“You didn’t get attacked by any predatory fish?” one of the Hunters asked over the general hubbub. “It can be dangerous to even go close to the water at dusk. The fish can grab you right off the bank and pull you under.”
Sergeant was already jumping out of the saddle and helping Varya untie herself.
“We saw some big fish in the river, especially as the sun went down. There was even something bright yellow swimming beneath us at one point. Looked nine feet long. But it seems like the river beasts are afraid to tangle with the creeping crocodiles. It seems like a pretty safe way to travel along the river. Only trouble is you have to get soaked…”
“Sergeant, follow me!” the Engineer’s voice resounded. It was calm, not loud, but the crowd fell silent and stepped back.
Before now, Max Dubovitsky had exchanged some whispers with his daughter, but it was unclear whether he’d calmed down or gotten even more upset; any professional poker player would have envied his neutral face. My master stopped smiling and followed Varya’s father. I hurried after the pair — I suspected that my support might be needed. There was a slight hitch as they entered the Engineer’s house — Sergeant held the door open, letting the home’s owner in first, and their hands happened to touch. I don’t know what happened, but Max Dubovitsky froze for a couple of seconds, his eyes glassy, then shook his head as if he’d seen a ghost. He looked at Sergeant with reproach:
“Now that was entirely unnecessary! I’m no monster and I have no plans to eat you. I’m not even going to lecture you. Just sit down,” the Engineer pointed at a wicker rocking chair. “And listen to what I have to tell you. Want some vodka? I have some left from the old world. Just a dram so you don’t get sick from the cold water. It’ll calm me down too.”
Without waiting for an answer, Max took a metal army flask from a shelf on the wall and poured a little into some clay cups on the table, just a finger each. Sergeant obediently took the cup and both the big humans drank.
“As you’ve no doubt realized already, I won’t be kicking you out of Pan’s Landing. You’re popular here, and taming two monsters as guardians on your first day… That says a lot in your favor. And there’s your sister, Julie. All the women say she’s smart as a whip and hard-working. And what a cute kitten! But as for Varya…”
The Engineer sighed heavily, looked out the window at the darkening sky, got up, closed the thick shutters. Then he sat down opposite Sergeant. He poured himself another vodka and drank it down in one, then continued.
“I once had the perfect family. A beautiful wife. We never argued, not even once. A healthy and happy daughter, my pride and joy. Varya was just eleven months old. Her mother was crossing the road with her in a stroller when a drunk driver hit them. Both were killed. On that day… Life stopped for me. Time heals, they say. The pain did dull, of course. But I never could bring myself to start another family. Other women just seemed false to me. The big city annoyed me, money lost all meaning. I quit my job as an industrial engineer at a big company, sold my apartment in the capital and went to live in the sticks, in a village. And although many years passed since the accident, I stayed single.”
At that moment, the piercing cry of the night beasts resounded outside. Max Dubovitsky didn’t react at all. He just waited a moment, then continued his story.
“All those years I thought: what would my daughter be like if she’d had a chance to grow up? I imagined her on her first day at school, with funny pigtails and big white ribbons. I got her a puppy for what would have been her tenth birthday. My wife and I always said we’d do that. I think she would have liked the dog. And I went to a nearby school for what would have been her graduation. I watched over the fence as the happy students graduated and I cried. There but for God’s will would be my daughter. I was on the brink of hanging myself that day… I was in a terrible place. I saw no reason to live on…”
Soothe skill increased to level seven!
Potential class removed: Birdhunter.
Potential class added: Cat Sith.
The Engineer shuddered, chasing away dark memories. He poured himself another vodka, this time more, not sparing the precious extinct resource of a former world. He stood and shut the door leading to the next room, where Rita and the newborn were staying. His voice dropped until it was barely audible.
