(World of Valdira 01) The Way of the Clan (36 page)

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There is some sense in your words – announced the mage having thought for a while and my heart started beating happily – Right now you’ll get forty golden coins and one horse from the stable belonging to the guild until you fulfill the assignment. And here is my advice. I see that you’re very weak now and not ready to fight against the werewolf. That’s why if the moon is full when you notice a silver wolf – run away as fast as possible! Put spurs to your horse and dash towards the nearest place where somebody can help you struggle with the monster and escape! Would you like to know anything else?

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Yes, I would. It’s about the bracelet. If the bracelet is not with me, will the werewolf attack?

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He will! – the mage replied with confidence – We believe that Grim is noble enough to hand his future enemy he bracelet to equal the abilities at least a little bit. His bracelet possesses some power, I suppose you know it. So put on the bracelet and never take it off. He’ll give you some chance to survive. Anything else you’d like to ask about. ‘Yup… but if another gamer kills me, he will obtain the legendary item… it’s not good news for me’.

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Why does Grim attack? He is a noble hero, isn’t he? He couldn’t rescue his combat girl-friend and his love from death so he swore not to take up a weapon anymore.

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He couldn’t rescue her, that’s right – Tarnius said gloomily – But he couldn’t defend her not from enemies but from himself! From his beasty ego! That day on the cliff Doom Myrtle the Hurting Blade was fighting against Grim the Silver Hammer who turned into a wild monster! And she was killed by his fangs! As for Grim… he lost his mind as soon as he realized what he did. Once I met Grim – at noon in a city street – and tried to talk to him. And we did it. We were talking while standing face-to-face for about ten minutes. And then he disappeared in the air. And I realized the frightening truth. Grim persuaded himself that Myrtle had been killed by vile enemies and he just couldn’t have defended her. When I mentioned about the innocent who were killed by his bloody hands, he just didn’t understand what I meant. His soul got split… Grim the Inconsolable isn’t a werewolf, he is also a schizophrenic… an insane werewolf living in the world of day dreams and fantasies.

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May I ask you the last question? – I hurried up – Do you know where the other parts of Grim’s legendary armor could be? I’ve got the bracelet but about the rest?

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No, I don’t know – the greybeard shook his head with regret – Although… during that memorable conversation with Grim I saw around his thick neck a silver chain with a medallion depicting a grinning muzzle of a wolf. I felt some power emitted by the medallion. But to be sure in it, you must defeat Grim and take off the chain from his neck. Take this gold and spend it reasonably.

A small but rather heavy sack flew to me by air.

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A groom with a horse will be waiting for you at the guild’s gates. But remember – avoid meeting the werewolf until you gain enough strength. Always keep looking around and control the moon cycle properly – the danger is there for you only when the moon is full. I’ll be waiting for good news from you, my young hero… and for the head of the silver wolf as a proof. However, Grim’s head also will do. Good-bye, let gods’ blessing help you in this hard mission.

The arm-chair below me suddenly folded its legs and I was hung in the air. The tight air stream carried me out of the room through the door opened wide into the corridor and let me out from its embraces at the huge door of the guild just where it had caught me up. I decided not to overstay in the center of the hall and rushed ahead to the place where the hall became sharply larger and ended at the neutral grey wall with numerous multicolored arches. I was interested in the furthest arch made from green stone and entwined by rich vine at the edges and juicy clusters of grapes. I dove into the arch with a skinny fair-haired girl of seventeen level, but I came inside alone and at once found myself at a broad table at which a plain old man dressed in a green robe was sitting. Certainly he contrasted a lot to a grand greybeard Tarnius who had met me at the guild entrance. They were as different as the sky and the ground.

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Welcome, young man – the old man croaked looking at me with his washy and indifferent eyes – What made you come here?

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I wish to enter the Guild of mages Natural Magic Department – I replied humbly – All my life I’ve been dreaming about touching the secret of…

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I see – the mage interrupted me carelessly and waved his hand over the table. A thick folio lying in front of him rustling opened at a blank page – That’s a praiseworthy and wise decision.

It’s OK. No one was going to lisp me until I reach certain success in the magic of this class at least. Friendliness and respect level increases in accordance with the progress achieved.

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Touch the edge of the page – the old man grumbled.

After leaning I touched the virgin blank sheet of paper by my finger. As soon as I did it, runic symbols that I wasn’t aware of at all, started running all over the page. Some senseless doodles. But the mage sitting in front of me seemed to read them easily without a mere effort.

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Hrm… I see that you showed praiseworthy zeal – obviously the mage’s voice became friendlier by a couple of points when he raised his eyes on me – It’s very nice. Good handling of natural magic, the active usage of the spell called ‘thornbush’… such an unusual choice… Bravo, young man! Most of those coming here are totally ignorant and when they touch a page of this book nothing but for their name emerges… sorry sight. I’m very happy to congratulate you! Henceforth you are a student with major in Natural Magic. Huh… have you bought this spell in one of the local shops?

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Yes, you’re right, sir – I nodded hastily.

