(World of Valdira 01) The Way of the Clan (39 page)

Reaching the city wall I found out that all the drains there were fluffed to cause a shallow lake in the street. A guard hiding under a broad umbrella was shouting at five laborers standing in the water at knee-level and working hard to get rid of the waste blocking the grids. Three ‘locals’ and two gamers. O wonder if it was their own initiative to make money or they were sent to community service as a punishment. They can be thieves caught or somebody else… anyway not rich enough to pay the fine. So they were working off their public debt.

The lake ahead wasn’t an obstacle for my horse. I reached the gates without any difficulties even without making my boots wet. After greeting the guards I clapped spurs to my horse and went through the arch to leave the road and go to the trading station I had visited a day ago. I had to correct some of my mistakes made there. To buy a map – the more detailed the better – to check if they were interesting spells on sale – the trading station purchased everything and gamers often got rid of unnecessary scrolls right there. Well, and to buy good food for my horse thanks god the cantle bags were very capacious.

My last coins disappeared into thin air. I dare say slipped through my fingers into the trader’s purse. In exchange I became the owner of two packs of oats, four bricks of pressed hay and a piece of thick vellum with a well-drawn local map. The mark denoting Algora was in the center and it was easy to follow with my finger a narrow country-side road passing a tiny spot called Mossy Hills. The map abounded empty spots and the trader made I hint that if I filled them with true information, he would be glad to pay me a certain sum of money for making a copy of the map. Another standard quest that I was happy to accept. It couldn’t be difficult. The only thing to do would be to reach the unmarked area and explore it. The longer you will stay there, the more mobs you will kill and the more you will search the area, the more detailed information will be. Then I would be able to come back to the trade and get my coppers earned by working honestly. The gloomy bearded man paid little, although the quest was almost endless. I had the ink-pot and a feather from my Cradle times and I didn’t need anything else to mark new details on the map.

I invested the rest of money in buying a magic scroll containing a first rank spell. Actually they had four scrolls to offer. I had the similar ones – ‘Small-scale healing’ and ‘cleaning’. The other two were more interesting. ‘Sticky vine’ and ‘mole hole’. Both were from the range of natural magic. Concerning the effect the spell ‘mole hole’ reminded ‘thornbush’. After casting it, a small hole appeared in the ground and if a monster got into it, it would get small injuries and slow down for a second. The further perspectives of developing the spell were far more serious. At the limit of its development the spell could make a pitfall trap to catch a bear or even a larger monster. With thorny tree roots on the bottom to embrace a victim… But I chose another spell that I had never used before.

‘Sticky vine’ was a social spell a so-called support for an explorer of mountain tops and deep caves. At the first rank it was a flexible thin vine about three meters in length that could be stuck to any solid surface. You could stick it to an upright wall or even to a ceiling and it could carry a significant weight. The spell stayed effective any time you needed and used the charmer’s mana constantly. Ten mana points to cast it and two points a second at the first rank. The further development meant the modernization of a flexible vine first into a longer and thicker wood vine and then in progress. All in all I bought that spell thanks god it was neither attacking nor protecting thus cost six golden coins only.

You’ve successfully learnt a first rank spell ‘sticky vine’!

And again I was as poor as a church mouse. And I almost forgot… I purchased a more capacious flask and sold my old one for three coppers without any regret. Saying a warm good-bye to the gloomy trader I promised him to come back soon with the completed map, then got astride and directed my horse trotting to my destination. I was going to arrive at Mossy Hills that evening.

I made the first rest halt in two hours when according to the map I had passed the area relatively safe for beginners. The map was interactive, it checked the level of its owner and on its base drew multicolored shapes of different size on the vellum. Circles, shapeless blots, triangles, protruded ovals or thin lines. Each mark denoted a separate location or some part inside it. The color order referred to traffic lights. From safe green to alerting red. Algora was in the center of the light green circle reaching the trading station. Then the map turned into a multicolored patchwork quilt with each patch having its own color. Some locations were colored grey and decorated with question marks. The idea was to explore such places and to estimate the danger level there. No way, find another fool. There were enough red spots on the map but all of them were situated rather far from me. Interestingly, the bog Ravendark was colored unambiguously dark yellow with purple dots. Very nice…

