Reborn: Evolution: A LitRPG Series (Warlock Chronicles Book 3)
Page 22
After some thought, I decided on Portal Operator. With the mod, Mental Mask was more than effective. I wouldn’t need Linguistics as the elders understood us, and Ulter, who finally woke up, continued to either pretend not to understand us or really was a fool. As for Mental Attack, even with sixteen points invested into Mental Attack, I’d need way more than that if I considered taming someone like Scar.
“System, put points into Portal Operator.”
The number of players I could get through the portal increased to seven, and NPCs to five. But that wasn’t all.
Congratulations!
[Portal Operator] has been leveled to [Ferryman].
Players and NPCs that have passed through the portal can return to their home location on their own, provided that the exit from the portal is no further than 3 miles from their base/lair/nest.
“Go back without my help? Interesting...”
***
The sun had already disappeared below the horizon, and the forest was plunged into darkness. Tired, we trudged after the promised reward — the fragment.
The closer we got to the village, the more I feared that a spear would fly at my face from behind the nearest tree. It was difficult to predict the elders’ reaction, who have long learned about the Priest’s death. The young Krul-Son, it seemed, was a devout believer in the local myths and legends, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he tried to kill us to avenge his fallen God. On the other hand, Roval had long ago given up the belief that the Granite was sacred and that the Priest was a deity.
Two things remained unclear still: could Roval have moved into Ulter’s mind, and, accordingly, seen everything that had happened during the fight, and what did the other elders think of the Priest?
After voicing my concerns to Amoeba, I got a history lesson in return.
“Who do you think was the first to lose faith in Gods? Let’s say, in Ancient Greece?”
“Politicians?” Willow suggested.
“Hmm, not quite.”
“Warriors?”
“Ah, the ones that believed in them the most. As they say, there are no atheists in the trenches. Everyone prays to someone or something when death’s knocking on their door. Any other ideas?”
But there were none. Spider opened his mouth to say something, but Amoeba interrupted him.
“No, Spider, not surgeons and doctors.”
“Damn it...”
After waiting a minute, Amoeba shook his head and continued his lesson.
“The first people to stop believing in Gods were their followers. That is, the priests. Interesting, isn’t it? Let’s say your God demands sacrifices for their favors, yes? A goat, for example. You, a young minister, carry out all the necessary procedures and leave the meat at the altar at night. In the morning, you look at the altar... and the meat is still there. Look at it again the next day — still there. After a week, flies begin to buzz around the meat, and you feel a thought creep into your mind: ‘What if it’s all fiction?’ You chase this doubt away, but with each new rotten sacrifice, it becomes more persistent. A year passes... Two... And at one point, you do all the necessary procedures with the next goat, and, at night, you go to the altar and take the meat for yourself. Why let it go to waste, right? The common folk come day after day, say their prayers, and leave their sacrifices, clueless to the fact that they end up in the stomachs of the clergy.”
“What’s the point of the Gods and churches then, if even the clergy doesn’t believe in what they’re preaching?”
“Ivan, Ivan... Religion is an extremely powerful weapon. It’s not for nothing that the church has been the most powerful entity in any country throughout history. In Egypt, there were cases where priests overthrew the pharaohs. And the pharaoh, as the ancient Egyptians beliefs stated, was the reincarnation of Ra. To return to your example, would you refuse free meat every week when your neighbor, a peasant, is forced to work ten or twelve hours a day for a piece of bread? It’s the same thing. Don’t take it to heart, Ivan. I’m a religious man myself; I haven’t taken the rosary I’ve been given since my baptism. But we need to understand that there’s a difference between faith and ritual. We’re talking about the antediluvian cults of antiquity — and the Bargolas are currently even below that stage of development.”
Amoeba’s words made us think, and at the same time gave us hope that the elders wouldn’t sacrifice us as scapegoats.
Then again, we’d soon find out what fate awaited us.
***
A tall guard, armed with a glowing spear, opened the gate and bowed his head respectfully as he let the strangers and the hunting party pass. The village had fallen asleep, but here and there, you could see groups of tall Bargolas. It seemed that mob attacks were common here and that the brave hunters were ready to defend their home at any moment.
They were waiting for us at the Meeting House. Despite the elders’ advanced age, none of them slept that night. Our group was announced, and we were immediately allowed to enter. It was still dark inside, except for a piece of fluorescent metal that made up for it a little, illuminating the mysterious masks that covered the walls. Without the sunlight passing through the partially opened roof the masks looked especially eerie. Behind us and the hunters stood a few more Bargolas, strong and armed as befitted guards.
Among the scattered animal skins lay Roval, the still rather cheerful, wrinkled Krul-Son, the motionless Nai-Grom, and Woof. Nai-Grom, however, immediately activated his skill; his body was covered with a bluish haze and slowly rose above the improvised bed. Krul-Son nodded to one of the guards who ran up to him and stood up as well.
“Well?” he asked, scanning us with his one eye. “Have you managed?”
A rather strange question, considering that Roval was lying nearby. Was Krul-Son testing us? It was either that, or he was trying to find a reason to off us.
