For a moment I clearly saw the prehistoric elephant fill with a fierce red glow from within. The tusks looked, for a couple of seconds, as though they had been heated, forged of metal.
“Ros! Don’t rush!” Shouted Lark, gracefully leaping from the mammoth and landing on an earthen mound. “Wait a minute! Let’s talk!”
“I can see you’re quoting the Baroness,” I said, not even turning around. “Tell her that we have no more agreements between us anymore. Tell her that I’m extremely disappointed with the way she is conducting business. That’s it. Good luck to the Sleepless.”
“You’re gonna die! The monsters will be back any minute! They’ll kill you!”
“We’re leaving,” loudly said Bom, ignoring the girl with a royal arrogance.
The mammoth Kolyvan “extinguished” his tusks and calmly went ahead. Orbit sat down again at his head, and the Krabber ghost with gilded claws appeared before him. Another ghost appeared above the head of the elf with a wail. Cray and Bom went in the front, next to the Krabber. Kaylen returned to the back of the mammoth, and was followed by Doc. I walked a little behind with Kira, our pets scurrying around us.
The tiny group was heading towards certain death. And we all knew it.
“I was the one who called you here,” I said quietly, but was still heard by all my comrades. “If we fly to the revival, and we certainly will, I will restore all lost equipment. I promise. Damn… why the hell is it all so hard…”
“Not much longer now before the mountains. And there…” Sighed Kaylen.
“Right,” agreed the half-orc. “A little bit longer.”
“Bom, you haven’t gotten rid of the bags and crossbows.”
“Get rid of? They’re expensive! What for?! This is our compensation.”
“R-right!” Said Orbit with a heart-rending cry, purring his hands to his mouth. “Thanks B-busia!”
Florian and Lark remained behind us
And I understood the main problem of the golden knight— he simply couldn’t decide anything! At all!
Some people make decisions quickly, others think a long time, but still come to a conclusion. But Florian… Eh, who cares. Not my business.
“Bus-s-sia! Th-thank you!” Continued the screaming bald elf, the two headed parrot mimicking him on occasion.
Something flashed past us. Very quickly— I barely noticed. Then on the back of the mammoth appeared a purple figure, head and shoulders dripping in thick liquid.
The next moment the elf was hanging in the air, holding on to a slender female arm.
“I’m going to throw you so far you’ll land in Zar’graad!” Furiously hissed the Black Baroness. I recognized her only by her voice.
“Go on then!” Orbit said happily.
“And me, if you can!” Doc said. “To Zar’graad!”
“And me! Me!” Said Kaylen hopefully.
Damn… I was surrounded by jokers. Only their humor manifested in different ways.
If this ugly duckling was the Baroness, then…
I looked around.
Behind us was a purple squad, moving fast and catching up to us. And behind the gang of Sleepless, not twenty meters behind, was another squad.
“Ros,” the head of the Sleepless sharply tossed Orbit, and he flew up fifteen meters in height. Damn… she really did it…
“Blueberry Baroness,” I nodded. “Do not interfere with us. You don’t owe me anything. I don’t owe you anything.”
“I was wrong,” said the Baroness softly.
“B-b-busia t-t-tossed meee!” Came a cry from the mythical skies of the Outland.
“I was wrong,” repeated the Baroness. “Please forgive me. This will never, ever happen again… ha! Is this the kind of answer you were expecting, dear Ros? Don’t confuse me for a stupid girl, Ros. Or you’ll be sorry. In any case— it’s done!”
The bald headed elf fell down on the head of the mammoth— the Baroness brushed her shoulders of the thick blueberry jam.
“I don’t know what you mean,” I confessed.
“I know,” nodded the Baroness.
“I don’t understand either,” squeaked Kaylen.
“I know,” repeated the Baroness, taking a tiny crystal phial from her sleeve. It gleamed in the sun. She opened it over her head, and grains of gold dust fell down her body, taking the remnants of the divine blueberry pie with it, leaving no trace. “But you, my brother, almost ruined my entire plan. Rather, you did ruin it, but dropped the pie too late.”
