(World of Valdira 01) The Way of the Clan (33 page)

I signed, threw the last glance at the approaching gamers and was about to turn around when an alarming red message flashed in front of my eyes:

Attention!

Enemy is near! Character: Dort Viderrr!

At the same time I noticed that the human gamer that used to be laid-back, suddenly tightened, started turning his head around and finally fixed his eyes on me. An excited scream tore off the air and Dort Viderrr dashed towards me. So did his partners. There were about twenty steps between us, when the system highlighted their nicknames colored scarlet red. Aggrs! Together with the dark jedi that I had left once as a good meal for rats. Holy shit!

In a moment I was running burning the earth hurried by excited screams of the drive-beaters, Dort Viderrr’s triumphant shout was the most prominent:

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I caught you! Run, Rosgard, run!

Neither answering nor looking back I was almost flying hardly touching the grass controlling my fatigue indicator becoming more yellow with each step. That was my main trouble so far. Fatigue. I was afraid to burn out soon and stop. The success of a pursuit depends on stamina – the higher stamina level the longer distance you can run. I ignored the she-elf from the very beginning. I doubted that she had distributed many points into her stamina attribute rather into agility and strength. Jedi Dort the knife-thrower must have done the same And had sacrificed his health level in sake for additional hit. My stamina was a bit over ten, I supposed they had less. In such conditions I had a chance. In the worst scenario for me we would halt simultaneously. But I was really afraid of the half-ork – the tank. A tank is a tank, a living wall absorbing all the enemy’s hits, that’s why health level is crucial for it. I only hoped that the gamer was playing the part of defender temporarily and the stamina wasn’t his dominating attribute. Plus some gear bonuses… but who knows those bonuses…

Zing. An arrow buzzed on my left. Bloody she-elf… The she-elf with a bow dressed in a bright turquoise cloak of the tournament participant waving in the ai.

She was shooting on the run being afraid that I could escape. And she had some reasons – I was running into the direction opposite from the city approaching the forest that was becoming closer and closer with each step. In front of the forest trees there were exuberant raspberry bushes suitable for hiding. I broke into the bushes with a crack, got deeper into it and fell on all my fours to crawl forward tying to turn aside at the same time and make as little noise as possible. I stopped only when I saw the long-expected system signal.

Disguise +10

That’s not enough…

I grabbed some handfuls of wet soil and dusted myself from top to toes properly blackening my clothes and skin and keeping in mind controlling the voices approaching me fast like hell.

Disguise +5

Much better… faster… faster… the voices are closer.

I tore the sack off my back, left it on the ground and crawled a few steps away to hide under stems with bright red berries that were inclining to the ground. I pressed on of my sides to the ground, raked up some withered leaves and other plant waste together with soil on my body.

Disguise +10

Now put the staff aside, tore off the dagger from the belt and calmed down still. Ready.

Disguise +5

Damn, that’s a pity that my clothes are so light! Don’t worry, they are not professional pathfinders with the appropriate skills advanced to the maximum level. They are beginners just like me, but to my advantage I’ve got the gaming experience as a lone ranger. I turned into a stone, trying not to move a finger, my ears were catching every single sound. 

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Where is he?! Where has he gone?!

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Hush! – that’s Dort Viderrr’s voice, damn him – Shut up and listen! Sh-h-h…

It was silent for a minute. I could hear the sound of branches being moved apart. The she-elf was the first to break the silence.

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He isn’t here! We’re wasting time! Dort!

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Hush! – the jedi invisible for me snarled angily – He is here, hiding somewhere, crum. Ro-o-sgard! Come out, little coward! We’re not going to live in peace! Do you remember I’ve promised to make hell for you? It’s just the beginning! Ary, Cron! Dismiss and move forward slowly. He must be here! Check every bush!

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I’m not Ary! My name is Ariella the Fern!

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Fid him – the jedi ignored the she-elf’s words giving orders in ravishment – Ary, go left, and you Cron, check the right side.

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Dort, is it a good idea to diband? – it was the first time when the half-orc opened his mouth, he turned out to have a deep roar.

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Are you afraid of him? Do you remember how fast he has been scramming?

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Not him, Dort, we are in the wood. Who knows what monsters live here.

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We are the monsters here! Find him! I’m not going to leave without this bastard’s head!

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I remember him! He won the Cradle tournament yesterday! And his girl-friend broke my bow!

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Really? – Dort laughed out, the sound of his steps was shifting to the right of my bed.

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Obviously nobody likes you, right, Rosgard? Be brave, say something! Guys! Don’t forget about his sack, there must be loads of delicacies inside. Soho! Soho! Shout loudly as soon as you see him!

Raspberry bushes rustled thrice more loudly when the aggrs dashed searching me. But I was still pressing into the ground, my eyes were moving alone inspecting the surroundings. The green wall was drawn apart with a crackle and I saw the slim shape of the she-elf moving forward slowly. Oh dear, such a wood’s kid! Stomping through raspberry bushes like a bear!

Ariella-Ariella… how fast you switched the yesterday image of a crybaby to a today one of a furious aggr! Her nickname was flaring troublesome red. Actually she had the same weapon – the bow with a stretched arrow was sneaking from one side to another, targeting a dried log or a mossy stone or just raspberry stems. Her face was tense. She was moving crab-like with her legs half-bended. Bah… she got into the character of a head-huntress, stop showing off, babe! Her leg in a leather high boot landed next to my face but I stayed calm although she almost pinched my nose. I was waiting for the right moment when the sharp-eared finally… a deafly heard scream flew from the girl’s lips as soon as she saw my sack lying on the ground. So and now the crucial moment whether she would announce other noisily or check the sack by herself first.