“Yes, the passage is open. Lorkal can confirm,” I said, glancing around.
“What did our savior tell you?” Krul-Son continued, adjusting his headband.
“He was polite and helpful,” I lied. “Unfortunately, he ended up attacking us.”
“Yes, yes, we know, Lorkal has sent a report via one of the guards. Besides, Roval has been tracking you. But what happened after? Whose corpse did the hunters see under the pile of guts?”
I felt like they were trying to push us against a wall. I had the Piper skill at the ready. One more word and the overly curious Krul-Son would be killed by his own guards. I hoped that I’d manage to control at least the Bargolas that were in the Meeting House.
“Well, you know...”
Roval saved the situation by interrupting me with a forced cough.
“Kh... Krul-Son why, kh, are you bothering our guests? Do you think that a God can be killed? Warlock and his friends, although strong, aren’t nearly powerful enough to kill an ancient entity. And Scar, powerful as he is, is still nothing but a lump of fat covered with rotten skin compared to our God.”
In all honesty, I had no idea what he was trying to do. Was he trying to protect us? But why? It was clear that he no longer believed in the ancient God, as well as the entire cult that followed him. He did try to destroy the Granite, after all.
“True, but that doesn’t answer my question,” Krul-Son said to the old man, puzzled. Third Eye revealed that he was skeptical and doubtful.
“It does. It means that the corpse that the hunters have found doesn’t belong to our God.”
Suddenly, a light flashed in front of my eyes.
Transmission pending...
Sender: Roval (Stone Faction)
Accept?
I was confused, but I still accepted it. Roval’s voice immediately echoed in my head.
“Warlock, why are you silent? Can’t you see that Krul-Son and Nai-Grom are suspicious? Let me help!”
“Thank you, Roval, but...”
“Questions can wait!”
I still had no clue what he was trying to do. But I had no other option.
“Listen up!” Roval held up a finger. “What he says is true. Now that the Priest is dead, nothing prevents us from leaving. Our friends have fulfilled their end of the bargain, it’s time we do the same.”
Krul-Son didn’t seem convinced, but he couldn’t go against his elder’s word. But then Nai-Grom smiled and spoke:
“I agree with Roval, Krul-Son.” He turned to the youngest elder and nodded.
The Bargola, as the only walking elder, stood up and took the spear from the nearest guard. He then walked over to Woof’s shriveled-up body and, after bowing and uttering a short prayer, plunged the spear tip into the back of the elder’s head. Willow turned away and Spider choked.
A few seconds later, a metal fragment was retrieved from the shattered skull, covered with brains and blood. The Compass beeped: there was no mistaking it, that was the fragment.
Two more left.
***
When we left the Meeting House after saying goodbye to the elders, I received a new message.
Transmission pending...
Sender: Roval (Stone Faction)
Accept?
“Thank you, Warlock. Well done.” He was clearly happy about what had happened, but I still cringed imagining a blade entering my head.
“Thank you as well. You have no idea how important this is for us. But... Why was all this necessary? You could’ve tricked us and saved Woof. He might’ve been bed-ridden but he was a blessing to you all, tradition and all that... Or could you not break the oath?”
“Oath? Ah... Ah, we made that up. On the spot. We wanted to make it believable. There never was a thing like an elder’s oath or word or whatever... But that’s not the point. I observed through Lorkal’s eyes until the last moment. I saw the chase, I saw who came out of the stone... Then, as Lorkal and the hunters fled in the other direction, I moved into Ulter’s mind. But the connection was interrupted at some point. This was the first time something like that happened; none of the Bargolas can just... throw me out of their heads. I saw him activate some ability and approach you, and then there was darkness... Did you two manage to tame Scar? Did you pit him against our ‘God’?”
“Yes. I didn’t expect it to work.” It slipped my mind that Roval had confessed that he was ready to break the contract and leave us at the first opportunity. “It turns out that Ulter has great mental power.”
“The guys and I were betting on how long it’d take him to die! We wondered why you took him with you at all... Intuition is a powerful thing. Or whatever you want to call it. It’s said that Woof, in his time, could also discern magical abilities in Bargolas, usually in a child — that’s how I became one of the elders...”
“But why did you decide to give me the fragment? I’m sorry, the artifact?”
“After what you and Ulter did to Scar and the Priest, I couldn’t put the village in danger. If I didn’t give you the artifact, I’m sure you would’ve killed half of us... And second, think about it: I’m the second-oldest leader of the Bargolas. The first one, that is, Woof had been dead weight for a long time... I scratch my back, you scratch mine. As the new leader, I inform you that the Bargolas will spend some time in the Mountain Valley. We need to explore what’s beyond the ridge, before going there. In the meantime, you talk to Ulter. I don’t need him, his power is too risky. He’ll remain under guard for the time being, but I have no intention of taking him with us beyond the mountain range.”
“Copy that.”
Chapter 19
EVENING
Tired, we returned to the Abode just before nightfall. On the way to the base, we were met and almost disarmed by a squad of scouts led by Chernous. The ambush was masterful. The bushes nearest to us moved, attracting our attention, and from the opposite side, two players jumped at Ivan at once, knocking him down. Behind Willow, Chernous appeared out of the darkness, holding a scimitar to her throat. A huge boulder was hanging over Rat, held up by Ronin, who was hiding in a tree.
