The Way of the Clan 2 (World of Valdira)

by Dem Mikhaylov

  But I didn’t manage to kill any wolf and to cut any tail because I did not want to take risks and go far away from the village. In addition, one well-wisher explained the situation to me, why I screwed up my first attempt when I tried to defeat a gray bandit. Because it was intended that way. Because it's "enemy number one" for this particular location.

  It turned out that there are three major troubles in this village - wolves living in the woods, spiders occupying the dark ravines and spruce, and vicious kobolds inhabiting Karstic Caves and holding a grudge against peaceful villagers.

  The malicious enemies has been attacking and plaguing miserable Selen for ages, and only thanks to the heroic and glorious actions of foreigners, it was possible contain the attack at least. But it's a legend. In simple words, wolves, kobolds and spiders that I haven’t had a chance to meet yet are special mobs. With the increased damage, life reserve, resistance to certain elements and advanced "brain." They do not walk alone, so it’s recommended to hunt for them in a party.

  Many villages can boast of such monsters, and when I was Crashshot archer, I used to complete similar tasks. But lower levels are easier for rangers. They run faster and get tired less, attack mobs from distance and are better at dodging blows. Because his main characteristics are agility, endurance, sometimes even strength. And indeed, the archer is the best… nostalgia swept over me ...

  Magician has got a harder life. Well, when I study and update all the powerful spells, I’ll be able to flood a square of the forest by fire just flick my finger. A wolf will not have time to utter a yell before turning into roasted meat. But it won’t be soon. And now I have a few miserable spells of the first rank. By the way, this is my main problem.

  "The call of the snake", "glowing coal” and "ice arrow” were blinking happily, asking to upgrade them in the nearest magical guild. That's what I am going to do. If I one of my ingenuous ideas workout, I’ll try to implement it in the nearest future. The idea codenamed "plaintive whining." It's a pity that "small healing" has not been upgraded yet... but there's nothing to do about it. And it's not my line.

  Like a mad hurricane I swept through the village, sold all my trophies, summed up the total, and it turned out that I was the rightful owner of seven gold coins, two silver and a dozen of coppers. It is in the black. There was Squeaky’s crossbow that I sold in the red. I bought the outfit instead. Shoes, a hat and gloves. Absolutely standard, with the bonus to defense and stamina. But durable and relatively cheap. I have already had the jacket and pants – thank you, Squeaky. Well, it sounds great! Trendy stuff from Squeaky! A must-have of this season. Ahem...

  Inventing jokes and laughing at them, I arrived at the shopping area and went straight to the alchemist who was still standing in the square and shouting to attract potential buyers. A born marketer! I would die in two hours because of boredom!

  But now his persistence was my asset. I had already sold all the trophies except for herbs and mushrooms. They weighed very little, almost nothing, and I considered it would be a crime to sell them to a shop at a very low price.

  'Hi!’

  ‘Hello!’ the alchemist smiled broadly. It was a smile of capitalist - radiant, sincere and all thirty-two teeth.

  'Are you buying herbs and mushrooms?’ I asked business-like while taking off the bag from my shoulder.

  'It depends…’ the gamer was about to continue but suddenly choked looking at a huge bunch of plants that appeared in the shopping window. ‘Wow!’

  That's for sure. I picked up so many herbs that it would be enough for a full dinner for one horse. All plants were simple: chamomile, peppermint, plantain and tutsan. But a lot of them! As for mushrooms it was even easier: russula, yellow and white fly agaric toadstool. To collect the remaining herbs and mushrooms I had to read books. If only I had money to buy them and time to read...

  'Will you take them?’ I asked hopefully.

  There was no use to bargain - some herbs had withered, in a couple of hours and they would turn into worthless straw. So I didn’t have any alternative.

  'I'll take!’ the blonde-haired gamer replied firmly. He closed his eyes thoughtfully, paused for a moment and finally announced the price - six gold and a pair of silver coins for everything. Agree?

  'Can you add some more coins?’ I wondered timidly. ‘A few…’

  'Yes, I can, if have empty bottles. I’ll have to boil all that green stuff and pour somewhere. Damn ... and I was going to leave the square. Now I have to stay here longer...’

  'No bottles.’

  'Then... well, let it be six gold and three silver coins. It’s a bargain?

