(World of Valdira 01) The Way of the Clan (34 page)

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Yooooouuuu are! Shi... – his furious yell cut off

A body made from silver mist fell on the ground and froze still.

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You are also shi… - I nodded kneeling down near the body and dipped my hands into the mist. – Oh! Gold?!

I decided to examine the loot later and stuffed everything into my bulged sack, then rushed to leave that place giving up the throwing knives lost in bushes. It would take too much time to find them… The weight of the loot obtained was so big that I had to leave the bright tournament cloak on my shoulders. Without its bonuses to strength I wouldn’t be able to drag away my sack that became incredibly heavy.

In about one-hour walk from here there must be a watchtower at the road. I’m not interested in the protection building rather in a small trading station located near it. Guards wandering around will provide me protection against aggrs striving for revenge while I will be making a thoughtful full inventory of my sack content, selling unnecessary and buying what I needed.

Heh… what a pity that the half-orc retreated. Actually I could catch him – sure, he stayed in the same location and must be hitting woodchucks now, but  I’m afraid I wouldn’t carry additional loot on my humpback. He’d better walk, put on some fat, maybe we’ll meet again one day.

Two more names were added to the list of my enemies…

I arrived at the trading station with great difficulty. It was a tiny wooden house with stone foundation and several household buildings. There was a watchtower providing a good view over the surroundings just in twenty or thirty steps from the station. Such a relatively safe area where you could not be afraid of aggr-gamers and aggressive mobs. Since guards could run up quickly and cut a hell-raiser into small pieces with the help of their halberds. It suited me. And not only me. There were lots of gamers. I made a lap of honor round the building to find out that at least two dozens of gamers gathered there. They were having rest from feats of arms, getting rid of excessive loot and simply chattering. So you can make friends in the game. I was unpleasantly surprised to meet some gamers over level ten. Moreover one of them looked familiar – we might have met a couple of times in the Cradle. While I was screwing around , the guy was developing and here’s the result he grew me over by several levels.

I also didn’t like two characters sitting together. Humans, dressed in good leather clothes. Both were level twelve. Looked like warriors and could handle magic. But I got nervous because of another fact. Their glances were too attentive crawling from one gamer to another, examining pieces of gear and rucksacks. I didn’t become an exception. They examined me, smelled over and almost palpated. They could be another gang of aggrs choosing potential victims. I’d better keep aloof from such guys. Having made a special blaze in my mind I dragged my sack to a small building that looked like a cabin and talked to a skinny tall bloke – one of ‘locals’. The bloke turned out to be the son of the trading station owner. He was screwing around the building for a reason –hiking stuff so necessary for every traveler was sold there. Just what the doctor ordered. I came down with two silver coins and purchased a mess tin with a small footman, a dozen of iron rod-skewers and a roaster for convenient for cooking port steaks on it. How lucky I am that it’s possible to put a solid footman in your rucksack easily in Valdira. If I were in the real world now, I would look like an endorsed donkey. I was going to devote the next hour to cooking and at the moment it was time to sort the loot obtained in severe battles. Having bought a bundle of wood from a talkative trader, I dragged my sack to the nearest fire-pit and flopped down on the ground nearby with incredible relief.

Soon the meat threaded on skewers was sizzling seductively over the fire while I was digging in my sack business-like separating the wheat from the chaff and avoiding taking anything out. There were too many curious eyes around me. First I counted my cash. I turned out to be a lucky owner of two gold, seventeen silver and twenty-seven copper coins. A hamster living inside me certainly didn’t jump with delight but still his face usually looking hurt by everything around became quite happier.

The pork became golden brown and made me satisfied with another achievement:

You’ve got a first rank achievement – ‘Cook’!

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

Your award for the achievement:

+1% to the speed of cooking simple dishes.

Current bonus: +1%

I just sniffed, put the cooked meat into the sack and threaded the next potion. Roasted meat is a good and rather fast thing to recover life level. Cheap but good. I was going to devote the rest of the day and a part of the coming night to rooting out the local fauna. To have such a ‘first-aid kit’ at your hand is a good idea. And I definitely must level up the sooner the better.

To my great disappointment there was nothing unique in the killed aggrs’ stuff. Dort Viderrr presented me a bulk of eight throwing knives, one dagger rather worn-out, linen clothes and ordinary shoes like clogs. Oh, and I almost forgot there was a pile of usual peddles that I threw away at once. It’s impossible to sell ordinary peddles to any trader. So I carried them o my humpback in vain. The rest of the loot from his sack didn’t surprise me. A typical set: hides, meat and badger claws.

Ariella the Fern pleased me almost the similar list. Usual for basic levels gear just instead of throwing knives there was a hunting bow and an impressing kit of arrows. But actually I hadn’t expected to discover three healing potions among her personal belongings. Moreover all those potions were kept in special pockets of a decent textile belt with agility bonus. I could be fine but the belt was of funny bright green color with plenty of pretty scarlet hearts embroidered on it. Considering all pros and cons I decided not to put on the belt. I would be mocked at. That went for sale. The stuff I obtained was so heavy mostly due to mob loot. But it was a pleasant surprise. I could sell everything here and make my sack much lighter.

So I was sitting at the fire-pit, feeding it with wood from time to time and turning meat threaded on skewers. Besides I looked rather laid-back to make everyone believe that I had nowhere to hurry and would stay here for a very long time. When the number of meat portions amounted for thirty, I became an owner of a second rank achievement ‘Cook’.

You’ve got a second rank achievement – ‘Cook’!

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

Your award for the achievement: +1% to the speed of cooking simple dishes.

