(World of Valdira 01) The Way of the Clan (37 page)

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

Current bonus: +0.1%

That’s all. I wouldn’t refuse to take ‘Small blessing’ as well but it belongs to divine magic. And it contains too many limitations on successful usage and further progress.

There is a reason why only the most honest men of principle become paladins and priests. Your life values must be very high. Rob a gamer’s or a ‘local’s’ carcass and – bang – you won’t be able to cast ‘blessing’. Kill a peaceful gamer and one of your spells rank decreases or vanishes from your magic book. Actually there is also ‘dark blessing’ but it’s too much for me…

Nevertheless I became a student of three magic departments: natural, healing and elemental powers. The benefit of this enrollment was zero but for the financial one – the same spell would be more expensive in an ordinary magic shop.

Having fulfilled all my plans, I strolled to the exit from the guild of mages. It was getting dark and there was about an hour until the complete darkness surrounded me. I had enough time to visit the guild of warriors and obtain a combat skill for crushing weapon handling that I had mastered honestly.

I got surprised in the street – at the gates of the guild opened hospitably wide there was a neatly dressed groom holding the reins of a chestnut horse waiting for me patiently. Lazily glancing over me, he grumbled ‘take’, handed me he reins and turning his back on me went away. As soon as I looked at the creature trusted to me, I was patted on my shoulder softly but demandingly.

I turned around to face a gloomy city quard.

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Is it your horse? – the guard of order wondered.

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Nope – I responded with alert – I was given it for a while.

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But are you taking care of it, right? – the guard didn’t want to leave me alone, his cheek was jerking nervously.

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Yes, I am – I had to agree.

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Then there is one golden coin and two silver ones on you.

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Why?!

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Every person coming to our city must pay fee on bringing behind the city border mount and any other animals. Cause they make our streets dirty. And they mustn’t come to this street at all! But I can forgive you as it’s your first time – the guard explained – The fee is two silverdumps. Have you paid the fee? No, you haven’t. And if you haven’t paid it but have been caught then pay the penalty – one golden coin! Pay!

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But, sir! – I yelled while looking around just in case. But the block stone street was free from any horse’s surprises and other waste – What fee are you talking about? It’s a local horse! It belongs to the guild of mages! What penalty do you mean? It hasn’t left the city yet? I’m not going to pay!

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Don’t pay – the guard shrugged his shoulders phlegmatically and stretched for the reins – You have such a right. But in this case I’ll bring your horse to the city stable. Come to the court tomorrow and everything will be considered there. Don’t forget to bring the horse’s owners with you. Give me the reins, why are you holding them like hell?

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I will complain! – I puffed holding the reins tight.

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You have such a right. Let me take the reins! Otherwise I’ll fine you for resisting and send to prison for a night!

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Wait, honorable guard, please, wait! I’ll pay! Here you are – I passed the required amount to the giant guard with my hands shaking.

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Well, that’s the way it must be from the beginning! – grumbled the guard, took a round wooden thing out of his sack hanging on his belt and pressed it against the horse. A bright white stamp appeared on the chestnut body – I put a mark. Now everybody can see that the fee has been paid. Take away your hack while I’m kind. And if you have some business in the central streets, then before coming here, send your horse to a stable! Did you get it?

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Yes, I got it, sir – I forced myself to say and hurried away taking my horse with me. I decided not to ride as the guild of warriors wasn’t far away.

Their building was as massive as the one belonging to the guild of mages. And the adjoining park abounded with statues devoted to famous heroes, standing on the plinths in a formidable manner squeezing various kinds of weapon in their hands. Making sure there were no guards in sight, I brought the horse through the gates hastily into the park thanking all the gods that the creature’s character was facile. It was moving calmly and stewing at me kind-heartedly.

Interestingly, but not only ‘local’ inhabitants but also numerous domestic animals have different characters. Sure they were managed by a much more primitive artificial intellect but it completed the task of giving some individual peculiarities to them successfully. So horses could be fractious, facile or even mean striving to get rid of their rider at any possibility. These individual peculiarities granted an animal certain charm for peaceful gamers. There were huge and rather small farms in city suburbs as well as villas, graperies and other similar house-holds managed by gamers quite successfully. But in fact such a farm cost a fortune in terms of real money… I don’t even dare saying how much.

I whopped aside at the broad steps and ‘parked’ my Bucephalus behind a fuzzy green bush as high as me and cut in the shape of a knight with a shield and a sword. Looking back thief-like I dashed to the nearest flower-bed with blue flowers. I picked up a bundle of greens and came back to lay it in front of the horse’s muzzle. It wasn’t hard to please the horse and it started chewing the stems phlegmatically.

Achievement!

You’ve got a first rank achievement – ‘Careful master’!

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

Your award for the achievement: +2% to the speed of making your all your animals full while feeding or watering them.

Ignoring another achievement, I ran to the entrance of the guild like a bullet from a gun, dashed  through the hall in all haste and flew into the arch with the depiction of a club .

