(World of Valdira 01) The Way of the Clan (2 page)

‘Ichthyander the Galician reaching the bottom of the Kvantonsky sinkhole’ – against the almost black background of the oceanic water you could hardly spot a small tense image of a swimmer hanging headlong and touching the stone bottom by the tips of his fingers. If my memory serves me right, the depth of the Kvantonsky sinkhole is over seventeen thousand meters. You can’t reach such depth while diving in real life. It’s possible only in Valdira and only if you are playing for the underwater race. Otherwise, pressure will turn you into flatbread. By the way, Ichthyander is believed to have reached the bottom but didn’t manage to return – the record-breaker was scarfed up on his way back. Deep-sea monsters are big-sized and are always hungry. Hrmph… Paintings are everywhere. Starting from the chest-level and raising up to the very ceiling. The first clan castle built, the first gamer who earned a fortune of one million golden coins – that’s one more achievement by the gamer named Cunning Twain. What a savvy pusher…

After glancing quickly at the paintings I rushed to the door where I dropped a nod to the girl standing at a semi-round counter in response to her saying good morning. She’s not a gamer, just a NPC controlled by an artificial intelligence with an ability for self-learning. That’s the zest of the game giving Valdira more authenticity and charm.

-
         
May fortune smile upon you today, Mr Crashshot! – added the girl in my direction with sadness hardly heard in her voice. She said it in a perfectly polite manner with a bit of melancholy in her voice.

She’s bored here, poor girl. She can’t even have a quick word with anyone. Gamers are always in a hurry, they have so much to do. The girl rarely has a chance of chatting for a while.

However, she’s not bored a lot – I glimpsed a cheap necklace of blue beads around the girl’s neck. ‘Locals’ of the ordinary rank don’t wear jewelry – it’s designed so on purpose. But any gamer can present NPC a ring, a necklace or even a chain. If there is an accessory around the neck, this truly beautiful girl created by the hands of a gifted designer has an admirer among the gamers who sometimes visits her. Obviously not only for chatting. Game status speaks for itself – unambiguous NC-17, teenagers and kids aren’t admitted for immersion. If you wish you can even get married, buy a nice house with a garden and enjoy all the pleasures of a quiet family life. Or violent family quarrels, it’s up to you to choose your partner. A lot of gamers behave like this. Apparently it’s nice when a beautiful happy wife greets you sincerely at the door of your cozy family residence.

The plaza hit me with a deafening noise. It was always overcrowded by hundreds of players, and a half of them were traders who wished to move all the stuff found at the vast of Valdira or hand-made at the highest price. Others wished to get this stuff but at the lowest price. Each party was bargaining like hell and extremely loudly. When got there first time I couldn’t catch a single word out of the whole noise. Now it’s much easier.  I got used to it. Now I’m used to the sellers’ wild callings, to the rippling crowd and to pilferers darting in and out.

-
         
Rings! Rings with semi-precious stones! Get more mana points by them right now! Only two left! From level ten!

-
         
Shirts! Linen shirts! Pay one silverdump – get two cool shirts!

-
         
Giant crabs’ shells! Whole and powdered! The best buy for alchemists!

-
         
Hot meal! Hot meal!

-
         
All my stuff on sale! For level twenty! Shop around, I’ve got the best price!

-
         
Everything for lightning! Fire-bugs! Head magic lamps! Glowing necklaces and waist belts! Only two lampposts with simplified activation left! One charged with daylight, another with usual light! Reasonable prices! Offer your price!

Lampposts are stationary lightening devices that look like… lampposts. Here comes the name from. Can you think of a better tag for a radiant cylinder one and a half meters high? So players picked up that nickname. Clear and short – for those who are let into the game genre of Valdira. Daylight stands for sunlight. It provides you with the best protection against creatures being afraid of daylight. Besides, it can lighten. Fire-bugs also belong to lightening devices. That player seems to specialize in making and selling lightening gear.

- Repair your armor and weapon for free! Absolutely free! No guarantee!

- Wooden charmed flasks! Increased capacity! Buy, it’s the best!

-  Furs! Very cheap rabbit furs! Rabbit’s eyes are also on sale! Only seventeen left!

- Eight silvered buttons on sale. Tailors, join the line, don’t waste your time, it’s craftwork! Very beautiful!

Buyers preferred keeping silence while walking around with a poker-face and digging into the goods offered.

The pop-up market didn’t appear here by chance – there was a pure water fountain nearby, it was allowed to drink from it and fill flasks, a hotel overlooked that place and just twenty steps away there was a public auction where any gamer could place a rare thing for bidding and the commission was quite small. So I directed there paying attention neither to the people gathered around nor to beginners sighing with admiration and following me with jealous eyes.

There was a semitransparent veil hanging in the air in front of the auction. And to get into I had to go through it. So I did it. One step forward, the veil deepened at once studying me properly, then suddenly cleared and permitted me to enter. The magic veil didn’t allow gamers under level fifteen to trade at the auction and returned kids to the plaza with a slight pat on the back and a mild whisper ‘grow up, baby’.

I decided not to go up broad granite steps and enter the building. Turning left drastically I moved to a group of ten or fifteen gamers of different classes and races hanging about the wall.

Actually those talkative guys of all colors and shades were my aim. Informal ‘black’ auction. I would get less money here but at once. If you want to get rid of goods fast in exchange for real money not for gold, here is your destination.

The diversity of fences surprised me. There were elfs, dwarves, humans, drows, half-orcs and even achilots that I hadn’t expected to meet. However, there was only one achilot and taking into account that he was gill-breathing he was surprisingly all right. Sure he was all right in such an aquarium! A huge seawater bubble that seemed rather insecure was throbbing on the cobblestone plaza and a gamer-achilot was splashing about inside phlegmatically. Well, underwater creatures are not frequent guests in this city located, say, not in a hot desert but at its edge. 