The village called Mossy Hills that I was approaching slowly was gleaming calm green. And the road I was riding along from the trading station to the place of my halt had been denoted as a dark green protruded oval with rare light yellow stripes or dots. It looked like a pimple-bearing giant cucumber. Then I was standing the very end of that cucumber, the territory ahead had a warning yellow color. A soon as I dismounted the yellow marked area became brighter. The danger level suddenly soared. It was obvious since a horse actually increases the gamer’s mobility and vitality. Especially in flat and not very sylvan area.

Bringing Help back to the relatively safe area, I took out a feedback with oats from the cantle bag and put it on the horse’s muzzle. And started thinking about a serious task. How shall I distribute the spells?

I’ve got only two hands. Then there must be only two active spells. Actually I can switch them very fast – open the magic book and change their places but it will mean some delay Although every second is precious in a battle. While I am studying the list of my spells, I’ll be gobbled up.

First I ‘put away’ the spell ‘thornbush’ from my hand, and put in ‘ice needle’ in the vacant place, then studied a brief manual and stretched the right hand to move it shortly. A white icicle of a rather small size flashed in the air and after crashing into a tree flew into pieces with a miserable whing. It didn’t impress me much. But mana expenses were quite affordable. Five points only. I stretched my hand again and got concentrated on the maximum frequency of casting instead of watching the flight of a single needle. I didn’t manage to launch a fatal rain of ice needles but I released about two or three icicles per five seconds. I practiced for some more minutes, I covered the foot of the tree trunk with icy short cut that soon turned into a small pool of melted water. I considered it a better result but I couldn’t say more until using the spell in a battle.

I put the spell ‘call for a grass-snake’ into my left hand and got the first surprise. According to the instruction the grass-snake had its own but rather limited life points, a small hit and a tiny combat skill called ‘entwisting’ that meant that the snake could twist its body around the enemy’s leg or paw and prevent him from moving. Or even make an enemy fall on the ground. But if the enemy was strong enough to tear it apart, to cut off, to bite off or to get rid of the snake’s bonds the grass-snake would kick the bucket at once. And I would ‘enjoy’ the consequences of its death stealing mana points. Ten per cent of the total energy amount. Plus, the snake could be near me as long as I wanted but like the spell ‘sticky vine’ it was gobbling my mana points constantly – one point per two seconds. But actually there was a kind of compensation – once I called the grass-snake I could put the spell away from my left hand to substitute it by another spell. The grass-snake would be nearby until I decided to put it away with a help  of an order that I could invent using any word. The snake would be slithering near me until I had enough mana or until its heroic death in a battle. I didn’t think much on choosing the right word and assigned the trivial ‘Get lost!’ as an order word. After that I activated the spell by pointing my finger at the ground below me. Nothing happened. I was about to think that I had misunderstood the manual when stems of low grass started moving and I saw a tiny head with two black eye-beads. The grass-snake slithered out of the grass slowly giving me a chance to look at it from all the sides. It had a plain grey color, as long as my hand and as thick as my thumb. Confused I was examining my new assistant and it was staring at me absolutely indifferently letting its scaly back sunbathe.

-
         
Well… - I grumbled – Get lost!

The grass-snake jerked its tail and vanished in the air. And it looked like as if it did it with a great relief.

I activated the call spell again, pointing out at a spot of ground free from grass. The grass-snake appeared again. I made a few steps aside and it obediently followed me. I lifted up on Help and started riding while carefully watching the snake doing its best to keep pace with us, actually it failed. Damn it… what message is it?

Attention!