I didn’t have to lie although the old man asked it due to his curiosity. He must be bored here that’s why he is wondering. In the world of Valdira you can find magic scrolls anywhere: in treasure chests, to obtain from a gamer’s or a ‘local’s’ body, in ancient ruins and even at strolling traders. And it’s not a complete list.

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Your handling of this spell reached the required level long ago. You can claim to the second rank spell ‘thornbush obstacle’ without a mere doubt. Would you like to increase the spell rank? It will cost you five golden coins.

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Sure, sir – I replied.

Having nodded in complete silence the old man got armed with a fuzzy emerald feather and wrote a few hurried short phrases a my page in the magic folio. Then slowed down to admire the result of his work and added:

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Your natural magic handling has also increased high enough to let you master several useful skills without any difficulty right now. But you’ll have to choose only one of two. Either ‘Nature Awareness’ of the first rank that will allow you to spend less energy on creating natural magic or ‘Nature Power’ that will allow you to increase the effect and duration of your spells a bit. Make a wise choice, young man.

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Excuse me, will ‘Nature Awareness’ let me reduce the energy spending while using natural magic only or all the other magics too?

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Natural magic spells only – the old mage informed me shortly and that upset me a bit.

It didn’t work. And I hoped so much that would be able to decrease the terrible quantity of mana points required to use the spell ‘to chase away the magic veil’… heh!

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Then I choose the second – ‘Nature Power’.

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Alright – another short feather stroke and one more runic line appeared at the page. As well as any new-comer you are entitled to choose one free spell among three spells available. ‘Thornbush’ that you have already bought, ‘Call for a grass-snake’ that will allow you to call a tiny grass-snake to help you for a while or ‘Rainbow flash‘ that can show you where rare herbs grow or where the nearest stream or a pool with drinking water is situated. Make a wise choice.

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Hrmph… ‘Call for a grass-snake’.

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Done, and now I want you to pay – his dry hand demandingly stretched towards me – The spell is free, five golden coins for increasing the spell rank and five golden coins for teaching ‘Nature Power’ skill. Exactly ten in total, young man.

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Here you are – I passed him ten heavy golden round coins hastily.

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Touch the edge of the page again – ordered the old man.

My fingers touch the sheet of paper, a slight emerald flash and a plenty of information highlighted in front of my eyes:

You have successfully learnt a first rank skill named ‘Nature Power’.

Natural magic spell hit has increased by 3%.

Natural magic spell duration has increased by 3%

Achievement!

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

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

Your award for the achievement: +0.3% to the effect and duration of this class spells.

Current bonus: +0.4%

You have successfully learnt a first rank spell named ‘Call for a grass-snake’.

A list of the spell range: ‘call for a grass-snake’, ‘call for a wood snake’, ‘call for a bush viper‘, ‘call for a python’, ‘call for an anaconda’.

Type: natural magic…

Phew…

After getting rid of the messages, I bowed shortly:

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Thank you your knowledge, professor!

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I’m glad to meet such a hard-working and polite student – the mage grinned while closing the folio – I hope we’ll meet again soon when you go up one more step.

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Take care – I said good-bye and breathing heavily fell out in the giant hall of the guild of mages.

There were two items of my to-do-list to fulfill – to go Elemental Powers Department and Magic Healing Department. On my way I thought over all my acquisitions and was quite satisfied with the result. ‘Nature Power’ skill will increase hit as well as spell duration, ‘thornbush’ has transformed into ‘thornbush obstacle’ that theoretically must work better. I have chosen ‘Call for a grass-snake’ as the best among offered alternatives. A snake will attack enemy together with me so the enemy will digress due to it, moreover, it has a psychological aspect as many gamers brought in their phobias and fears to Valdira. Some are terribly frightened by repulsive spiders, some hate slick toads. Others can’t stand high places, lose their courage seeing flaring flame or pitch darkness. And somebody must be afraid of snakes…

The entrance of Elemental Powers Department was exactly between the pitch dark arch of necromancy and the sharply white arch of healing. The size of the Elemental Powers room was just the same as the size of the previous room I visited except for the color shades; the red color was prevailing.

I greeted the black-bearded mage briefly and at once asked him to let me enter the department. The procedure of touching a page was exactly the same but after it only one short line appeared. Sure, it was my name and maybe a date as well. None of skills was offered to me but I could choose among four first-rank spells though. ‘Magic stone’, ‘Burning coal’, ‘Ice needle’ and ‘Air palm’. A standard set of four essential powers. Thinking for a while I chose ‘Ice needle’. That will do for the first time; in future I can buy the entire set. Each monster has its own bonuses to protection against elemental powers and it was vital to possess all range of such magic. Plus terrain type actually influences elemental powers spells. I would have acquired the magic right now, but spells hadn’t been given for free anymore. I had to pay five golden coins for it. After that I thanked the professor and left the room for his obvious relief.       

Achievement!

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

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

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

Current bonus: +0.1%

I didn’t have
wander about in search of the next department – I turned right and dove into the white arch of healing where the procedure of entering the department repeated. Contributing ten golden coins I acquired ‘Small-scale healing’ and ‘Small-sclale clearing’.

Achievement!

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

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