The bald elf was silent.
He was looking at the face of his sister. Without any of this jokes, with no grimacing or clowning. He was clearly trying to figure something out but could not do it.
He couldn’t put it together. And neither could i.
Our tiny group stopped slowly— the Kolyvan was no fool. The two squads quickly caught up with us and surrounded our team.
And I stood like orbit, looking at the bored smile of the Baroness.
What happened?
“I agree, the risk was great,” the Baroness continued to smile serenely, fixing the black strands of her hair. “But there is always risk. You cannot go anywhere without it.”
“You didn’t know that there was something under the river,” said the bald elf. He seemed so surprised that all his speech defects had disappeared…
“I didn’t know,” she confirmed.
“You didn’t know the Architects were planning to get it, didn’t know about the tsunami and the CLOUD.”
“I didn’t know, brother. Nothing at all,” the Baroness snorted. “This is the difference between us. You notice a lot and you can add the information up into the big picture. From pieces and scraps, you can form a tapestry. Here our daddy was right— I do not have that skill. And I do not need it— I have my research team and my nice little brother. I didn’t become a clan leader because I can see and understand a lot. I became a leader because I can use this information! And I understand that even the most powerful god prefers to run shamefully, and not to fight!”
The Baroness seemed terribly happy.
I felt somehow… well, I don’t know. I guess it happens sometimes… a few minutes ago I sent everyone to hell with so much pride. But now I didn’t feel pride, or anger, or bewilderment.
The eloquence and smile of the Baroness were just mesmerizing— she patted her brother on his scarred, bald head. And, snorting, she added:
“Do not strain yourself, brother. There is nothing to figure out. At all. Guys, I think you’ve seen the statue in the central square of Valdira, the two story structure made of the same marble as the auction?”
“We have.”
“You’re not shooting videos now, right? There is no real mystery, there are many details known already, but still. I don’t want it to be up on some site. Right, Kaylen? You’re not filming are you?” The Black Baroness looked at Kaylen. “Don’t you dare joke with me. I think you know why.”
“Oops! Yes, not filming anymore! Fair and square!“
I already had time to figure Kaylen out. Now, she was definitely not lying. And that was smart— it was better not to make the Baroness your enemy. Especially not her, whose initials BB were often a reference to Blackbeard. There have been even more poetic allegories.
Though now, the famous B could now have easily stood for Blueberry…
“Good,” the Baroness smiled again and jumped off of the Kolyvan. She grabbed me by the shoulders. “It is now our building, as well as the red brick building across the street. It belongs to the Sleepless! And soon, the “Royale des Cannes” will also belong to us!”
“To you!...” I blurted in complete bewilderment.
“Oh, yes!” Exclaimed she, clenching her fists and throwing them up towards the sky. “Ours. Give the treasurer a drink!”
The first two buildings, the red brick and the white marble, are very old shops. They are located in very crowded places. To this day, they belonged to the Architects. And this gave them a very big advantage. The buildings themse
lves are impressive, but they are also in the center— and most importantly, right between the magic and military guilds. A player got a new skill, came out of the guild all pleased— and here were two shops side by side, within arm’s reach. The windows sparkling with golden armor, magic wands, polished alchemical potions. Smiling professional sellers— locals, as well as those with a love of trading. With talent. And gold streams in, a flowing river of silver, waterfalls of copper….
“Royale des Cannes.”
That is a restaurant.
But not just any restaurant… in a very tall building, made in a luxurious architectural style. Four floors— each with a very high ceiling, and chandeliers. The building is on the hill just off of the Algora center. The first three floors are occupied by local institutions— but the fourth floor and the roof— Royale de Cannes. A restaurant. Chic restaurant. There’s gold upon gold, and many luxurious tapestries. Occasionally the king of Algora comes to dine there. Rich receptions and parties are not uncommon for the restaurant… rather, they are routine.