  'Ok, it’s a deal,’ I nodded, activating the corresponding icon in the virtual interface. In a second I became a little richer.

  'Remember my nickname,’ said the alchemist. “I’ll buy all your herbs, no matter how many you’ve got, ok?’

  'Ok!’ I said. ‘Good luck.

  'Take care!’

  Both of us were happy about the bargain, we parted and I went straight to the hotel. I need to get some more gold but for free.

  Flash.

  Exit.

  I took off the helmet, opened the lid of the cocoon and stretched my stiff muscles properly with a long yawn. Then turned my head and muffled curse when heard a joyous laughter of Vlas sitting on my bed. Keira who was modestly sitting on a stool drawn from the kitchen also could not help but chuckle.

  Well, it's funny! I used to live alone and didn’t have anyone to catch me at the embarrassing moment. Thanks god it was just a yawn – actually I could have done something worse… spoil the air, for example...

  Sitting down, I looked around the room and got puzzled as certainly it had changed except the already mentioned stools and kitchen table decorated with a few bottles with colorful labels.

  On the wall above the bed a long and clumsy piece of iron, covered with a thick layer of rust was hanging. I needed one look to understand – that’s the piece of metal after which I got my nickname.

  'Hello, Katana!’ snorted Vlas still laughing. ‘Suppose you haven’t expected to see us! But we have come! And brought some gifts!’

  'It's you who came but I’m living here, by the way,’ said Keira dressed in blue pajamas and made a sip from my favorite cup. ‘Say thank you that I let you come in!’

  ‘Well…’ I blurted.

  I threw a short glance at my watch. Almost six p.m.

  'He wanted to press the emergency exit button,’ Keira informed me. ‘But I didn’t allow. What if you were fighting at that moment?’

  'Yeah,’ I muttered.

  'Well, take a seat,’ Vlas patted the bed. ‘Let’s get into real PvP. Talk and drink.’

  'You persuaded me,’ I smiled. ‘But first let me wash my face.’

  Reaching the bath, I quickly wash my face, drank some water straight from the tap, then returned to the room and sat down on the bed. Making sure that I came, Vlas immediately moved to the second part of his plan. ‘To make Keira leave the room.’

  'Keira, honey, tell us if you're going to a party with us?’ Vlas asked tenderly.

  'Sure!’ the girl replied at once.

  'Very very good. So what about going to the bathroom to make up and get prepared? We’re leaving soon.’

  'I’ll have time for that,’ Keira dismissed, but Vlas insisted asking her and his voice sounded serious, ‘Keira, I need to talk man-to-man to this friend of mine who is not a friend anymore.’

  ‘Man-to-man in the bedroom?’ Keira blinked, and I started coughing.

  'Go away, comedian!’ Vlas growled, handing me a glass with a double dose of vodka.

  ‘That’s too much, Vlas!’ I protested.

  'Shut up, teetotaler! Fucking Stierlitz! Silent plotter! Ugh, I’m losing control again! I need to take my favorite antidepressant. Cheers!’

  'Well, and who is a humorist now?’ we heard from the corridor.

  'You're not in the bathroom, are you? And haven’t you taken off everything yet?’

/>   'I am In the bathroom. But don’t worry, I'll go out soon! You have half an hour for amorous whispers. Oh gosh, you’re like children!

  'You believe you are an adult, don’t you? Go away, hotbed of infection.’

  ‘Vlas!’

  'Oh, Keira,’ I sighed and emptied glass. Wrinkling I tried to find a chaser moving my hand over the table, but there was nothing but the bottle. ‘Where is the chaser?’

  ‘Later,’ my old friend said categorically and pulled on a sadistic expression. ‘There is only fifty grams, there is no use to bite after. I never bite after.’

  'You've got so much weight that you don’t need to do it. I haven’t eaten today at all except for a tiny piece of fried eggs and three dry cookies.

  'You’ll fill your belly when we get to the restaurant. There is no point is o eat now!’

  'Can I stay here tonight?’ I asked timidly.

  'No, brother, you cannot.’

  'And Keira… why should we take her to the restaurant?’

  'Nobody will harm her there! There will be about twenty guys. Nobody will interfere, except riot police. Keira... Keira...’