“Half a year passed. It was autumn. There was a fog that morning. So thick. I’d never seen one like it. I remember feeding my old dog, cutting some firewood, sitting on the bench in my yard. I was talking to my wife in my head, thinking about my daughter again, wondering what she would have been like at eighteen. Old habits. Then there was a quiet knock at the gate. I opened it. A young and exhausted girl in a dirty army uniform from the start of the Second World War stood in the mist. Translucent, like a ghost. She asked me: ‘Father, are the Germans in the village?’”
What? So far I’d been listening to the Engineer’s tale with lukewarm interest, but now I stopped cleaning myself. My master Sergeant’s sympathetic expression dropped. His brow shot up. The storyteller commented:
“Yes, yes, I understand your skepticism. I didn’t believe my eyes in that moment either. All the old wives’ tales came to my head. That there had been terrible battles in the village, that many of our army units fell there at the very start of the war. And supposedly, when the mist descended, you could still sometimes find injured and tired soldiers of the Red Army as they walked through the village. Sometimes they went into houses, asked for food and water. I told the girl that there were no Germans. She nodded, and asked so sweetly if I had any food or water for her and her eight soldiers. Claimed her commander had sent her to find provisions and she needed to get back before the fog lifted. I looked at her… and my eyes welled up with tears. It was my daughter standing before me! Just as I imagined her, albeit a ghost with a rifle in an army uniform.”
Tears came to the Max’s eyes again as he told his tale. He apologized, wiped away his tears, continued:
“Of course, I let her into the house, got some food out of the fridge, got everything I could from the cellar. Everything for my daughter, now that she was back from who knows where. I poured water so she could bathe. Found a needle and thread to patch up her clothes. As I sat and patched up her worn service shirt, I thought: ‘Even if I’ve gone mad, I don’t want her to leave.’ I did my best to convince her to stay. I told her the war ended a long time ago, that we were at peace now. I showed her a calendar, some modern things. The translucent girl didn’t argue, but at the same time she kept repeating that she had to get back to her unit before the mist fell. Then I decided! Even if she was a ghost or a figment of my imagination, I couldn’t let her leave on her own. I took up my hunting rifle and some rounds, got changed as fast as I could. ‘I’m going with you,’ I said. ‘Let me join your unit!’”
“What happened next?” Sergeant asked, speaking up for the first time as the storyteller stopped.
“We wandered through the mist a long time. Strange, sticky mist. As if alive. The weather changed. It got colder. Leaves started falling. Then I heard voices ahead. German voices! We laid down and saw a column of Nazi troops emerge from the mist, combing the forest! They had machine guns and they were on guard. And moving right toward us! We started quietly crawling away, but saw enemies behind us too! There was no way out! Varya already had her rifle out, ready for a last stand. As for me… don’t laugh… I started praying. I’ve never been particularly religious, never believed in all that otherworldly crap. But right then, I begged all the gods and demons of the world to let me stay with my daughter. To let us both survive this forest on the front. Or at least for us both to stay together on the other side, after death. It didn’t matter where we ended up — heaven or hell. As long as I could stay with the daughter I’d imagined for so many years, and found after so long! And my prayer was answered. The world stopped. The fascists froze just fifteen paces from our hiding place. A blinding white light appeared and a strange voice offered to take me and my daugh
ter to a new world. I agreed for both of us, and we appeared at the cliffs by the Icy Pass…”
Grip’s excited swearing and shouting drifted in from afar, quickly turning to joyous cheering from the other defenders, signaling the death of the first alpha. This time, the villagers were better prepared to meet the beasts — they stocked up on torches in advance, and the defenders’ squad was larger today. I was torn in that moment — I needed to level up Curse Magic by helping the defenders, but I wanted to hear the end of Max Dubovitsky’s tale too. I chose to stay, especially since I was rewarded with another level-up:
Radar Ear skill increased to level seven!
Your character is now level eight!
Reward: three skill points (total available: twenty-one) and one mutation point (total available: seven).