A few years ago, when I was just a rookie, the most important news of the day was the fact that the Architects were planning to buy it. The amount was in the range of millions of dollars. Now the price must have been off-scale.
“For what?” I couldn’t resist. It wasn’t out of greed, but out of shock. “How?”
“What and how? And don’t you want to know when and where?” The Baroness murmured, clutching the fingers of Orbit and peeling them off of her arm. She got her brother by the nose and pulled. She gave him a light flick on the forehead— the life of the elf crept down, but very slowly.
But the Baroness wasn’t part of our group, and a very strong character. Just a light touch would have been enough to send the elf to the revival location. And her nickname should have been painted red…
“There’s a family pact between you,” I guessed, changing the subject.
“Of course there is. Not a marital one obviously,” said she, genuinely surprised. “I hit him often… otherwise he would die ten times a day… or twenty… oh, what a wonderful world! Like in the song!” The Baroness smiled again. “Beautiful monkeys! Crocodiles, hippos! Monkeys! Ah, and the green parrot!” She said, flicking each head of the parrot on Orbit’s shoulder. The bird screeched from both heads at once and attempted to peck the Baroness.
The ideal family…
“So you just p-pushed them?” Said Orbit, fighting off her affections.
“Uh-huh!”
“Bo-o-oring,” said Orbit, grimacing with an undisguised contempt. “N-no plan… b-boring!”
“Nope, no plan,” agreed the Baroness, and sharply threw Orbit up again. The elf rocketed to the sky and a shrill cry was heard in the heavens:
“B-b-busiaaa!”
The Baroness was in perfect happiness. And I finally understood what brought the Baroness to her peak— such moments of absolute triumph and superiority.
“Wait!” I could not resist, her happiness nearly blinding me. “Look, did I understand correctly? You were given two buildings just for the cancellation of the attack on the Architects? Is that right?”
“Correct.”
“And you are also receiving the famous restaurant of Algora?”
“Oh yes. Immediately after the Outland I invite you all to celebrate our victory there!”
“Ya-a-a-ay!” Sang Kaylen.
“E-e-e-eh,” Doc timidly said.
“A-aha-a-a-a-ah!” Orbit yelled mid fall— and at the last moment, he was caught by the mammoth.
“Listen, it’s not my business,” I began. “But for how much? What is the amount now roughly in question? I’m ashamed to ask, myself— if you don’t answer, I won’t be offended.”
“Amount? Not particularly large. Not the biggest deal in Valdira in recent years. So don’t worry about it. Besides, it isn’t something bought— it is a free gift.”
“And they will give the restaurant, too?” Said Kaylen.
“Yes. For the security of a safe exit from here,” said the Baroness with a predatory smile. “Rather, for the preservation of their goods and remains and their transportation. They have already addressed the Heavenly Guarantors. As soon as the Holy Trinity Devils come down and announce it, the contract will be sealed. And if we bring the Archs to the exit portal— the restaurant is ours! I understood, that they found something important, understood that I had to press on right now and right away. And I knew that they would give way… but didn’t know that there would be such loud sobs and pleas... that the head of the Architects himself would burst into tears and offer almost anything to choose from… Ha! I didn’t even have to think about! Now two quarters of the Algora center is ours! Another quarter, and we’ll have the advantage…”
“You talk too much!” I quietly said, and the Baroness broke off, then shrugged her shoulders and shook her head. “No. Nothing special or secret. Don’t scare me like that.”
“And what did they find anyway. What is it?” Kaylen’s face turned into the poker face of an inquisitor. “You know?”
“I know,” smiled the Baroness. “But this is a secret. Do not think the Architects are fools. They will receive about fifty percent more than what they’ve lost. More, perhaps. Or nothing… if their plan fails miserably.”
“So let us take what they have away!” Blurted Doc, not noticing that he had used the term “us.”
“Right!” Roared Bom.
“We can break them,” chuckled the Baroness. “But to use it for ourselves— no.”
