(World of Valdira 01) The Way of the Clan (16 page)

One by one gamers were buying weapon and gear and wandered away in different directions. Such a traffic jam in the shop didn’t surprise me at all. What a rush to buy your beloved character to your alter ego a new toy. What a feeling when you throw away your silly stick and take a new sparkling sword… eh…

So my wait was over. Half an hour passed before the last gamer left Frol’s shop. I followed him with my eyes and stood up. The Money-box was having a short standstill in his dealing and we could get down to our business. Frol met me with a vinegar face that surprised me a bit and before I could ask me what the matter was, the trader said with a sigh of disappointment:

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You couldn’t find anything, could you? No wonder, I wasted three years on it. A complete zilch and disappointment.

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On the contrary. I completed your quest, honorable Frol – I replied to enjoy the amazement on the trader’s face. – Let’s talk about it.

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Completed? Erm.. I mean yes! Sure, let’s talk. Cron! You can leave earlier today. I gonna close the shop, I’m tired somehow.

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As you wish, master – said the guard phlegmatically in a deep voice and left the shop. We were alone. Frol squeezed between the counters, locked the door quickly and turned to me:

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Well, what did you get?

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Almost nothing – I spread my arms wide with regret – The only thing I found is a fragment of a sword and dead bodies on the bottom of the pond.

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Where? In the pond? – the trader asked again and hit his forehead with a groan – Why didn’t I guess it? Ah… but what’s the use of dead bodies? Everything must have decayed during three years… Wait! You’ve told me about a sword!

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Here it is, have a look – I put the broken sword on the counter.

While sitting near the shop I managed to rubbed off all the remains of mud and the gold handle was glimmering dimly in contrast to the blue metal of the broken blade. In essence it was a miserable fragment of the thing that used to be great but still it looked massive and expensive.

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Gold – Frol whispered touching the sword carefully – What a pity the blade is broken.

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Gold, yeah, gold – I nodded and added there and then – two shares are yours, one is mine. Shall we saw it? Or cut? That’s a long process, sir.

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Are you alright? To saw such a thing! – the trader jumped up staring indignantly at me – We mustn’t. That will be a complete loss! I’d better bring the sword to bladesmiths, they can give good money for it! And for the handle and for the blade, no matter it’s broken. I’ve never seen such metal! Have you found anything else there? – his excited glance turned into a distrustful one. The super-spy is suspecting something…

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No way, I haven’t – I answered calmly – Just this sword. And two corpses. By the way, we’d better lay them to rest. Can you talk to a local man of the cloth.

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There’s plenty of time for that – Frol dismissed it carelessly – They have been lying for three years there, can wait a little bit more. I’ll take this thing right now and tomorrow I’ll show it to my friend, a bladesmith. He’ll give a high price. But not at once – you see, nobody has spare cash at disposal, everything is invested into goods. And daily receipts are just a handful of coppers with some silver sparkling among them. That’s the way we’ll do it! Now you can leave and come back, say, in ten days, we’ll talk about it again!

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No way! – I grinned widely – No way, honorable, Frol. I also have got friends among bladesmiths. Let me take the sword and in about ten days I’ll visit you again and we’ll talk about it!

Check and… pure mate.

The trader was sniffing intensively while piercing me with his eyes, I was doing just the same. And there was the gold shimmering sword. That’s how murders usually happen… and then skeletons are found in the muddy water of a peaceful pond…

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Ok – Frol was the first to break the silence.

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Ok – I agreed with him.

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So what shall we do? I would pay for your share right now, but I don’t have such money. You don’t want to wait…

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You can pay but not by money – I shrugged my shoulders pretending to be indifferent – I agree to change my share for the sheet of vellum that you found at your gate. So I can take it… and a couple of small bonuses.

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A couple of what?

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Ummm… some gifts from your shop.

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What do you need that sheet for? Do you know anything? – the trader gripped me like a vice, but I shrugged my shoulders again:

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No, I don’t. Hey, Frol, I don’t even know what kind of vellum it is. I haven’t laid my eyes on it. I can be either valuable or a waste. Maybe just a letter! This exchange is guesswork for me and you’re still digging your heels in. You can screw yourself out of profit!

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You’re wrong! It’s not a… humph… I consider it’s… Ok! It’s a deal! I’ll give you the vellum and besides you can take anything from my shop free! But, please, don’t get your hopes up! Give me your hand! Let’s strike the bargain properly!

Damn it… he agreed too fast. The trader is such a rat. He won’t do anything without his own benefit. Did I sell it too cheap? On the other hand, he can’t have understood what he found and estimated its value. Er… there’s no use crying over spilt milk. At last it was my idea.       

I reached out my hand and shook Frol’s one to bind our bargain.

In the blink of an eye the sword disappeared from the counter. The trader muttered with charitable laziness:

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Wait a bit, I’ll bring your vellum now. Have a look at goods while waiting. And don’t get your hopes up, as I have told you! Don’t grab everything and anything! It’s not a charity here, good man.