The Engineer continued:
“The rest is history; Varya and I came downstream, reached Pan’s Landing. There were only six people here back then. We’ve been living here ever since. I got used to it quick. Hell, I got my first burst of energy in years of apathy. But as for Varya…” the Engineer sighed heavily, “nothing keeps her here. She has no anchor like the rest. Yeah, Varya calls me her father, doesn’t make a fuss about the little things. But my daughter still thinks this world is a temporary haven. She’s desperate to get back — to complete the task her commander gave her and get supplies to her troops in that distant forest. I think that’s why she became a Scout and goes out exploring all the time — she’s looking for the path that brought us to this world. And you know, Sergeant, for some reason I have no doubt whatsoever that Varya can find a way back and return to those misty, war-torn woods. So every time a mist descends, I don’t let my daughter out of my sight!”
The Engineer finally finished his tale and fell silent. Sergeant was in no hurry to offer comment. Finally, the master of the house stood up, changed the subject to something less painful:
“Understand me, Sergeant, I don’t mind you talking to my daughter. Varya is old enough to decide for herself who to be friends with and who to spend time with. Anyway, she’s a good judge of character. She wouldn’t talk to a bad person. Just remember, my daughter isn’t like me, you, or anyone else here. She’s from another time. She’s more pure of spirit, more trusting and naive. And men… there are all kinds of men. A lot of them don’t mind taking advantage. I believe that you’re not one of them, that you won’t hurt my daughter. But know her background, and… if you can, give her what she values enough in this world to stay here!”
Chapter 16 [Sergeant]
Hairy Visitors
“GET UP, LAZY! It’s morning time!” my smiling younger sister sat next to me and tickled my nose with a blade of grass. “Time for breakfast, Andrei!”
Morning? It can’t be! It felt like I’d only had five minutes’ sleep. Yawning, I half-opened a careful eye. No, Julie wasn’t exaggerating. Bright light already streamed in through the tiny workshop window. Morning, and not even early. Long habit made me glance at my watch on the workbench… I hid the useless object away in my backpack. Whether the hands showed midday or midnight, they had no relation to reality at all now. They got worse every day by two to three hours. It looked like days in this new world were around ten or fifteen percent longer than on Earth.
“Whiskers went out in the night and had a fight!” my sister brandished the half-asleep kitten at me. His ear was torn and there were patches of dried blood on his fur.
“Woah! Who did that to you?” I carefully examined my pet.
A bite on his ear, a wound on his chest… Shame the dumb animal couldn’t regale us with his nighttime adventures. I took the medkit out of my pack and disinfected the kitten’s wounds just in case. At the same time, I felt his slowly recovering injured leg. I was careful, but apparently still hurt the kitten. He whined pathetically… and turned transparent! Just like my sister Julie when she went into Stealth. My furry companion was full of surprises! Three days into cat ownership and I’d learned that my cat could disappear! What other secrets was he keeping? On top of that, my too-independent limping furball was now level ten — higher than me or my sister! But what surprised me most of all was the critter’s game class: Hexxer! He must have been saying some most unkind things in Cattish to get a game class like that.
Voices drifted in from outside; Pan’s Landing had already woken up, had breakfast and made a start on the chores. From what I could hear, the villagers were in good spirits; they were all discussing the incredible dish the cook had made from the river eel. I got dressed, splashed myself in the washstand outside the public house. Julie and I went into the dining hall.
With unabashed pride, Ashot placed before us two cups of jelly made from local berries and a single big plate for the both of us. On the plate were chunks of fish fried to crispy perfection, covered in a sticky dark-purple sauce. It smelled delicious. I tried it…
ATTENTION! You have tasted a rare delicacy made by a professional cook!
Temporary buff received: recovery speed of Health and Stamina points increased by 67%, resistance to cold increased by 18%. Duration: 4 hours.
Permanent buff received: +7 Health Points. ATTENTION! This is a one-time buff. To get other permanent upgrades, study new recipes and try out other culinary delicacies.