I remember getting amazed when I knew that Valdira has a pure underwater race that under the sea depths there are real underwater towns, villages, caves and, sure, monsters. But despite curiosity overwhelming me I didn’t want to become an achilot although they have got a huge range of classes available. It’s not really my thing. Besides I prefer having my feet on the ground to being suspended. They have got zero-gravity kingdom underwater.

I was about to open my mouth when a husky half-orc approached me and nodding at my backpack growled throatily:

-
         
Have you got anything for sale?

-
         
Yes, I have, - I agreed lowering my backpack without a doubt. – But don’t expect a big discount! It’s craftwork! Almost rarity!

The half-orc sniffed scornfully and I could see why – the fangy warrior was well-equipped. A softly lightening silver cuirass laced with amazing patterns of runes, similar pauldrons, bracers and greaves. A complete set that gives more bonuses to the attributes! I could notice a black silk shirt under the armor, his hands were protected by fingered gauntlets but surely there were magic rings on all of his fingers and a couple of protective charms. There’s no use to mention all-metal high boots. His image was literally emitting a powerful magic that soaked all the pieces of his clothes. Not everyone could nail such a dude… but I would try if we fought on a very rough terrain…

Ensuring the decent impression he made the fence muttered lazily:

-
         
Gold or real?

-
         
Real dough! – exclaimed I hastily while opening my backpack.- I don’t need gold.

I immediately swore myself in mind watching the half-orc’s eyes glittering with delight when he realized that I was broke. What a sucker I am! I simply can’t pretend to be indifferent.

The warrior snatched my backpack out of my hands carelessly and started digging into it businesslike sometimes grunting and tutting uncertainly. It didn’t take him much time to study my treasure collected with a great effort, I heard the answer in a second:

-
         
Fifty for everything including your backpack. I can add five more maximum. That’s in bucks.

-
         
You don’t mean it… - I said dispiritedly. – I’ll get thrice the price for everything at the auction. Can you increase the price by fifty? All the stuff is in ideal condition, it doesn’t need repair.

-
         
You won’t – the half-orc shook his black disheveled locks. – Definitely. You’ll get seventy-five or maybe eighty bucks maximum at the auction. Not more. You can estimate yourself – you’ve got only a bare base, no runes, no rarities, no sets. All your junk will go straight to growing-up recruits who will be happy to break it down by their crooked hands.

-
         
Who will get it?

-
         
It doesn’t matter! – growled the warrior discontentedly. – So you haven’t got anything valuable here but for your bow and a couple of throwing knives that can be useful. I took the rest just to top it off and just because the durability is full. So I can credit fifty-five bucks to your account right now, just give me your number. If you don’t believe me, ask the guys here, I don’t care.

Thinking for a while I gave up and agreed with the offer gloomily. I’ve got no reason to lie to the half-orc. There was nothing special in my backpack indeed. Just high-quality rag and weapon.

-
         
It’s a deal – growled the half-orc showing an impressive set of fangs. – By the way… the bow hanging behind your back… I can take it for twenty, sight unseen. If you give me your belt and your weapon, you can earn one more dime. How about it?

-
         
Do you mean my bow? – exhaled I squinting at the weapon protruded over my shoulder. – Are you sure?.. the belt is ok, but…

-
         
It’s up to you. My job is to offer.

-
         
Damn! – muttered I, took the shoulder-belt and the bow off firmly and passed them to the trader. – Take it!

-
         
Don’t you have enough money for your weekly dose? – the warrior narrowed his lids scornfully, took my weapon and stuffed the backpack.

-
         
You got it, - I replied gloomily while tearing my belt off the waist (it added much agility and gave five-per cent bonus to stealth). An ideal belt. And I’m going to sell it now… for a miserable dime of bucks. But what can I do? Keep it and exit the game proudly?

-
         
Tell me your account number. Or your e-wallet number. It’s up to you.

-
         
E-wallet, - replied I and clattered the number.

-
         
Wait – grumbled the half-orc, narrowed his grey and green lids and immerged into himself.

Some minutes passed before he fixed his dark amber eyes on me again.

-
         
Done. The whole amount is on your account. If you get anything worthy, PM me. I’m here day and night. My nickname’s Grey Boar. Don’t forget.

-
         
Ok – I nodded and then asked him – Hey, how did you pass me the dough? You didn’t exit the game, did you?..

-
         
What for? Ah… you seem to be from the notable dynasty of Pinocchio. You’ve got a ‘wooden’ account, right?

-
         
Right.

-
         
That’s the reason. The chosen account means a lot. Well, good luck. Any problems – come to me!

Giving me a nod Grey Boar left carelessly swinging my backpack. Well, I lost my weapon and gear but I got eighty-five bucks on my account. If only that half-orc didn’t make a mistake and didn’t want to stiff me. Coming out of the magic veil I sat on the bench heated by the sun at the fountain shooting dozens of water sprays and hurried to exit the game. A light blink, a flash and a rainbow vortex whirling in front of my eyes again. And then comes the darkness. Tearing the helmet off my head I opened the semitransparent lid of the cocoon and without standing up pulled the computer display fixed on the hanger arm. The Internet was on and it didn’t take me much time to enter my e-banking.

Grey Boar hadn’t let me down. He had credited me eighty-five dollars and one cent. One cent! A homebred comedian! Laugh out loud! He’s so generous. Added one cent! Knowing there had been seventeen bucks on my account I could say I became a proud owner of a hundred two dollars, I ignored one cent proudly.