Cat's Quest

by Roman Prokofiev

  “This way!” the dwarf said, as he began ascending. Valkyrie grabbed him by the hand and signaled him to move back. From out of the woods came the wolves, who’d been following us. Six gray beasts, one with burned fur. Another was limping. Behind, stood their leader, an enormous black wolf with eyes glowing green.

  Large black wolf. The leader.

  He lifted his head to the moon and let out a cold, heart-piercing howl. The sound made everything in me turn cold. My knees began to shake. I felt distinctly weak.

  You are under the effect of Otherworldly Howl. Dread: 1/10.

  All your stats are reduced by 10%.

  “Run to the fire!” Flame shouted, pointing to the top of the hill.

  “No! It’s a trap. We’re being lured there. Don’t you get it?” Valkyrie objected. “Let’s fight them here!”

  We didn’t have time to light a fire, or to stick the torches in the surrounding ground. The wolves were too close. They attacked. Valkyrie killed the first one in a few shots. She tried to save as many arrows as she could since she had very few left. The rest attacked and jumped at us, led by their huge, black leader. Using proven tactics, I poked with a torch at the wolf that leaped towards me, and when he backed off, I jumped over and thrust my dagger. I couldn’t finish the beast off, as another wolf jumped onto me from behind, digging its claws into my shoulder. Another growling wolf dug his fangs into my ankle and bit through my boots, trying to knock me down. Damn, that hurts!

  “Cat! Get on the ground,” I heard the dwarf’s hoarse voice say. Following his advice, I dropped down. Right above me, his ax flashed hitting something soft. The beast on top of me howled and suddenly went limp.

  I got to my feet and struck another two creatures with my torch. Then something heavy pressed me downwards, and I fell. The leader had joined the fight. With a single jump, he sent me to the ground, his paws knocking the torch from my hand. I could feel his breath close to my face. Here we go, he’s gonna kill me!

  The wolf leader uses Crippling Bite!

  You received 41 damage! Health 17/72.

  You are wounded! You are bleeding! Each 5 seconds, you lose 1 HP!

  Trying to fight the pain and screaming, I stabbed the wolf with my dagger several times. It was useless and resulted in a few pathetic damage points.

  “Cat use the potion! We’re hardly inflicting any damage!” I heard Valkyrie say. Flame, roaring much like a wolf himself, knocked the creature off me with a powerful blow of the shield and struck with the ax right between the wolf’s eyes! Yet, even this seemed barely to affect the leader. Roaring furiously, it jumped on the dwarf and almost managed to retrieve his shield. Valkyrie shot arrow after arrow at the beast, but to little or no effect.

  Taking advantage of moment, I reached for the dark bottle that was hanging from my belt. The thick, spicy liquid burned my throat. The hit points bar immediately turned green, +50 HP, but my torn shoulder continued to bleed. It hurts! I felt warm blood running down my chest and stomach. The wound had to be dressed, but the wolf was about to finish Ivan.

  I realized this was no ordinary wolf. The beast was almost invincible to physical damage. There must be another solution! And then it came to me. I reached for the silver flask in my bag, that I had found on the dead hunter’s body, and generously splashed holy water on the blade of my dagger.

  Your weapon has temporary Holy effect and now inflicts double damage to ghosts, undead, werewolves, and creatures of Darkness. The effect lasts 30 minutes.

  I threw the flask over to Valkyrie and rushed to rescue the dwarf who was already on the ground, with the huge creature over him. I buried my dagger into the wolf’s side.

  You inflicted 22 damage to the wolf leader. Your One-Handed Weapon skill has increased to 63.

  The wolf produced a terrifying howl of pain and rage, but did not let go. He was getting dangerously close the dwarf's throat.

  “There, how about that,” I said and turned my dagger right in the wound! An arrow whistled past my ear. Valkyrie too had dipped arrowheads in holy water. The black leader let out another mournful howl and rolled off the dwarf. And then came the sound of a flute. A strange, yet beautiful melody filled with sadness, yet it made me rejoice inside, making my heart pound like crazy.

  You are under the effect of Crying Ailinel! Estel increased by 1. Dread: 0/10.