But the situation switched in a heartbeat: Willow broke free from Chernous’s grip, Rat jumped on the nearest opponent, forcing Ronin to move the boulder to the side, and I pointed my sparking hands directly at Falcon’s face, who fell from the nearest spruce after Amoeba had hit it.
“Guys, it’s us!” Spider chuckled, letting go of Greek’s prehensile steel hands as he almost activated his searchlight to burn the surgeon’s eyes.
“What the...?” Chernous asked, lowering his scimitar, which he had begun to swing at Willow (she didn’t have the time to draw a weapon, but she attacked with her hair). “Why is Loki’s squad beating us? We need to train more!”
“That’s right!” Fang laughed, looking at the groaning Ivan, who couldn’t throw off the scouts. “Well... Some of us have to train, too.”
“All right, guys, take it easy.” The big guy grimaced, getting up and brushing off the snow. “What are you doing all the way here? Didn’t Pavel send you to explore north?”
“That was in the morning,” Greek remarked with visible displeasure. “He’s sending us all over as if we ain’t running on foot, but driving quads! And I keep offering to tame some sled animals, but nooooo!”
The last bit obviously referred to Chernous.
“Why bother with that? There’s a lot of ridable mounts,” he retorted. “And stalking is easier on foot. That Mammoth wasn’t alone. We’d scare off its herd if we came running after them on a pack of dogs.”
“Why are you going after them?” Ivan asked, puzzled.
“One Mammoth almost broke the entire stockade, imagine what a whole herd of them could do. But never mind that now... Where have you guys been?”
Spider smiled, noticing a bunch of deer carcasses on the backs of several players.
“It’s a long story... We’ll tell you about it over dinner.”
***
On the way to the base, already visible between the snow-covered treetops, Greek approached me. His eyes were red from lack of sleep and framed with black circles. There was a tired smile on his dry lips. It was a very strange look, even for him.
“Loki... Look. Fedor and I have dug half of the tunnel, and...”
“Wait, half of the tunnel? What tunnel?” I asked, confused. My mind was currently occupied with more important things.
“The tunnel that’ll lead to the mines. With the thing you installed, the worms are working like crazy! All you have to do is throw a pebble in the right place and, poof, they dig without a second thought. But it takes time... Also, I was thinking about the Giant...”
“Shh! Keep it down!” I stopped, pointing at the scouts. “Don’t cause panic!”
“Khm, understood.” Greek nodded, and continued in a whisper: “What if the Giant doesn’t come to the base, but directly to the Hall? Where the entrance to the Underworld is? What do we do then? Should we move to the Forest Lake? It’s gonna be cold as balls there! And we won’t have access to the Modification Lab! And if the Giant ruins our base, will we even be able to call ourselves a faction anymore? Can we go through the door then?”
“Where did you get all that from? Did Pavel just blab all this information to everyone?” I asked, surprised.
It was hard to imagine something like that. Pavel preferred to keep things quiet, involving as few players as possible. And there was also the Giant, who, of course, everyone had heard about but few considered dangerous, the Hall, and the Underworld!
“As if he’d tell anyone anything! No. Fedor told me while we were
hanging around with Elf... Who was high on the drug at that time. Khm... Don’t tell Amoeba please! He’ll rat us out or even hand us over to Pavel... Or worse! Anyway, what if the Giant comes to the Hall? To make sure no one slipped by it?”
“He’s gonna come from the south...”
“So what? If your vision about the desert — yes, I know about that as well — is true, then there’s nothing stopping it from making a detour around our base.”
Greek’s words seemed logical enough. Indeed, why would it look for a needle in a haystack (that is, us, in the Mountain’s underground hallways) if it knew where we were going?
“What do you suggest?”
“Dig the tunnel to the mine and move to the Hall from there. I don’t promise that we’ll manage to get all the way to it, it’s too far, but we can get closer, and...”
“Lure the Giant out of its ambush and make a run for it...”
“Exactly! But I need a high-ranking person to support this plan; otherwise, Pavel will skin me if he learns that I know about the Hall.”
A stray ray from the rising moon lit up Greek’s face: his red eyes were wide open and full of excitement. If I hadn’t seen the things I had seen, his condition might’ve scared me.
“If you have the time, dig the tunnel. If anyone asks anything, send them to me.”
***
When we passed through the gate and found ourselves back in the base, Falcon suddenly jumped on the logs prepared for the fence’s construction.
“Ladies and gents! People, what if we, selfless workers, get Elf while our leaders aren’t looking, resting after all of their ‘intellectual’ work?”
After talking with Greek, I realized that the chemist had managed to get moonshine, but this came as a surprise for my group. A pleasant one at that!
Having arranged everything with the guards, who were watching the preparations with envy, we settled down on the very outskirts of the “industrial zone.” Chernous and Ivan lit a fire and began to cut up the meat brought by the scouts, while the rest of us sat down around the campfire. Not gonna lie, I was glad that I got to sit next to Willow.