The Way of the Clan 2 (World of Valdira)

by Dem Mikhaylov

  One more try and I goggled in amazement at the unusual sight – a weird trio of gamers clutched the rope and were draggling behind the animal. A red dwarf in leather armor, a human dressed similarly to the dwarf was following him. And there was another human – a girl – lying face down on top of their backs, in a long blue dress and a red cap on the top of the honey-colored hair. The males were of the twenty-seventh level, a girl – twenty-ninth.

  Shaking my head, I rubbed my eyes by my fists and looked again. Nothing changed. Except the fact that the wheezing mob had made another couple of steps forward. Peering in the woolen ball I read its name – wooly gvanh. Judging by its color designation it wasn’t aggressive. I wasn’t satisfied with that information, and that’s why I cried out encouraged by my curiosity, ‘Guys... what are you doing here?’

  The answer was three pairs of astonished eyes looking up at me.

  ‘Oh ... it’s no an aggr!’ the girl relieved. ‘Hello!

  ‘Hello!’ I nodded, looking at the trio sprawled on the ground from the height of the horse back.

  ‘Hi, bro!’ the dwarf screamed. ‘Rosgard! Can you heal us?! Please! I desperately need it!’

  ‘I believe you,’ I chuckled.

  The color palette of their life was red. As for the dwarf, his life indicator was blinking furiously, notifying that the little man was about to fly to the respawn location.

  I shuffled the spells fast, "poured" "small healing" in the right hand, dismounted and walked slowly to the gamers holding the rope. "Small healing" belonged to the first rank of contact action.

  Bending down, I put a hand to the dwarf’s shoulder and activated the spell. My hand got wrapped into soft bluish halo and the dwarf exhaled an obvious sigh of relief when the level of his life started creeping up slowly but surely. Without asking questions, I s used the spell several times to heal the strange trio. To do this, I had to walk behind them, dragging the horse behind me. Gvanh was ignoring us, but it was not going to stop.

  ‘Thank you, friend! You have just saved us!’ the girl nicknamed Lanasy the Purple Light thanked me emotionally. ‘Now we’ll linger longer. Are you a healer?’

  ‘No, I just have the spell,’ I shook my head. ‘What do you mean ‘linger longer’?

  ‘Until this beast falls down because of lack of power,’ ‘Nick wheezed. ‘We’ve been following it for more than an hour!’

  ‘Following? ‘I asked and was surprised to look at the mob. Thirtieth level... I doubt that these three gamers can’t cope with it. ‘Shall I help you kill it?’

  ‘No!’ the trio shouted in unison.

  ‘I don’t understand,’ I said.

  ‘It’s our quest,’ she explained, ‘A hunter from the capital came to the village Selen to buy wooly gvanhs. But he purchases only healthy and unharmed animals. The larger the animal, the bigger the reward. He pays big money. We have spent the whole day here hunting. If we manage to catch this one, it will be the fifth. Do you understand?’

  ‘I see now,’ I nodded and stopped for a moment letting the trio move further. The gvanh changed its course again and headed towards the sprawling bush as high as two men studded with huge branches of thorns. Obviously it wasn’t a cactus. I carefully walked around the spines, while the gvanh was tripping through them with pleasure, dragging the gamers who were groaning fatefully.

  Without waiting for requests, I used the spell again to heal the injured.

  ‘When it’s out of breath and stop, we’ll throw a special magic net over it and teleport it into the Trapper’s cage. As soon as we do it, our monetary reward will be transferred to our account. We can’t use the net right now, because the beast is still full of energy and can tear it apart, such a parasite! Therefore, we’re exhausting it,’ the dwarf continued instead of the girl. ‘Now we have all chances to exhaust it soon, that bloody bastard.’

  ‘Yeah. My mana has regenerated by a third,‘ Lana boasted ‘We’ll exhaust it, it won’t escape!’

  ‘Why are you trudging behind it, then?’

  ‘We’ve told you we had such a quest.’

  ‘Yes, I understood it. Why don’t you tie it to a thick tree, for example? Let it try to escape from the place. It will exhaust itself very quickly.’

  ‘We have already made such an experiment. It tried to escape for a minute but when it failed, it just lay down and fell asleep! Such a clever bastard!’