  All your stats have been restored.

  Suddenly we saw her. Down the slope of the hill, coming from the stone circle at the top, a girl wearing a wreath of daisies was walking toward us. It was she who had been playing the flute. Having heard its sounds, the huge black beast and the two surviving wolves fled back into the woods whining as they ran.

  The girl was an elf. She was barefoot and wore a short, white robe with a yellow wreath on her blonde hair.

  “Are you OK?” She asked us. “Why didn’t you come to the fire? These beasts never go past the stone circle.”

  “I think we’re sort of ok,” Valkyrie said, studying the strange elf. “Who are you?”

  “I am Ailinel, the druid. I worship at an old temple of our gods. I live on this hill.”

  You are bleeding! You receive 1 damage! HP: 61/72.

  “Sort of OK? Everyone’s covered in blood. And his wounds are bleeding!” the druid said, throwing her hands up.

  “Come with me. I’ll heal you.”

  The entrance to Ailinel's house was located on the other side of the hill. In reality, the hill itself was her house. The round door, skillfully concealed, and which would never be noticed by a passerby, led inside. We leaned forward and went inside.

  The druid’s house consisted of two rooms with earthen walls. The ceiling was supported by a few beams made of solid tree trunks. A stone fireplace lay in the middle of the room, and next to it stood a large wooden table and huge polished stumps in place of chairs. My WARNING was drawn to various equipment and weapons that were piled up in one corner. The entrance to the second room was covered with a mat woven from grass.

  Ailinel lit the hearth and the wall lamps and put a kettle of water on the fire.

  “The water will boil and then, I will treat your wounds,” she said, smiling at me. “Can you bear to be here with me for a bit?”

  “Do you live here all by yourself?” Valkyrie asked, fixing her gaze on a large, black bow handing on the wall.

  “No. I live with my brother,” she sighed. “It’s a long story… We’ve been banished by our own people.”

  “Where’s your brother?”

  “He’s hunting wolves. Together with their leader, they terrorize everyone here! Are you hungry? I can feed you. We hardly ever have visitors!” Ailinel began to place various treats on the table. Mostly it was fried and dried meat.

  The door squeaked and opened. A dark-haired elf in a green hunter’s robe entered the room. He looked as if he were in pain and was pressing his hand to the left side where a blood stain was clearly visible.

  “Laito! You’re wounded, too?” Ailinel said in a sad voice. The elf sat down in one of the chairs and looked at us.

  “I’m getting sick and tired of those beasts…” His face winced. “But I feel better, sister. I dressed the wound. Better, you help our guests,” he nodded in my direction. “I see he’s got his fair share. In the meantime, I’ll chat with his friends.”

  “Sure. The water is boiling now,” she said. Then, she took a small pot of water off the stove and signaled to me to follow her into the next room. The room was tiny. In the middle there stood a large bed covered with furs and a small altar in the shape of a pyramid made of stones. A lamp hung on the wall.

  “Lie down here. Take off your coat and your shirt, too,” the Elf ordered, unwrapping the narrow bandage she had brought with her. Her thin, strong hands ran over my body with confidence, washing the wound with hot water and bandaging my shoulder. It looked awful. A bit more—and the wolf would have got to my throat. It was just a couple of inches from it.

  Bandages have been applied to your wound. Bleeding s
topped. HP: 44/80.

  Time remaining until healing: 3 hours.

  Would you like a scar? Yes/no?

  Ailinel placed her hand on my shoulder. Her thin, gentle fingers were stroking my torso. She was looking right into my eyes.

  “You’ve got such a beautiful body,” she whispered. “I’ve heard humans make excellent lovers. Is that true?” Her beautiful, no, her perfect face was, now, very close to mine. Placing her knee on the bed, in one quick motion, she dropped the white cape from her shoulders. She was leaning in front of me, completely naked. Oh wow! What a show. And I’m married!

  “Do you like me?” she asked, stroking my body with one hand, while the second slipped somewhere under the furs that covered me.