When there was the talk about buildings and restaurants, the poor half orc’s knees had buckled, and he had fallen silent for a long time, gasping for air. The shock of pure water. But we could have nothing to do with such transactions. This had to do with millions of real dollars.
The costs were wild by our standards.
Even calling down the Holy Trinity of Demons would cost about fifteen thousand dollars to the one who had summoned him.
What a great chasm between us… here we are collecting flowers in the dirt, and there people buy two buildings just like that…
“Too-oo easy-y-y!” The elf did not give up.
“Simplicity isn’t a bad thing, bro. Well, time to move forwards. We are almost at the mountains.”
“And they’re waiting for us,” said Lark, who had long since caught up with us.
By the way, Florian did not come— he remained back with the Architects. Apparently, someone had told him that it was best not to listen to the private conversations of the Baroness.
“Let them. We’ll break through. Larky, ask the Architects what their deal is with their alchemy stocks. If they are depleted— give them a fifth of ours. But no more than a fifth.”
“Got it.”
“Such money…” Came the broken voice of Bom, who wasn’t attempting to hide his troubled state of mind.
And I no longer wanted to ask many questions. I just mulled over the decision that I was definitely going to raise the price of my services as navigator. At least by fifty percent. The Sleepless would definitely pay up. And they were not in the Outland without my participation. I asked only one thing:
“Baroness, listen, is it true that many heads of Valdira clans don’t get a fixed salary, but a percentage of the total income of the clan?”
“Yes. But not many, but only some,” the Baroness smiled sweetly. “The best.”
“You sure prize yourself highly,” I smiled in response.
“You’ve got to.”
“Wippus,” I said, and several players snorted loudly.
But Cray, Doc, Kaylen and Bom clearly didn’t understand, hearing only a funny name or title of something. That’s how it was, in theory, anyway. There was a long history.
A real history, which occurred in the days that clans were just first being formed. The first was the Architects clan.
The second clan was called WPS. The title of it incomprehensible. The story could be told in a long and beautiful fashion, but Lark
explained it easily in a few words, specially for the beginners.
In short, the WPS developed just like any other ambitious clan. Except no one knew where it’s head was located, or where the base was. Over time, of course, everything would have been revealed— but everything happened too quickly.
In one task, on the fifth day after the creation of the clan, they were given a celebration for having defended the borders of Algora. It was the first celebration of this scale, and even people from the real world watched it on tv. However, the leader didn’t show his face at the ceremony. A real humble hero archetype…
Everyone gathered in a huge amphitheater. Everyone was pompous and grand. And in came the shining heroes and winners, the swirling flower petals, the fanfares, fireworks, dragons circling the dance.
And then the royal herald got up on the stage, got out his scroll and began to solemnly read:
“Heroes of the clan “We Picked Up Soap” led by the chapter “And Here We Got…”
What happened next in the amphitheater was already clear. In truth, nothing terrible— the name was humorous, no big deal, but many were embarrassed by the name of their native clan and hastily tried to escape, and others fainted from hysterical laughter.
With them was the player Ral Darovan, who is now the treasurer of the Architects. The story was almost forgotten over time, but many still remember the acronym. Still others didn’t understand what the fuss was about.
Over time, the ridiculous story evolved into something of a philosophic parable. Something like “do not count your chickens before they hatch.”
Ral managed to take the occurrence with a grain of salt and continued to develop his character. To be the treasurer of the Architects… a very big achievement it terms of skill and confidence.
But I remembered that story because it came from the past. From the long-forgotten time of Valdira. I suddenly wondered about the Baroness, and everything I didn’t know about her.
And as It turns out I knew almost nothing.
From early on— as it had been mentioned— she had trained in a distant desert.
But I do not believe that, having come to Valdira as a complete novice, she immediately directed herself to the far desert, where she was welcomed with open arms. And then was taught the skills of a ninja. Why? Had she somehow captivated the hearts of the severe, militant Bedouins? Certainly not with the sincerity of her smile…
The Way of the Clan 6: World of Valdira Page 9