A stocky but incredibly broad-shouldered warrior with a severe face and narrow loopholes of eyes. He was talking in accordance with his look – by short cut phrases ideal for such a battler.

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I’m listening to you, warrior!

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I want to enter the guild of warriors! – drew my body straight.

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Right decision, sonny! Stretch your hand and touch the page of this book!

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Yes, sir!

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Well done, boy! Ha! Can you handle axes and clubs? Good for you!

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At your orders!

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You’d better improve your axes but as for the crushing weapon…Would you like to get a combat skill?

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Sure, sir!

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Which?

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Please, give me the list!

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‘Buzzing head’ is number one! This skill allows you to stun your enemy for a long time, but only if you hit his head! ‘Ramming hit’ is number two! It will give you a chance to push your enemy or even to throw him one step back if your hit is precise and strong enough! You must choose!

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‘Buzzing head’, mentor!

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Five golden coins, sonny! Military science will pay off every copper coin invested in it in spades!

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Yes, sir. Here is the money!

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Touch the page. Well done!

    
You have successfully learnt a first rank skill named ‘Buzzing head’.

Natural magic spell hit has increased by 3%.

Natural magic spell duration has increased by 3%

Achievement!

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

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

Your award for the achievement: +2% to the hit effect of the crushing weapon type.

Current bonus: +7%

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Thank you for your knowledge, mentor!

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You can be free, warrior! And take away your damned horse from the territory of the guild! Is the order clear?

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What?! I mean – yes, sir, yes, mentor! To take away my damned horse from the territory of the guild! Consider it’s done!

Dashing from the arch, I hurried through the hall back, grabbed the reins of the horse which had already eaten all the grass and moved on to the bush. The knight’s shield disappeared together with the hand, the sword turned into a miserable stick thin enough for cleaning teeth. Damn it… squatting subconsciously at every step and looking around, I broke through the park and fell out through the gates of the guild. It worked out. There were no guards nearby. Otherwise one golden coin wouldn’t be enough. The beast ate up half a bush! It’s nice that the mentor-warrior turned out to be a kind-hearted guy. Or maybe he just doesn’t like green lanes?

I had some more savings left, but after thinking properly I decided not to spend them so far since the old fisherman living in Mossy Hills could refuse to share his information free of charge. I was financially stable at least for the first time. Besides I acquired two combat skills, increased the number of spells, got dressed up. Sounds good. Sure, I would be happy to possess more advanced gear for example rare or even epic class but it was almost impossible to purchase such a thing in ordinary shops. Only at the auction. But unfortunately it would a problem to find an appropriate good gear for my miserable level thirteen. I have to grow to level twenty at least and then it will be possible to choose a couple of decent items. Nothing special, just level up by miserable seven levels. It’s definitely not a problem for me and that is what I’m going to do on my way to the far small village Mossy Hills. And the chestnut horse will help me depending on the situation either to gallop away from the chase or vice verse to pursue the escaping monster. I’ll be able to cast spells while riding besides it’s better to look around from the height of the horse buttocks. And moreover and it’s very nice that my bearing capacity has grown up by several times. I’ll be able to stuff loads of loot in the cantle bags and travel light.

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Yes – I agreed with myself and patted the neck of the facile horse – So I’ll call you Helper. Or Help for short. If you’re a good boy, you’ll get the title Friend, and if you confirm your loyalty then even Best Friend. The chestnut one didn’t seem to object following me at a jog along the block-stone road obediently. I focused on my attributes. It’s high time to finish with them. Thinking for a while I distributed spare points fast and confirmed the obtained result. Then my character’s development looked like the following:

Your character’s basic attributes:

Strength – 16

Intelligence – 30

Agility – 11

Stamina – 17

Wisdom – 7

Points available for distribution: 0

It looked like a mage… certainly a strange one, but still a mage. As soon as my intelligence reached three dozens, I got another achievement.

Achievement!

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

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

Your award for the achievement: +1% to the chance to identify items.

+50 to mana points

Current chance of successful identification: 4.8%

Current bonus to mana points: +50

I’ve become a wiseacre, haven’t I? It’s my first time when I’ve been called wise no matter that in the virtual world of Valdira. It’s very pleasant!

As I was busy I didn’t notice how we left the central street and finally I could feel being a real rider. I put my foot into the stirrup, lifted up and found myself in a broad and comfy saddle. The massive horse didn’t even shake taking my weight.

Achievement!

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

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

Your award for the achievement: +0.5 to the speed of riding.

Shutting the achievement message, I directed the horse ahead, looking around very attentively not to bump into any of citizens or gamers. In half an hour of slow ride I stopped at the bleak two-storey building of an inn and waited until a server jumped up to me, gave him the reins and five silver coins – the price for my horse occupying a lot in the stable. To have even a simple mount horse is rather expensive. I can’t imagine how much gamers possessing a winged Pegasus, combat unicorns or animals that don’t belong to or mount category – for example, polar bears, pay. There are also huge elephants that look like their ‘real’ relatives only due to the similar trunk and tusks. But as for the rest… I’ve never seen such spooky creatures even in the worst nightmares…