(World of Valdira 01) The Way of the Clan (27 page)

+5% to the chance to obtain unique/implicit quests

Current chance: 6%

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Well… you can try – Grim smiled at me sadly and rose heavily from his knees. – That armor didn’t bring me good luck. Maybe you’ll be happier. Don’t hurry to go to cliff Doom. Too much time passed and too much water flew away since that time. Start with careful talks. You know there is a nugget of truth in gossips and legends… Good-bye, Rosgard. I believe that one day we’ll meet again.

Grim the Inconsolable turned around sharply and loped away. The door shut closed and he disappeared. The saloonkeeper emerged from nowhere to pat me on my shoulder and hand me a folded cloak and five circles of gold shining on it.

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Have fun! Drink heady wine and foaming beer!

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Sure – I nodded slowly and turned around to return to my table with my legs like unbending sticks. Keira was waiting for me at the table.

Despite the total state of amazement I didn’t forget to make sure that the sleeve of my loose shirt was completely hiding the silver bracelet.

So it’s important not to raise my hands high over my head and not to demonstrate the prize obtained. Legendary items… some gamers were killed for less important in the game. I wasn’t aware of all the details but I knew one thing for sure – I wasn’t going to give that bracelet away.

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Well, what did he tell you? – Keira blurted out impatiently as soon as I sat down on the bench.

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Congratulated me with the victory and gave me the prize – I shrugged my shoulders and nodded at the cloak and golden coins.

Oh, the coins by the way…

I collected the heavy circles into my hand and poured them into the sack’s neck.

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Ros! Grim the Inconsolable bended his knee to you! And I saw it – he stretched his hand to you! _ Keira narrowed her eyes looking at me with sudden coldness and suspicion – And not he but the saloonkeeper gave you the cloak! What did Grim tell you or give you? – the girl’s glance dashed to the collar of my shirt, then slid over my fingers – Well? Ros, answer to me right now!

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Hey! Slow down, honey! – I grinned angrily and leaned forward – Why are you interrogating me like this?! We’ve got an agreement – I had to help you win the tournament! Have I done it?

Keira was keeping a breathless silence so I continued:

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I’ve done it! Did you get your prize? The prize that’s the reason of all that mess? Did you get it?

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Yes, I did! – Keira uttered – But I’m talking about another thing now! Grim did give you something! But he wasn’t supposed to give you anything! There is no reference about it! And our source told us nothing abo… - the girl stopped short in the middle of the word but it was too late.

It’s late, poor silly girl! You’re caught!

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In one word, I completed my part of the agreement. If we were at school, I would get A+ for it! – I said through my teeth – I even did more than we agreed. And actually I saved your own hide at the tournament! And instead of being thankful you’re interrogating me now? Why do you think that I’ve obtained something from Grim? Perhaps he just shook my hand to show his respect?

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Ros, you don’t understand! Yes, you’re right you’ve done everything you promised! But not for free, you can’t deny it!

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Has Grim given you the promised prize? – I asked again significantly lowering my voice – The prize you were striving for so mucj?

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I’ve told you – yes, I did!

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And additional bonuses as well? – Keira nodded in silence.

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So well, that’s nice – I breathed out with relief and took my mug – Then I can be proud of you. And it’s vital that there can’t be any complaints concerning my job. I’m happy, honestly, I’m happy. So congratulations to us! Cheers! We didn’t waste that day! So shall we continue drinking or go ‘off’? I’d prefer to take a shower and to eat something more substantial than virtual lamb.

At that moment mild string music filled the tavern. The bard’s performance started.

Keira stretched out her hand to squeeze my fingers in her hand and peered into my eyes pathetically:

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Ros… please, excuse me, I was so rude. You’re really the best. But if you obtained something from Grim… no matter what… please, show me. I’m begging you. If it’s valuable, I’ll do my best to make our clan pay you double price! I can swear!

I’ll do my best… it sounds great. But in most cases it stands for nothing. It’s not a warranty, just wish-wash. Although personally I always stick to my words. But you know it takes one to know one.

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What makes you think so? – I asked with a real fatigue and put the empty mug on the table – I’ve told you – he just shook my hand. He’s a pally man no matter he’s a hero

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Ros, do you trust me? I saw Grim giving you something!

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My trust in you is as deep as your trust in me – I responded switching attention to the cloak presented – Keira, honestly speaking, I can tell you that I don’t want to argue with you. I did my job. Yes, you’re right I was paid for it, but I worked out this man – at least half of it. You personally don’t have anything to blame me on. If my employer has any complaints or any doubts – we’ll talk with him. With him, but not with you. By the way… what interesting mackintoshes he gifted…

The tournament winner’s silk cloak!

Type: gear.

Minimum level: 5.

Description: To wear such a cloak on your shoulders is really a great honor as you can’t buy such clothes in a usual shop. That’s a proof of your endurance and wild striving for victory!

Item class: Rare!

Effects:

+2 to the appearance

+5 to the strength

+5 to the agility

+3 to the protection

-10 to the disguise

Great…

I took off my dirty cloak and pushed it into the sack, then put the purple posh one over my shoulders. That will be enough for the beginning. Whatsoever this item is very good indeed; plus characteristics for level five are cool, but as for the color… you can put on a cloak in colors of aloha shirt in the City only or in some other safe zones. Well, you can also run in it in the simplest locations around the city, where the most dangerous creatures are mobs. But to wear a bright cloak with a golden edge piping in dangerous places… is similar to wave a red flag in front of a bull’s eyes. Aggrs never sleep…

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Well… - Keira drawled looking at me thoughtfully and absolutely ignoring the cloak – At least you said it straight and honestly. Friends again?