Damn it! I must have sold it cheap! The cunning trader is sparkling with satisfaction too much. I stroke my fist over the counter with disappointment and heard Frol’s impish laughter behind the mutual wall between the shop and the storeroom. He understood the reason of my discontent. Well…

Frol was absent about five minutes but that was enough for me to bring a lot of stuff onto the counter. If I got bonuses I’d better choose maximum. A capacious rucksack made from dense texture is definitely necessary for me. A one-handed sword lay down on a round wooden shield clanking dull y – that’s for a she-gamer who I’ve been waiting for several days. I even overcompleted Gosha’s request who asked to find just a sword for her. Thinking for a while I added a dagger with a belt and a sheath there. Anything can happen during a battle. Additional weapon is always useful. I would take armor as well but they didn’t have it there. Only clothes but according to defending characteristics they were as good as mine. Although… I darted off to the opposite wall and tore off two cloaks from dense grey textile from the hangers. I checked their characteristics quickly – they give +1 to the protection against physical hit. I need some shoes as well. Having turned over some alternatives of a poor range I chose two pairs of ordinary leather boots with plus to the protection. And certainly two broad-trim straw hats with the same plus characteristic.

What else? Sure, food. Several bundles of smoked and dried meat landed on the overwhelming counter. It stays edible for a long time period and recovers life points better than bread. I took two flasks as well, then tied one of them to my belt.

I would have taken more – if I don’t need it, I can always sell it, but Frol came back at that moment and started waving his hands:

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Stop! Stop it! You gonna bankrupt me! That will do for you, devastator!

Nevertheless I finished the started movement and grabbed an ash stuff from the arms counter. I possessed its twin. It will come into play one day.

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Now that’s all – I gave the trader a reconciling smile while approaching him – Don’t be so greedy, Frol. You reaped the benefit, don’t worry.

Damn it… I haven’t managed to show how much I can bring out.

I might have forgotten something or missed.

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It’s still under question whether I’ll benefit or not – the Money-box grumbled – Regard it my courtesy. I’ve just felt sorry for you, helped you get rid of an unwanted thing.

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Sure – I nodded – Where is my vellum?

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Take it – a green sheet twisted as a roll flitted on the counter and I almost howled with grief.

That’s a usual ‘nature’, damn it! And to crown it all, of a low rank! Frol suckered me, yeah, he suckered me indeed! I hooked the vellum by the tips of my fingers and brought closer to my eyes. The message that popped up n front of my eyes didn’t surprise me at all:

A magic scroll.

The spell ‘blackthorn bush’, ‘blackthorn obstacle’, ‘blackthorn dense forest’, ‘poisonous blackthorn forest’.

Type: natural magic.

Scroll rank: prime.

The amount of scroll application: 1 (the scroll will be destroyed after being used!)

Spell rank of learning he scroll: first (the scroll will be destroyed after being learnt!)

Spell type: protective/passive hit.

‘Blackthorn bush’ spell description: build a thorny blackthorn bush in front of an enemy…

Oh… what tough luck… it’s just a cheap scroll that I can get maximum five golden coins.

Signing I pierced into a very long description of the scroll and its spell, then closed the message and holding the vellum in my hand pronounced: ‘Learn it!’

You’ve succeeded in learning the first-rank spell ‘blachthorn bush’!

The vellum turned into dust with a slight rustle.

Achievement!

You’ve got a first rank achievement – ‘Natural mage’!

You can see your achievements in your character’s settings.

Your award for the achievement: +0.1% to the power and to the duration of the effect of the same class spells.

Current bonus: +0.1%

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Thanks a lot – I muttered shaking off my hands – Frol, you’re as cunning as a fox!

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I survive so, plain and simple – the Money-box chuckled – I’ve chosen too many things. I’d better give you half.

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No way! You’ve already suckered me like a perfect patsy! – I grumbled – You’ve known that it’s an spell scroll! By the way… why didn’t you sell it?

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I couldn’t – Frol replied with a sincere puzzle spreading his arms wide – I tried several times! I even went to the magic shop. But once I started speaking about the bargain my tongue seemed to grow numb! I couldn’t utter a single word! I moved it, munched in vain… and having got nothing for my pains came back home. What bad luck it is, I don’t know!

But I knew. Frol is a ‘local’ trader in the Cradle. He sells poor weapon, food, household tools and clothes. But he isn’t enabled to sell or buy spells. There is an unstated ban on magic in the Cradle. That’s why he couldn’t sell the spell… to my cost. But he could give it as an award for completing a quest! Besides, it was my idea!

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Well… - Frol uttered with a clear impatience. – It’s getting dark. I admit you’ve done everything that I asked you to do. And I paid you as agreed. Right?

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Right. Our agreement is satisfied. The work is done – I was forced to admit it.

Congratulations!

The quest ‘???’ has been successfully completed!

Award: a magic scroll and goods gained from Frol the Money-box’s shop for free!

You’ve leveled up!..

Points available for distribution: 15

Wow… I gained three levels up! So how many experience points have I got, I wonder? The experience points haven’t been reflected in the award. Is it another system failure? Perhaps. The name of the quest has never showed up, being denoted as a set of question marks. I have an eight-level character. And I haven’t left the Cradle yet. Now I’m like Heracles found himself in a crowd of chronic anorexics. Although it’s not a good metaphor as Heracles was smart and I’m such a hefty but stupid village husky fellow… Shaking my head with amazement I stuffed all my belongings into a new rucksack, said an indifferent good-bye to Frol who he has already lost any business interest concerning me, and went out. The door banged behind my back, the lock gritted again and other latches. The trader was definitely happy to get rid of me.