  “Move Cat!!!” The curtain separating the two rooms was now on the floor, and Valkyrie ran inside. She plunged her long dagger right into Ailinel’s back. The bloody tip of the blade emerged in front of me right below the left breast, piercing the druid and almost pinning her to the bed. I jumped out of the bed, accidentally throwing off the furs, and revealed that a triangular stiletto had been hidden beneath it.

  “Cat! They’re werewolves!” the dwarf’s wife sighed.

  Through the doorway, I saw the dwarf and a huge wolf fighting. It was the same black wolf leader from the forest. Flame was fighting, his hands chained in steel, trying to strangle the beast. The werewolf was biting and scratching at the dwarf’s glittering armor. We rushed to help. Valkyrie’s quiver was empty. She grabbed the silver flask of Holy water.

  “Hold him, Ivan! Cat, help him!” She splashed the contents of the flask right into the wolf’s red maw. It howled, whined, and jerked so powerfully that Flame could no longer contain it. The wolf ran towards the door but failed to reach it and collapsed on the floor. With a wild scream, full of pain, it rolled about on the dirt floor, gradually getting quieter.

  Lien Laito, the elven werewolf, was killed! You received 110 XP (300/3).

  Achievement unlocked: Werewolf Slayer (1). You received 100 XP! Current value 235/350.

  Kill 10 werewolves to unlock next achievement level.

  “YOU! You’ve killed Laito!”

  Ailinel stood in the gap that divided the house into two rooms, her face twisted in rage. Her naked elfin body began to change, just like in the horror movies, and in a couple of moments, a white she-wolf was standing before us, her eyes glowing red. She was as large as her dead brother. A furious howl pierced the entire house.

  You are under the effect of Dreadful Howl. You are scared! Damage reduced by 50%, all stats reduced by 30%. The effect lasts for 20 seconds.

  Flame managed to pick up his shield and ax. Did he dip it in holy water? There was no time to stop and wonder. The she-wolf deftly dodged his blow, jumped under his shield and pushing away from the wall, jumped at me with a growl. Half-naked and armor-less, I had only half my HPs. The elf-werewolf rolled me onto my back and was about to bite at my throat. I managed to stick the blade of the dagger up her mouth in between her teeth as I tried to push her away from my throat. Her claws slashed at me, leaving long deep scratches.

  “She’s gonna kill him! Maria, do the ‘Fan’!”

  Ailinel pulled the dagger from my hand, and with a powerful swing of her jaw sent it flying all the way to the farthest corner of the room. Suddenly, something buzzed like a big fan, bringing a wave of intense heat from somewhere above. The she-wolf screamed in pain, rolling off me. The flames of intense fire seized her. Ailinel was now rolling on the dirt floor, trying to put it out, while Valkyrie and Flame stabbed every inch of her body. After another hit, the werewolf managed to get up and jump on Valkyrie, roaring and knocking her to the floor. The dwarf was ready. With a powerful blow of the shield, he threw the she-wolf off his wife, and struck the creature with his ax.

  A scream of agonizing pain filled the room. The predator body huddled in the corner and began to change again. A few second later, the transformation back to elf was complete. A moment later, right in front of me, a naked female druid was on her knees, sobbing, trying to protect herself from the blows with her thin white hands.

  “Please, don’t kill me. It’s not my fault. It’s all the ancient cur…”

  Ailinel, the elven werewolf, has been killed! You received 110 XP (330/3).

  Current value: 345/350

  “Stop staring at her,” Valkyrie said, clearly displeased. It was she who had brought the fatal blow upon the elf.

  You completed a special quest: Mysterious Shooter.

  Reward: 5000 XP, Black Wolf's Bow, Ring of Ailinel.

  You received 1667 XP.

  Congratulations, you received 350 XP!

  Congratulations, you received 500 XP!

  Congratulations, you received 750 XP!

  You received three free attribute points.

  Current experience value: 412/1200

  I got pretty generous rewards in the form of free attributes. At the beginning, this was very useful. Experience points increased with a coefficient 1.5. I had gained 6 points of undistributed skills and could barely contain myself, wanting to use them instantly.