  'By the way, how did you meet her?’ I asked with interest hopelessly watching Vlas filling the glasses again. This guy can drink. And never get drunk.

  'Me?! Ah! I didn’t meet her. She met us, Ros,’ Vlas snorted. ‘You won’t believe it! Just a moment! I’ll tell but let’s drink first. To our meeting, Ros!’

  The glasses clinked dull, I emptied another glass of icy vodka.

  'Well,’ the Claw continued taking my glass. Year and a half ago, we were sitting in a restaurant. It was a very nice party. The table was full of delicacies, a lot of good friends, by the way, you know them all, a set of various girls, cool music…

  'Vlas, please, omit the description of the toilet and the interior decoration of the hall!’ I growled.

  'Well! Now I can recognize old Ros. Calm down and listen. In short there was a problem with Ksenia... well, you do not know he ... So some bloke hugged her tightly in the corner and didn’t control his hands... She started screaming. Sure we stood up to sort it out, pulled the man from the restaurant, and wanted to give him a lesson. Well, gently, without injuring. We were kicking and pushing him to each other. He started yelling. Calling his mommy and daddy... and then Pasha the Bald spoiled all the buzz… as usual.’

  'Headbutt?’ I sighed nostalgically.

  'Yup! He pulled the guy’s lapels and headbutted him! Knockdown. Pasha pulled a happy smile on his face and was about to say something smart, but did not have time to open his mouth, when he received a blow on his face. Such a clear snap. Bang!’

  ‘A man stood up after Pasha’s hit?’ I didn’t believe it.

  'No way! The guy was lying on the ground, admiring the stars. It was Keira!’

  'You must be kidding!’

  'Aha! She dashed up to Pasha and slapped his face. I rubbed my eyes. Nobody could believe it. Can you imagine ten healthy muscleheads are standing in the yard at night, beating someone, and then a little girl runs up and attacks Pasha! Would you believe it?’

  'Nope,’ I confessed.

  'So we were in a stupor, puzzled Pasha was rubbing his bruised face t, and the girl was standing in front of him in such a pose – oops, not in such a position, not erotic - and sermonizing. As in a fairy tale. It’s forbidden to hurt small ones. It’s forbidden to mob a human, and all that stuff. Then a dude appeared in the doorway, an intelligent one wearing glasses, parted hair, a trendy jacket and a tie, shining shoes. But that dude didn’t come closer to us, he started whispering from the doorway instead, ‘Keira, darling, it’s not your business, do not interfere, please.’ And he was speaking so disgustedly, I almost vomited. That’s why how we knew her name, and, damn it, and met.

  'And what happened next?’

  'Oh, it was very interesting! Then Keira turned to her boy-friend and sent him to go to one very bad and dark place, how to get there and how long he should stay there. And she also called him a coward. At that moment I couldn’t stand it anymore and burst out laughing, the others joined me. We were almost rolling on the ground. Yeah... I laugh each time I remember the situation. So then, we explained the situation to the girl, opened her eyes so to say, then sent her ex-boyfriend home gently, and invited Keira to our table. So that’s the way we became friends... to my own harm…

  'What a f…’

  'You’re right! Come on! To our absent friends! Cheers!’

  'Cheers!’ I agreed, pouring another dose into my throat. I felt a bit buzzy. Sure, as my stomach was completely empty. ‘Vlas, and why do you say ‘to my own harm’? The l girl is pretty, even more ...

  'Yes, she is... but she’s absolutely crazy. Just like you!’ Vlas grunted, picking up the bottle. ‘That’s why we nicknamed her ‘Hellcat’ because she is a hellcat. After that memorable meeting we stayed in contact. Pasha even had a crush on her. She is the first who has dared slap him. We began meeting regularly. You know, restaurants, barbecue. And, interestingly, almost all these meetings ended up some troubles. Certainly, because of Keira.’

  'I don’t understand.’