  ‘A-ah,’ I blurted before using ‘small healing’ at each trapper once again just to make sure they would be fine, then climbed into the saddle. ‘Good luck!’

  ‘Have a lucky day too! Thank you! We’ll be happy to help you one day!’

  ‘If I were you, I would try to tie it to a log or a heavy stone. To make it drag it instead of you,’ I finished directing the horse away ‘Bye!’

  The answer was a tense silence, and then I heard the girl’s a thin and thoughtful voice, ‘Tie it to a log or stone... hmm... oh shit... Nick! Virgs! And why didn’t you come up with this idea?’

  ‘Why didn’t you suggest it before?!’

  After riding a couple of steps I noticed a red mushroom cap sticking out from under the fallen leaves by the corner of my eye, I started and shouted back,’

  ‘And one more thing! If you fail with a log, then when you are dragged through mushrooms, eat them! Bite and eat! Good luck!’

  Shaking my head thoughtfully, I spurred Help and trotted fast toward Selen that was hidden behind the rare forest. I have a lot of work to do todayI.

  Mossy Hills that I visited before couldn’t compete with that fishing village. It was better by all characteristics. By the number of houses, the overall size of the village and, importantly, by the high activity and the number of gamers. Life was just bubbling here. Having run through the village, I counted minimum five dozens of gamers doing something.

  It is quite understandable. Selen is surrounded by comfortable terrain for leveling up. Here you have plains and some woodlands, and even the river. And somewhere in the west, there is a small, four-level dungeon, designed for beginners. You can’t walk on it without any difficulty, but there are no deadly monsters.

  Most of the gamers were in a small shopping area. They settled in their favorite place in the town seated and put their goods in front of them. The rest were passing by makeshift stalls slowly, asking the price, and just staring. However, some especially motivated gamers didn’t stay there for a long time. They flew up to the seller, purchased the necessary equipment quickly and immediately evaporated. If there were any thieves I didn’t see them, and I’m sure they couldn’t survive there for a long time, as three local guards with heavy maces at their belts were controlling the area besides one of them had a durable net. Like real gladiators, damn it. Everything can be bought and sold here. I stopped for a while to listen to the shouting and trying to create an overall picture. Sometimes it is enough to look at the goods to understand who is who in life. And sometimes it can get rid of many unnecessary problems in the future, especially in small villages like that. Lazy drones that adore taking everything for free usually fly to places where hard-working bees live.

  ‘Medium and small healing potions! Cheap! large quantities! Even cheaper if you bring an empty bottle!’

  Everything is clear here. A new herbalist alchemist is selling products of his own production. He’s earning money and upgrading his profession. But if you think about how long he had to run around the ravine, looking under every bush and every tree to collect enough herbs... you won’t envy the poor guy. But if he manages to upgrade the chosen profession a decent level, any clan will welcome him. During any war or raid alchemy disappears by bunches. And it’s very expensive.

  However, I didn’t have to lament over the complicated fate of the alchemist for a long time. The gamer’s next exclamation showed how entrepreneurial he was, ‘Medium and small healing potions! Besides, I’m buying various herbs! Get money on the spot! Daisies and dandelions – double price!’

  I chuckled and moved on, holding the facial e
xpression of a lazy person who had nowhere to hurry. Next advertisement made me alert,

  ‘Equipment on sale! Leather armor with a bonus to the protection and strength, cruise boats with a bonus to the endurance and speed, a steel sword and wooden shield with an iron rim! Everything for the twenty-fifth level and almost non-damaged! Come on, guys, take a closer look! Besides, I’ve got the gvanhs’ skins, acrols’ horns and some alchemy! Buy more, get a bigger discount!’

  I threw a sidelong glance at the shouting game evaluating his appearance. A human of the thirty second level with incredibly bright red bristled hair. Dressed in a brand new leather jacket with wide sleeves, there is a strange curved staff made of dark wood behind his back and a long dagger at his belt. The palms are hidden in brown gloves, surely there is a couple of rings on his fingers. Definitely he is a mage.