  “You’re tough!” I walked around the dead body of my seducer. “She was about to tell us about the ancient curse…”

  “There was no curse,” Valkyrie replied. “Just an everyday werewolf who decided to try to save her life by getting us all confused. Besides, I wasted our most valuable scroll on her.”

  “Yes, Torrent of Flames,” the dwarf nodded. “Hundred gold at auction. We were saving it for a special occasion.”

  “You did good. She nearly killed you!”

  “Well done, Cat. If it hadn’t been for you and the holy water guess, we’d be dead now.”

  “By the way, how’d you get they were werewolves?”

  “Simple!” Valkyrie said. “Everything looked very suspicious from the beginning. The wolves were trying to get us to go there. That was the first red flag. The Elf looked odd, another red flag. When she started putting out meat, I realized something was amiss. Elves don’t eat meat. Her brother came in wounded, in the same place we had wounded the wolf. Check. When she took you behind the curtain, I realized she was going to try and charm you and kill you. I had to act.”

  “She’s smart!” the dwarf said with pride in his voice. “But I’m strong! And can carry more stuff! Enough talk. Let’s loot!”

  The big bow on the wall turned out to be just that.

  Black Wolf’s Bow

  Quality: rare

  Material: oak

  Durability: 37/50

  Weight 1 kg.

  Damage: 15-30, +4 Agility, +2 Physical, +2 Luck.

  From the elf’s lifeless body we took:

  Ailinel's Ring

  Quality: rare

  Material: gold, magic topaz,

  Durability 23/25, weight excluded.

  Inlaid: Small Uncut Topaz

  +2 Luck, +3 Charisma, + 4 Intelligence.

  Ailinel’s Flute

  Quality: rare

  Material: wood

  Durability: 9/10, weight excluded

  Musical instrument.

  Required Music skill: 150 SP.

  Besides these artifacts, there was nothing else of value, just a small amount of silver, some weapons and armor of regular quality, quite worn out, and a few of the usual potions. We searched every inch of the chest in the werewolves’ bedroom. There we found three magic scrolls: Flaming Hands, Ghostly Shield, and Vulnerable spots. There was also a torn piece of paper with a map, depicting an unfamiliar place.

  “How are we going to share it?” Flame asked, once we put everything into the backpack.

  “The bow is mine,” said Valkyrie, “I don’t care about the rest.”

  “Guys, I really don’t need anything. Maybe we can sell the mage ring at auction. The same with the flute,” I shrugged my shoulders. “And the rest of the loot, we can sell. Perhaps we can pay off the scroll you used.”

  “No. This is not gonna work!” the dwarf objected. “Let us
keep the bow, and you get the ring. The rest we’ll sell and split evenly.”

  “Good quest, Cat!” Valkyrie said, looking at me. “Thanks for inviting us.”

  “Thanks for helping!”

  We went outside. Our instance disappeared as soon as the quest was completed. We were now standing on top of the hill in the middle of the forest, a long way from the road.

  “It’s getting late. We gotta sleep. Let’s use the Soul Return Stone to get back to the city.” I looked at my watch. It was half past eleven. Alena would be asleep. There was no need to hurry.

  “Ok guys see you later. I’ll be here for a bit longer.”

  CHAPTER 6. MYSTERIOUS SWORD

  The couple disappeared into thin air, having left the game. I looked over to the north, towards the mountains. I really liked looking at the mountains. They seemed to hypnotize me with their might. According to the map, somewhere, relatively nearby, there was a Castle of The Watchers, called Kondor. I really wanted to take a closer look. An hour later, when I had managed to get back to the road, having almost broken my legs on the way, I realized that it probably was not such a good idea. As I wandered through the woods, I found lots of mushrooms, berries, and various plants which were definitely edible. However, I didn’t want to occupy my free bag space, or my mind with information about various kinds of plants and the nuances of leveling up as a Herbalist, Alchemist, or Cook. I had already determined my goal. I had to make enough money to pay off my debts and provide a decent life for my family.

  You crossed the border into a land that belongs to THE WATCHERS clan.

  The fee for passage through this territory is 50 silver coins. Do you want to pay? Yes no?