  'Why? Keira always finds the insulted and humiliated and tries to defend them. Cops are pushing a drunk man to bring him to life - Keira dashes there at full speed. Somebody is screaming behind the fence – Keira is already climbing over the fence. But we have to sort out all the mess and cope with everything. Fucking screwup! And Pasha! Poor Pasha! Once he asked her for a date. The first and the most romantic one, yeah. They had dinner at a restaurant, then decided to walk around the city, holding hands, admiring the stars and talking about the beautiful. But while passing through a yard, they saw some boys beating someone. Keira was nearby in a second! Pasha… what could he do? He followed her! And thanks god those boys were normal, they almost didn’t touch the girl. Just pushed her away not to interfere anymore. Pasha’s kidneys turned out to be responsible for the mess. Then he spent three daysin bed! Those boys were sportsmen – boxers and who sambo wrestlers. No, don’t worry - we found them later and talked heart to heart. After that the Bald recovered and didn’t have romantic feelings towards Keira anymore, stopped loving her abruptly. Come on, Ros! Wake up! It’s not recommended to warming vodka in the hands!’

  'Yes, I'm just shocked.’

  'Vodka is the best means to treat shock! Come on! Well, that’s the way we like it! Ok, now it’s your turn to tell me the truth, Rusty Katana until Hellcat creeps out of the bath.’

  ‘…until Hellcat creeps out of the bath,’ I repeated thoughtfully and suddenly shrugged. ‘Have you ever thought about shooting horror movies?’

  'Don’t dodge the question, Ross. Why have you called me?’

  'What do you mean? To bring Keira to the hospital. You know it.’

  'Stop bamboozling me! I am not a fool. You could cope with it without my help. Or ask Gosha, thanks god he’s not in a coma, and his mobile is on.

  'You are right,’ I admitted serious. ‘I could. Would you like to hear the truth?’

  ‘Are you kidding? Am I sitting here to listen to damned fairy-tails?! Sure, be honest! All this time you have been living quietly on your own. No news about you. But then suddenly showed your nose out of the hole. So there must be a reason. Or a problem.’

  'Well, here is the truth. I don’t know, Claw. It seems there are no problems, except for dismissal and divorce. But I got divorced a long time. And I’m sure I’ll find a new job. I have some money so far.’

  'Stop the car! Stop! Divorce?! I don’t understand, you were married or something?!’

  ‘I am divorced now,’ I dismissed pouring vodka. ‘It’s a very silly story. It doesn’t matter much!’

  'What a shit, how can you say it does not matter! What about kids?’

  'No kids. I’ve been thinking all day why I have called you,’ I confessed.

  'What have you decided? Have a drink! I put two bottles of vodka into your freezer. Hoped to find meat there, but found only a pack of expire
d crab sticks. And someone had already bit them. Ros, I didn’t know you enjoy luxury lifestyle! Damn it!’

  I shrugged and continued, ‘I haven’t decided anything. I realized that I had waken up thanks to Gosha and Keira. A dynamic duo… It all started due to them, one event after another, continuous adrenaline. I was like taken out of coma.’

  ‘A dynamic duo... you’re speaking like a poet. Tell me everything step by step!’

  ‘Step by step? Well, actually there is nothing to tell about. When I came back to town, I bought the apartment – the father helped, due to his emotional disorder he became generous, gave some money. It was enough for a studio. Mom secretly slipped a couple of banknotes. Then I got a job, worked, met a girl, got married, divorced, fired. That's all.’

  'Not bad. One phrase for the whole biography. You must be cheating me you, Ross. And what do you mean you have waken up? When your father took you out from the hospital, we lost the sight of you. Not a word. No trace either on the Internet or in the real world. We thought, brainstormed it and decided that your father managed to convince you, pushed the right buttons and you put on the officer’s uniform. And you don’t care about old friends anymore.

  'Nope,’ I muttered darkly, emptying the glass by two sips. ‘Add some more, Vlas. He didn’t persuade me. And there is no Internet where I spent the first six months after hospital. There's nothing at all, Vlas, except for snow and ice. And it’s damned cold there. When I felt a bit better, father sent me there. With security guards as an honorary escort. Before my departure he said, ‘Now, son, you'll have plenty of time to think about your behavior and about your future. Think properly!’

  'Did he really say it? Well, yes... your father can do it. I’ve seen him once, but that’s enough for a lifetime. Where is that damned place?’

  'I have no idea. But it took them much time to bring me there. We were going by helicopter the last part of the way. When we landed...’ my hand was trembling, I almost dropped the empty glass. I put it carefully back on the table and continued with the effort, ‘Have you ever seen Antarctic landscape maybe on TV? Or tundra?’