I might have thought that she was asleep if it weren’t for the fact that Radius was perched next to her. He was explaining something, his hands gesturing from time to time.

  Behind her, were Milly Re, Cedric Sekira, and maybe thirty high-level players. I noticed Nox and Turk among them. Don’t they have their regimen, trainer, and all that? Fredegar was nowhere to be seen, so I guessed that he had fallen completely out of favor. On the other hand, there was a scout named Torsten standing next to Milly.

  A little farther away stood Elina, her face as annoyed as ever, and another twenty people. I saw Gerv, Gorotul, Oygolinn, and the Iron…hmm…Lumb
erjack? Then there was an old friend: Sergeant, the dwarf. I guess he’s still in the clan. Eilinn wasn’t there, however.

  I twisted around, looking for the only other person I expected to find at our family reunion: Miurat. He wasn’t there. Either he’d given up on me, or something else was going on…

  Milly bent over the Witch and whispered something to her. The latter picked her head up and gestured for me to come over. Elina also started, her eyes narrowing as she looked at me. I sighed, glanced over at the light making its way across the east, and walked toward the group.

  “Good morning, Hagen,” the Witch said as sweetly as ever. “We didn’t expect you to take so long.”

  “If I’d known so many people were waiting for me, I would have hurried,” I replied, returning her smile.

  “Judging by the dome, which none of us have ever seen the likes of; the column of light, which is also tricky to explain; and a few other observations, whatever was in there shouldn’t have been hurried.” The Witch shook her head. “Hidden or epic?”

  “Hidden,” I replied frankly. “A series.”

  “What’s it called?” the Witch asked, looking me in the eye.

  “Rocks of Hope,” I answered, saying the first thing that came into my head. Let them try to figure out what that’s about.

  “I haven’t heard of that—must be new,” the Witch noted.

  Elina walked over silently with her entire entourage, her jaw clenched. Her lips formed the slenderest of lines across her face.

  Torsten caught my eye; he was digging in his pocket. “If just one speck of Truth Powder gets on me, there’s going to be a fight—and I don’t care that it won’t end well for me,” I warned him. “I’ll be stuck sneezing for a week. That stuff is the worst.”

  Five warriors clattered forward. The Gray Witch held up her hand, stopping them in their tracks. “It’s okay,” she said gently. “It’s Hagen’s business whether he told us the truth or not.”

  “No, not just his,” Elina said, finally breaking her silence. “It’s his business, but it’s also clan business. We have our order, and we have our rules. He’s broken absolutely all of them—to the very last one. He was obligated to tell us if he got a hidden quest. Sergeant!”

  “Yes, Elina?” the dwarf answered quietly.

  “Did you tell Hagen during your introductory meeting about our requirement for telling the clan council everything that comes up about hidden and epic quests?”

  “Yes, Elina,” he replied darkly.

  “But you didn’t do that, Hagen.”

  “No, I didn’t,” I agreed. “No sense contradicting the obvious.”

  “Are you aware of the consequences for that?”

  “Expulsion and revenge,” I replied with a shrug. “What else? Sergeant told me about that, too.”

  “Correct. But you can avoid that fate if you tell us what the quest was and who or what the quest starter is and give us everything you got for it. If you do, you can stay in the clan.”

  Ah, Elina, as greedy as ever. Or overbearing? Maybe just stupid.

  “I don’t even have to think about that,” I answered. “Especially since it was a one-time quest. You can’t get it again regardless.”

  The Gray Witch shook her head, looking at me with disapproval and sympathy in her eyes.

  “A one-time quest.” Elina threw up her arms. “So the reward must have been impressive.”

  “Whatever the case, it’s all mine,” I said, continuing to push my luck even as I realized that I was just digging myself deeper into the hole I was in. My tongue has always been my worst enemy. One thing was for sure; I definitely shouldn’t have mentioned that it was a one-time quest.

  “Well, then!” Elina smiled maliciously. Actually, it was more a snarl than a smile. “I, Elina the Wise, dishonorably discharge Hagen from the Thunderbirds with no right to ever be readmitted. By the same token, I denounce Hagen as an enemy of the clan. From now on, all Thunderbirds are required to kill him wherever they see him, informing the clan council in each case.”

  Ding!

  You were kicked out of the Thunderbirds by its leader, Elina the Wise.

  You lost the following bonuses:

  +5% experience received

  -7% damage done by opponents

  +4% ability to see objects’ hidden attributes

  +4% damage done by all weapon types

  +5% protection from cold

  +5% protection from fire

  +15% healing received

  +3% chance of receiving rare and hidden quests

  So that was that. I was a free man. Sure, it was a shame to lose the bonuses, even if they did mean less and less. Every little bit helps.