  I became alert for a simple reason – that gamer was offering a very specific range of goods. Figuratively speaking – I smelled blood. The equipment for the same level, skins, horns and potions. Surely he had tracked peaceful gamer a kind of ingredient-boy and killed him, then dragged the loot to the auction. As soon as he sells the goods, he will look next victim. That is a drone that I have thought about recently.

  Without thinking for a long time, I got into the interface menu and created a special category quickly, assign it yellow color and called "suspicious." And immediately put the name of the strange trader under that category. Now, if I meet him outside the peace zone, the system will instantly warn me about this sad event. Why sad? Because if I'm right, and the red-haired is an aggr-gamer, my prospects are rather sad – I won’t be able to kill him. The contrast between our levels and gear is great.

  Having finished working with the menu I stomped further still listening carefully to the traders’ calls. I have stopped three times and every time my "yellow list" was updated with new names. When I finish the current quest and leave this area, it will delete this list. And while I'm here, I’d better collect all suspicious names in one category.

  ‘Crayfish! Fresh crayfish for cooks!’

  ‘Fresh fish! Carp, pike, perch and so on! I can fry right here and sell it raw!’

  So here are local fishermen. Judging by the catch they use fishing rods or small benthic traps. If they had a net and a boat, their catch would be much richer. But they seem to sell a lot. Not only gamers but also "locals" as well buy their fish.

  ‘Buy live unicorn fish with blue scales! Expensive! No haggling!’

  Oh ... what a lucky guy! He managed to catch a rare prey, but, moreover, keep it alive. It will be bought very soon. Because of scales and because of the bone spike containing the poison. Or, for an aquarium in the private room. Unicorn fish is very beautiful.

  ‘Linen pants! There are embroidered ones! Plus a shirt to match!’

  ‘Recruit party to Caves! It’s fun to level up together!’

  A party to Karstic Caves? It sounded standard except for the fact why to make a party so far away from Karstic Caves? Those who wish to research dungeons usually gather at the entrance, and collect a party on the spot.

  ‘Wild sour apples are on sale! Terribly sour and terribly wild! I can say brutalized! Regenerate life and give a fifteen-minute bonus to agility! Plus three points to agility!

  ‘Weapon repair! Armor repair! Don’t accept leather, cloth armor and weapons that is not made of metal! I work only with metal!

  ‘I am looking for a party! I am a mage, a healer of the twenty-sixth level! I’ve got blessing spells, but they don’t always work properly! I studied the aura of a small recovery! You won’t die with me!

  'Level up for gold! From twentieth up to the thirtieth level! Quick level-up inside a party! Beggars, don’t bother!’

  'Crystals with return rune on sale! From any level of Karstic Caves straight to the exit of the dungeon to the safe spot! Looking for crafting arrows with steel tips, arrows-lighters and five firefly-balls! Don’t offer torches!’

  Karstic Caves - the very dungeon that is next to the fishing village. And crystals are originated there. They fall from killed monsters, however, the drop rate is quite low. How long did that blonde elf-archer stay there to hit crystals not only for personal needs but also for sale? Judging by how zealously he’s buying arrows and balls, he's going back there.

  By the way, it’s a good idea to buy a couple of fireflies. These small – as big as a fist - glass balls hang over the host’s head when activated, emitting bright light. At sufficiently low cost such lamps can operate for a long time: for one hour, sometimes longer. Never go into a dark dungeon without light source. Besides, they are very useful at night in a standard area. Some gamers can still get by with conventional torches, but it’s not an option for an archer. He can’t manage it with a bow in one hand. I know it by myself. An extra pair of fireflies doesn’t take much space in the bag. I would buy them right now, but unfortunately didn’t have money.

  'Hey. Rosgard!’

  Turning my head, I stared at elf archer calling me and raised my eyebrows.

  'Why are you standing still in front of me? You’re blocking my goods!’

  'Oh! I am sorry... Northy. I was just thinking,’ I said, quickly stepping aside.

  I called the elf Northy, but in fact the sharp-eared’s name that highlighted over his head was Northy the Fiery Tail. Actually I didn’t see any tail, as for the gamer he was of the forty-sixth level. Almost twice higher than me. He could level up in a more serious location, but his goal seems to be not leveling-up but gaining gold.