Current bonus: +2%

I had enough roasted meat so far but I didn’t give it up until I cooked all the meat including the last piece. I didn’t care much about achievement but I did care about the spread between selling raw meat and cooked on. Raw pork cost two coppers while roasted was more expensive by one copper coin. Net profit!

As soon as I finished my cookery I picked up my stuff and directed to the door of the hospitable trading station opened wide. It was a proper moment since gamers rested and sold everything started to leave; two suspicious blokes disappeared as well they might have hung bumbling behind the selected victim. That was good for me.

A hefty man with a beard didn’t manage to blink when I discharged a big pile of stuff on his counter. Staying cold-headed he immediately sorted everything out, threw my stuff to different corners and poured a bulk of silver and copper coins. Good. Plus nineteen silver coins and fourteen coppers merrily joined my cash in the sack. But I stayed totally disarmed as I had sold my entire weapon too. There were hiking devices, healing potions, a dozen of pork pieces and the tournament champion’s cloak in my inventory. The trader was keeping silence; he definitely didn’t fancy talking to me. That didn’t worry me much though. I took a stroll along the walls and chose fast the minimum I needed. A rather decent dagger from bronze better than my previous dagger by hit and durability. A cedar traveler’s staff with more impressing hit and durability characteristics. I stayed with my old clothes so far but couldn’t resist buying a leather vest with ‘+4’ protection bonus that could be worn over a shirt. I also purchased a leather hat of a strange shape adding one point to intelligence and protection each. There was nothing more interesting at the trading station. I had to pay the entire gold coin and twelve silver ones for the chosen range of goods. So after all my trading operations I was in the red, but it didn’t bother me.

The most expenses were on the leather vest, but it was worth it. At least due to the high collar that covered my bare neck. Plus six small pockets stitched to the front where I immediately tucked my healing potions and two pieces of barbequed meat. Oh dear… I put roasted pork seductively looking into my chest pockets. Funny absurd, but that’s the game. On the other hand healing meat was always at hand.

The dagger was hanging at my old belt, the staff and the sack went behind my back. Looking in the mirror available there I got quite satisfied. I didn’t look awkward anymore. Especially thanks to getting rid of the wide-brimmed straw hat. The dark brown vest was covering my light shirt, a conical leather cap was on my head, due to it my mana level increased by five points. Actually I didn’t feel smarter after adding one more point to my intelligence, but thornbush hit grew a little. Well, I’m well-equipped and I can travel light. So it’s time to set off hunting.

I stopped at the door and peering in the bearded man’s poker face asked:

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Dear sir, have you ever heard about the silver legend or about Grim the Inconsolable? Maybe some gossips or whatever…

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Never – answered the ‘local’ indifferently and that’s how our short conversation ended.

Before finally leaving the trading station, I walked around the main building and faced a small stable; some ‘local’ was screwing around it. In fact I came here on purpose: I wanted to check my ‘reputation’. They wouldn’t trust a horse to anybody. I doubted the successful result of that step but why not. At least I would know the score.

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Good afternoon – I was the first to greet.

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Good afternoon – a middle-aged man responded sedately stroking his goatee beard.

Is it in fashion here? Every man working here has some hair on their faces. Even the young guy that sold me the skewers has some thin stubble on his cheeks. Is a family tradition?

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I wonder how much it is to rent one of your horses? 

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Oh, we’ve got reasonable prices. A horse will cost you at least two golden coins. One golden coin will do for a donkey. Per day. But there’s a problem, man who will trust you a living creature? We don’t know anything about you, you see. Then don’t take it amiss…

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What? Why?

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Why ‘why?’ – the groom was definitely astonished – It’s the first time I’ve seen you. I’ve never heard anything about you. You may take a horse and get lost forever. There are plenty of you the same sort of… please, don’t be offended. I’ll be responsible if something wrong happens.

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So and there is no way to do it? Can I buy it for example?

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No way – the bloke answered decently – For rent only. For good and reliable hands. But if you leave appropriate deposit  - twenty golden coins for a donkey and minimum forty for a horse – then you can take it and go up hill and down dale.

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I see – I nodded and then pressed my hands to my chest – Thank you, sir, for detailed explanation!

I turned around to go away from the trading station aiming at the edge of the wood that could be seen in a distance and making a plan for today. To level up, to advance the natural magic and the staff handling to five in order to gain the skills appropriate for that. To save some money and to buy a couple of spells. To enter profession-oriented guilds… well, I’ve got as many plans as Napoleon used to have. But it’s not easy to fulfill them. Time is short.

To crown it all, the road to Mossy Hills is very long so I have to decide how to get a fast means of transport.            

Chapter 10

Craft Guilds. The Dark Side of Grim the Inconsolable. My Kingdom for a Horse! Farewell, Algora!

I was sitting on the bridge parapet admiring the sun-set and summing up the results.

A guard standing nearby was skewing at me with discontent but I gave up his opinion. Although I had chose that place because of him. If anyone wanted to rob me, the alert soldier would notice any criminal activity sooner than me and would nip it in the bud. No doubt he would fix hash even a skillful thief-gamer but I worried more about beginning thieves who mastered their skills on gamers of lower levels. Since an experienced thief wouldn’t even look at me, he preferred ‘birds’ fatter than a gamer with a miserable level thirteen who possessed  nothing valuable.

Well, due to the assertive and continuous six-hour marathon I leveled up by five levels. I had nothing to get excited about – omniscient Gosha was surely right saying that it would be quite easy to reach level twenty or even twenty-five, problems would start later since mobs weren’t as thick as two short planks. Their health level suddenly increased, their wits started working, protection against some hit types was activated and self-preservation instinct switched on.