  But, to be honest, even if I was about to have even more problems dumped on my plate, I felt…I don’t know. Satisfied, probably. I was sick and tired of clan life with the Thunderbirds, its rules and standards, and the fact that they often ventured outside the realm of what was reasonable. Perhaps, I just got unlucky when they found me instead of me finding a better clan, but I wasn’t ready to dip my toe into the water a second time. If they really start to get me, I can always head over to the Wild Hearts or even Gerd and his role players. I even had a rabbit waiting to be pulled out of my hat. I smiled at the thought.

  “You’re smiling?” Elina said, giving me a pleased look. “We’ll see if you still are in a week or two. I imagine our allies would like to help punish a player as dishonest as Hagen?”

  “Not at all,” Milly Re said. “Not in the least. And I’d recommend that you all think twice before you touch him.”

  Turok and Nox shuffled their armor emphatically.

  It was a good feeling.

  “Milly, let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” the Gray Witch said with a snap of her fingers. “I’m the one who decides who participates in what.”

  Elina smiled triumphantly.

  Maybe she’s British? I thought out of the blue. What’s that they say? We have no eternal allies, and we have no perpetual enemies…

  “With that said, my master of battle is correct; the Hounds of Death do not intend to join your manhunt. Just look at the ring he has on his finger. Yes, keeping information about a hidden quest from the clan was a lapse in judgment. I don’t disagree that he violated your clan rules. But what does that have to do with us? You called us your allies, and that’s exactly what we are. That means that in battle, for raids, and when we set sail for Rivenholm, we are together. But my clan does not involve itself in your internal conflicts.”

  Elina frowned again, her eyes narrowing.

  “As far as I’m concerned, I’m not going to excuse Hagen. His decision was his decision. But I do want to remind all the Thunderbirds here, and ask you to pass this on to those who aren’t here, that Hagen is both a friend of the Hounds of Death and a personal friend of mine. I consider his problems to be my problems. You know that I am direct and strict and that I speak only openly and with witnesses, so you can draw your own conclusions.”

  I suddenly felt incredibly embarrassed. There’s nothing about me that’s sentimental, but that got to me.

  There was motion in the ranks of the Thunderbirds, a whisper ran through them, and I saw several players involuntarily shake their heads. Maybe things aren’t as bad as they look. A massive manhunt didn’t look like it was in the cards. Sure, a couple dozen of them, especially Gorotul, would probably come after me, but it would be hard to find me in the vast expanses of the game. The ball’s in your court, gentlemen. Of course, Elina had really gotten to everyone, so it was possible that I was out of the woods altogether. She had her sights set on Rivenholm.

  “It looks like I thought our alliance was closer than it actually was,” my former clan leader said sharply.

  “Apparently,” the Gray Witch agreed. “That happens. With that said, I don’t see any reason why there has to be a problem between us. So the guy made a mistake—that definitely happens. You kicked him out? In disgrace? Okay, it’s over and done. Forge
t him and move on.”

  “I’ll think about it.” Elina shot me a hateful glance that told me I hadn’t seen the last of her. “If you don’t mind, my clan is going to head out. We all have work in the morning.”

  “Have a good day,” the Gray Witch replied with a friendly wave. “I’m glad we understand each other.”

  “Oh, we understand each other, all right.” You would have had to be deaf not to catch the sarcasm and even hidden threat in Elina’s voice. She couldn’t help herself. “You can be sure of that.”

  A portal flashed, and my old clan marched into it.

  “Maybe that wasn’t the right move?” Radius scratched his hairy foot. “It doesn’t look terribly intelligent or rational right now.”

  “To the contrary, my friend, to the contrary. Just remember why Paris fell in 1940, while Moscow didn’t fall in 1941. Well, besides the heroism of the Soviet people.”

  Radius frowned. “That’s a dubious analogy, and not quite applicable to this situation,” he finally replied. “We know they’re leaking information. We could use that.”

  “We will use that,” the Gray Witch assured him. “Only now, it’s going to be a bit more realistic.”

  I coughed.

  “Oh, stop it, James Bond. We didn’t forget about you.” The Gray Witch looked me over. “You really did make a mess of things, my friend. I hope the reward was worth it?”

  “Not even close,” I replied with a wave. “A pet scroll and a few other little things.”

  “That’s the way it always is,” Milly said. “You work and work, and there’s nothing in the end. We got more from that Hiss, not to mention something like Klatornakh.”

  “Milly, my dear,” the Witch said to her. “Take the boys and walk around to see if we have any guests, please.”

  That left just the three of us: me, the Gray Witch, and Radius.