  ‘Are you interested in crystals? You’d better not go into Karstic Caves without them. But I believe it’s too early for you, Northy said favorably and with a hint of patronage. ‘If only in a good party, you have a chance to run around the first level. But there are crowds of guys like you, mobs don’t have time to appear.’

  'I am not going there,’ I answered politely and after nodding goodbye, went further.

  Shrugging, Northy started shouting again to attract the crowd. When he made sure that none of potential buyers is hurrying to him, he said softly, 'Rosgard, do you want make some money? And to level up by, say, five levels? I can arrange it.’

  'Who does not want it,’ I stopped. ‘But why?’

  ‘I have a business offer for you,’ the archer grinned and added hastily, ‘don’t be afraid. No cheating! I never deceive people. I need you as a donkey. Shit! No offense, man, I mean...’

  'I know what you mean,’ I interrupted the elf. ‘No offense.’

  Indeed, it wasn’t offensive at all. A gamer who performs functions of a porter is called a donkey or a mule. Capacity of a character is limited, and prey can’t be too much. And it’s impossible to put everything in one backpack. That’s why ingredient boys often employ poor gamers paying them a certain percentage from the sale of trophies, plus free experience. It’s a special offer for kids. You run with a partner and stuff prey into backpacks. Actually there are real animals carrying heavy loads, and carts of various sizes, but it’s much cheaper to hire a gamer-donkey. Both in terms of payment for his work, and in the case of death of a voluntary porter. Plus, the gamer-donkey is ready to go everywhere while most of animals succumb.

  'That's a deal,’ Northy nodded. ‘I’m going to the caves again as soon as I sell out everything. I can take you as a member of my party. I can’t promise you a lot of experience – the difference between our levels is huge. But I can make you sure you’ll earn some money. And if you manage to kill some mobs, and the experience will drop. What do you think about it?’

  'I'm sorry, my friend,’ I shook my head regretfully. ‘I can’t.’

  'Ok, whatever,’ the elf shrugged with indifference and, losing interest in the conversation continued his business . ‘Excellent crystals with return rune! From any level of Karstic Caves straight to the exit of the dungeon to the safe spot! Looking for crafting arrows with steel tips and firefly-balls! A donkey is required for a couple of hours, a share of the prey as a reward!’

  Shit
. The offer is really tempting. Experience and some money. Besides, good equipment often drops from monsters in the dungeons; you could pick up a few pieces of outfit. But I wasn’t allowed to join any party. In addition, first I needed to find the local shopkeeper and ask him about the armor drawn from the river.

  I sighed and went on, throwing with a last regretful glance regret at the entrepreneurial archer.

  The required shop was very easy to find - just a few dozens of steps away from the shopping area. A small, squat building with widely-open doors and, of course, lazy guard standing at the entrance with a massive club at the belt.

  Entering the cool gloom of the room, I stepped up to the shopkeeper who was standing behind the counter and greeted him warmly with a poker face. Although my heart was pounding like a sledgehammer, and was about to jump out of my chest.

  A thickset man with a short white beard nodded in response and pointed at the goods lying everywhere and hanging on the walls. Offering me to choose whatever I like.

  'I came not to buy goods, sir,’ I shook my head. ‘Are you the noble trader Kumovan?’

  'Yes, it’s me,’ the man replied sedately. ‘Did you bring a message?’

  'A kind of…’ I said. ‘I’ve got a message from the fisherman Jogly that has sent me to you. Many years ago, he sold you a few silver items. A bracelet, a belt and something else. These things came into your hands by chance and now the true owner asked me to find them. Here, have a look!’

  Without giving the dumbfounded shopkeeper to open his mouth, I pulled up the sleeve of my shirt and showed him a silver bracelet. And then went on, without giving Kumovan time to recover, 'So where are the other things?’

  I was not afraid that Kumovan would say nothing. I was completing the quest according to the stated conditions, walking along the old trail, looking for the rest of the silver legend. Any "local" involved in the quest had to answer. And if he keeps silent, it means there's another way to get to the truth - for example, to kill the shopkeeper, to take the key from his body and to find some old trading records in one of the numerous chests the which the sale the name of the desired items bought are mentioned. Or sneak into his house late at night and steal records. Or overhear the conversation…