The elf-girl lived up to my expectations. She even overdid as she didn’t pick up the sack from the ground but fell to her knees instead and put her greedy hand inside.

‘Why didn’t she pick up it? Is it due to a female instinct not to carry heavy things?’ – it occurred to me while I was slowly standing up. I didn’t make a step towards the enemy sitting with her back turned to me. I leaped instead to reduce three-step distance between us keeping my eye on the elf’s neck. That was the spot that my dagger pierced, its hit strength was multiplied by numerous small but essential factors. A hit from back, an enemy who doesn’t expect an attack, my strength and agility points, a vulnerable unshielded spot, total number of the enemy’s lives…

A crit!

The girl screamed too naturally – it even gave me the creeps – then started and turned her head making one more mistake, actually the last one. Her life indicator was flickering red and she should have turned a somersault forward to take out a healing potion by another hand instead of staring at me. Another hit! Again on the same point, squeezing the dagger by both hands. That’s all. The ‘dead’ body fell down turning into a clot of silver mist on its way to the ground. I rushed to follow it and to dig my hands into the mist waving away the popped-up message:

Achievement!

You’ve got a first rank achievement – ‘Law and Order’!

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

Your award for the achievement:

+1% to hitting gamers with a ‘criminal’ status.

+1% to the protection against gamers with a ‘criminal’ status attacks.

Current bonus: +1 to the protection and hitting in fights against gamers with a ‘criminal’ status.

Don’t look, take everything including the last copper, put into the sack and slung it over the shoulder!

I heard Dort Viderrr’s voice raised to a shout on my left:

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Ary is killed! Cron! Ary’s dead! – I crashed down flat on my face and started crawling towards the jedi’s voice.

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What?! – the half-orc’s deep muffled voice was coming from the right. He was rather far, about ten or fifteen steps away. That’s very good.

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Are you deaf, retard?! She’s killed! Her status is zero! What’ the hell?

Leaning on my elbows I crawled forward hastily listening to the screaming jedi. Since he can see statuses, he’s the party leader. I’ve made a mistake thinking it’s the half-orc.

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Mind your words! Got it? I’ve told you not to horn in here! There are cool mobs here! Let’s run away!

Actions speak louder than words. So the gamer dashed into the raspberry bushes in a hurry to leave that deathtrap.

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Hey, Cron, halt! Come back! It’s not the monsters’ deed, I can swear! He killed her! It’s Rosgard!

‘What a quick-witted boy! Or is it the she-elf who PMed you about the reason of her timeless death?’

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Cron, come back!

The half-orc didn’t reply, the crackle of branches could be heard instead.

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Cron! Don’t be such a retard! Help me catch this bastard! Cron! If you leave, I’ll add you to my black list.

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Bite the ice! I’m leaving the party! – the half-orc uttered a scornful roar and went away.

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Cron!!!

Cry, baby, cry… drown my steps. You like to cast knives and peddles so I need to come closer to you, bastard.

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Cron!!! – my personal enemy was screaming like hell standing still that made my task even easier.

I halted for a while, tucked my dagger behind the belt and took the staff. I’m not going fight with daggers or light sabers against this jedi. But I can hit him on his head by such a stick, it’s easy-peasy. Moreover Dort shut up and hurried to catch up with the half-orc who had left him alone. He was stomping right to me, rubbing along the raspberry with a crackle and taking short breaks to look around. Are you frightened, dark jedi? The chance to stay unnoticed was tending to zero, but I didn’t have time to change position. I swore soundlessly, took out the tournament champion’s cloak from the sack and put it on the shoulders hastily. Additional bonus to speed and hit would be very useful. Damn… I wish I could put on Grim’s bracelet, but it was in the private room.

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20 disguise

The grey cloak flew to the ground and I drew myself straight to emerge suddenly in front of Dort Viderrr like jack-in-the-box. Without a pause, I hit him by the ash staff aiming the center of his forehead. But Dort managed to dodge and the hit landed on his shoulder. Anyway a part of his health flew away. The enemy leaped back stretching his hands in front of him and started speaking swallowing words:

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Wait, Rosgard! Hey, put away this stick, let’s talk, ok?

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Elaborate, you vile fiend! – I uttered SpongeBob’s phase in a sonorous manner and made a step forward carefully controlling Dort’s hands.

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Let’s get dismissed in peace, no complaints – Dort suggested and without waiting for my reply raised his hands to cast two throwing-knives. He would have hit me, if he hadn’t aimed my head. But I just fell on my knee to let the knives fly high over my head with a whistle without any harm and get lost in branches. You should aim the center of the body, you retard! A short staff hit landed on Dort’s stomach to deprive a few life points from him. In a moment the jedi started running away… but fell down on the ground got stuck in a thornbush studded with funny nice white flowers. I decided not to wait until he stood up and moved my right hand short four times. Thorny bushes emerged from the ground one by one to embrace the body of the defeated enemy by their bines. Dort screamed like hell something indistinct and started jerking to escape the thorny hugs of the magic blackthorn. He even managed to stand up. But his life scale had been already flickering red. And another thornbush grew around him turned out to be the last.