The called first rank allies can’t always keep pace with their owner (except for flying ones). But you can carry it, put it on your shoulder, let go inside your sleeve or in your bosom or any other place comfortable for you. During a battle you can literally throw your ally into an enemy shouting ‘Attack’ or any other word you will choose as an order. In this case the called creature will immediately attack the pointed counterpart. Use your ally’s possibilities reasonably, take into account their peculiarities. It will give you the definite advantage in a battle…

Ok, it seems clear. I stopped the horse, jump off to the ground and began waiting for the snake hurrying up to me. Well, and to crown it all I have to throw it myself, you see, it doesn’t want to attack. Certainly I was kidding. Actually I thought it would be a great idea to throw a hissing creature into somebody’s face or some muzzle. As for places on the body, it was also clear. A shoulder could be good for a flying ally for example a raven, a siskin or any other small bird belonging to the first rank. In my case I’d better let the grass-snake do into my sleeve and stay there. But not right now only when I gain enough mana points and its regeneration enough to compensate the energy expenses on small but greedy grass-snake.

Generally I saw the output of my check clearly. I had attacking long-distant spell ‘ice needle’ in my right hand, and the familiar ‘thornbush’ in my left hand. The best cluster for the current moment. And the cedar staff for finishing off. From time to time I could call for the snake to take part in a battle to raise the rank of that spell fast. My healing spells would be in support. It wouldn’t be very convenient to use them while fighting. But after the battle it’s easy to recover health and to clear up some poison with their help.

Lifting up on the phlegmatic horse I set off again releasing ice needles at any suitable target on my way – tree trunks, stump, mossy stones and ground hills. I chose any target that couldn’t respond. I had to sharpen my skills. To master the movement. When I got sick of throwing ice needles, I switched to the modernized ‘thornbush’ called ‘thornbush obstacle’ so far. The first difference was in the number of mana points consumed, others in the dimensions of the bush or I’d better say of the bushy stripe. Its height didn’t increase much, but as for the length, it grew up by four times. Then even visually judging it became much thicker and thorns on the branches were big enough to be noticed from distance not under a microscope. Sure it isn’t easy for monsters to overcome this obstacle so far, especially small mobs. They will get stuck in the web of thorny branches and die to my joy. The only disappointment was that even the Cradle frogs were not stupid and tried to avoid magic hit.

The next ice needle missed the mark and got into high meadow grass. A huge hare of level fourteen leaped out of it and dashed towards me leaping wide. I must have grazed the long-eared! However I didn’t get upset at all since it was a good opportunity for practicing in a real fight. Ice needles darted by my hand flew into the hare. Two missed but the third sank into the chest covered with grey fur. I wasn’t satisfied with the result and kept on darting icicles into the target wildly moving from one side to another. To my disappointment only a quarter of the released ‘bullets’ hit the hare. Either the hare was so agile or I had a hair in my eye causing some problems with aiming…

The ‘obstacle’ that I still called a bush finished the fight. The hare landed right into the thorny hug of the bushes. White thornbush flowers trembled and calmed down fast. As soon as the bush disappeared I saw my loot on the ground – grey summer fur and a piece of meat. I looked at them with a sigh and got down from the horse to pick up the loot. So I suppose we passed the test – the hare managed to reach neither me nor the horse. It would be nice to try it on a monster of a higher level but then I’ll have to go off the road and go deeper inside the wood. Never mind, I’m sure I’ll have a chance to try the effect of my spells many times.          

I was coping with a steep hill – who knows why the road was going up a rather high hill instead of detouring round it – when I heard a drawling roar of a hunting horn and two short hoarse growls. The sounds were far away behind my back but I wasn’t going to waste my time. I abruptly turned the horse and directed it to a fir-tree wood that could be seen not far away. Dashing down from the hill we broke into a rare row of fir-trees, got deeper and deeper and only then I halted the horse and dismounted. Then I lay down on the ground and started waiting. The horn burst out roaring again and then red and black lava flew out on the road. Riders. Gamers. Minimum twenty gamers dressed in scarlet red clothes riding black horses. A beautiful and enchanting scene. The horses were running so fast that the well-consolidated detachment dashed away and disappeared in the distance in a minute but I could hear the sounds of the horn and gamers’ hoots for a long time. Shock and awe… Red Demons… in the flesh. A notorious clan of aggrs occupying the top lines of Valdira’s black list. The clan’s colors are red and black. Even hair and eyes of all members of the clan, are black, sometimes their skin as well. Their clothes must be always intensive red like blood.