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Friends again – I smiled feeling relieved that she didn’t stretched her hand to shake mine. I must buy another shirt as soon as possible even without plus characteristics but with longer and looser sleeves covering the arm up to the middle of the palm. Not to demonstrate the bracelet-bracer once again. Although… what am I bothering about? I must put it in the private room and the sooner the better!

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Can you stay here for a while? I need to PM to some people to report about mission completed successfully. Don’t go anywhere, ok?

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No problem – I nodded and taking advantage of that pause thought recollecting everything I knew about items of the legendary class. At that moment that sort of information was vital. Moreover I was thinking not about the power that such a gear could provide you with but about more practical things instead. In the world of Valdira a complete noob dreams about obtaining a legendary item only and about using it to kill mobs or to complete dangerous quests.  Since he isn’t going to stay alive for a long time. Sooner or later he is gonna run into aggrs who will be happy to kill the patsy and rob his body of all his coppers and stuff. Let alone his item of the legendary class. That’s why a smarter game if he was lucky to obtain a legendary item, immediately takes to his heels and rushes to the nearest safe location clattering on his way merrily. Then there are two simple alternatives to choose and to solve the emerged problem.

He can leave the item in his private room where only he can access into and where the thing can be kept forever. A sort of investment into your future. Maybe once you’ll become so strong that you’ll be able to protect yourself against any invasion.

The second way is even simpler. It is to reach the auction building, pass the item to one of the local employees who will put it out for bids. The only thing to do then is to wait until the auction finishes and get a certain amount of gold – very, I dare say, extremely big. Moreover there is the ‘black’ market where you can get real money for the same item. As a rule such things are bought by powerful and rich clans trying to keep pace with rivals in their continuous arms race. Cruel wars never end in this fabulous world and the possession of a mythical sword can turn the scales in your favor.

But it’s true for separate items which has nothing to do with every gamer’s dream about a complete set of the legendary class. It costs a fortune.

But at the moment I was more interested in another side of possessing such items.

Once I read a brief interview with the administration’s representative. Among lots of questions there was one about legendary sets. And the representative said a very remarkable phrase: ‘Legendary sets? Oh… do you remember a great saga about the immortal highlanders? Eventually only one will stay alive!’ There is nothing to add. Sets of the legendary class possess an absolutely unique system of connection to a character that sets to work once a gamer obtains two items of the same set minimum. It works as simple as that. I’ve got only one item – Grim’s bracelet. If a gamer kills me, he will be able to obtain the item from my ‘body’. But only if it was he who killed me. It means if I am killed during a battle against a mob and a gamer passing by finds my carcass, he won’t be able to obtain the legendary item. He won’t even see it when he starts digging in my stuff.

If I become a lucky owner of two pieces of the legendary set, then even a stronger gamer won’t be able to take them off my body after killing me. And the reason is simple again – only a gamer who is also an owner of at least one item from the same set and who killed me by himself can obtain them from my body. That’s what the glossy representative of the administration meant when he mentioned about the immortal highlanders. And it will continue this way until one of the gamers collects a complete legendary set. After that he’ll have nothing to worry about. His treasure will stay with him forever. Anyway until he overgrow it. It’s silly to show off in a complete legendary set of level twenty when you’re level one hundred. Then the items are sent either to a clan’s store or to the auction. But in my case the situation differs… the bracelet ‘progresses’ in levels together with me. And if I find at least one piece of Grim the Silver Hammer’s armor, then…

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Ros.

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Yes, ma’am? – I woke up from my thoughts and looked at Keira – Can I help you?

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Stop mocking – the girl said wearily – Can you be a real man and see a weak girl home? It’s dark outside, I’m afraid that somebody can attack me and abuse me.

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In the Cradle? – I grumbled while standing up – Certainly I can. But I think it’s easier to go ‘off’ right here in the tavern.

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No way. I’m being waited for at the Cradle exit – explained Keira standing up to follow me – So called honor escort. They’ll accompany me to the inn, I’ll activate my private room and fall asleep… I’m tired.

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I see – I nodded readily – Then I’ll see you off to the gates and then come back to the tavern.

Actually I am not going to leave the Cradle so far. I’ll do it tomorrow, at daylight and only after checking one miserable clue. Keira has mentioned that somewhere on the territory of the Cradle there is a book containing the legend about Grim and Myrtle. I’ll try to obtain this tome and read it from cover to cover. I hope that there is some information about the further fate of the legendary armor thrown from cliff Doom. There must be some reason why Grim has advised me to collect information carefully first of all.

But how to know where the precious book is kept. At scribes’? At map-makers’? Should I ask a romantic girl reading a book at moonlit nights and dreaming about prince charming? I can search endlessly… but I’ll do it tomorrow… when my head is fresh. Today I’m devastated both morally and physically.

We left the tavern as silently as we could without saying good-bye to anybody. I hoped nobody would be insulted. I turned back at the door and faced the glance of Grume who was watching us leaving and some unpleasant feeling hurt my heart as his eyes were dreadful. Why are they still sitting in the tavern? Are they celebrating their defeat? Although there is no reason to worry. They can’t attack us here, the system of deterrence works in its full swing in the Cradle. Besides we made them understand they didn’t have a chance during an open fight. But still something is going wrong… welcome, paranoia… The broad boarded door shut with a bang to cut us away from the noise of voices and sounds of music. The tasteless sign of the tavern was swinging over our heads as if saying good-bye to us.