Awesome! Not only did it taste great, it was very useful for my character. Julie had words of praise too. The kitten sat beneath the table and insistently kneaded my trouser leg with his paws, whining for a piece. I didn’t refuse — it might get him a permanent buff to Health too. He’d have an easier time fighting… I wondered — what could he have been scrapping with on an island surrounded by water? A huge moth? A saber-toothed grasshopper?
Our Asian master of cuisine came to our table to hear our comments on his dish and I expressed my admiration. I’d never tasted anything like it! At the same time, I couldn’t help but ask the question I’d wanted to ask since I first arrived in Pan’s Landing.
“Why is your game class Baker, Ashot? Bakers just bake bread, right? You cook meat, fish and everything else, and you do a great job. Anyway, how do you get flour for bread here?”
Flattered by the praise, the man smiled proudly.
“It seems, Sergeant, that you are the only one in Pan’s Landing who hasn’t yet heard the story of Ashot, who fell off a ladder with a bag of flour. I had the best private bakery in Maykop. Everyone knew Ashot’s flatbread. People used to drive from far and wide to taste it. But one day, when I was unloading the car, I was carrying a heavy bag of flour upstairs and… I missed a step, lost my balance and fell over the banister. I flew headfirst from the second floor, but then the world froze with my head half an inch from the floor. I was an instant from breaking my neck. An angel… I think that’s what it was… offered me a choice: bedridden paralysis for life followed by an ignoble death, or a new life in a new world. I woke up in the night train in my cook’s apron, with my sack of flour. Like everyone, the New Pharaohs caught me. But unlike the other slaves, I wasn’t told to break stone or build reinforcements, but to cook. No doubt my chef’s outfit and sack of flour had something to do with it. I baked bread for the overseers from the flour I’d brought, so I ended up with the Baker class. Although I made other things too. This eel for example — I learned that there. I was told the recipe. Then I happened to overhear that they wanted to sell me to the owner of a copper mine, since his prisoners were dying too fast and he didn’t have enough working hands to deliver metal for the pharaoh. I ran away that same night. I wandered the mountains a while, hungry and freezing, until Pan happened to find me in the woods and brought me here.”
The Baker’s story was interrupted by a few distant strikes of mallet on gong, the lookout’s signal. He must have seen something unusual or dangerous and decided to warn the village. Everyone having breakfast in the big hall leaped into action. Many of them draw weapons. I took out my axe and rushed to the gates with the others.
The reason for the alarm call was a couple of veichs approaching the d
rawbridge. The large and brown-furred male Hunter at level 52 was new to me. His name was Ugmai Orshi-Ur. But I recognized the little gray female: Shelly, my acquaintance of yesterday. For some reason she was all wet as if she’d had to swim across the river.
“We brrring peace!” Shelly translated her packmate’s growls, adding on her own: “My uncle wishes to see yourrr tame crrreepy crrrocodile and asks to speak with Serrrgeant.”
All the villagers turned to me, pressing me forward almost forcibly. I was lost. What should I say? Fortunately, at that moment, a sleepy Max Dubovitsky emerged from his house, in a hurry and still fastening up his hunting gear as he went.
“Greetings, neighbors! You don’t come to see us often. Come in, dear guests!”
I saw that Shelly felt unsure — her ears were laid back and she kept glancing at her huge and strong packmate. I guessed it wasn’t just because she was dripping water and leaving a wet trail. It seemed to me Shelly had done something wrong and been punished again. The whole crowd of us went to see Tick-Tock and Katy.
Ugmai examined the two sunbathing creeping crocodiles from a safe distance, refusing to go closer even when I assured the veich that the monsters were tame and safe. I approached Katy myself to confirm it and patted her happy, sated head — it looked like the creeping crocodile had spent all night eating in the lake and was now satisfied and relaxed. Besides, Tick-Tock was closely pressed against her as if to hint that the couple hadn’t wasted any time last night and that I’d be dealing with some little creeping crocodiles soon.
A Cat and His Human (League of Losers Book #1): LitRPG Series Page 13
