The Azure Dragon

by Vladimir Vasilenko

  Sting managed to climb to a comfortable thickening on the tree trunk, and now was shooting his arrows from above. Doc also managed to anchor his debuffs on all remaining monsters, and things went easier after that. We quickly killed the remaining attackers, and I even had a few of the Qi charges left.

  The only problem was that during the fight, the Asai got Bers, and one even broke through our defense and managed to snap Kata's leg. Fortunately, both survived, and then Doc stepped in with his potions. He paid more attention to Bers—the fact that the redhead managed to survive could be explained only by his deliberately upped Vitality. He seems to rely on it even more than his own armor. Perhaps, he hoped to become much like the Wolverine from old movies and comics so that he would heal on the fly.

  Viper helped Kata—being a well-trained fighter, he had a fully stocked first aid kit. He even put a real bandage on her leg.

  "With such wounds, the bandages and ointments help better than therapeutic potions," he explained when Doc skeptically glanced at his manipulations. "We can move out now. In fifteen minutes, your leg will be as good as new."

  "Yes, I know," said the necromancer. "I just don't like messing with them. Potions work faster and easier. In extreme cases, I could use a Pumping Life spell.

  "Doc, you're a doctor in real life!" Bers winced from the pain in his side. "You've been trained to apply bandages. Why don't you use your skills here?"

  "I don't bandage my patients' wounds, Costa. Have you forgotten that I work at the morgue? Even here, I'd rather put a tag on your toe and cover you with a sheet. Instead of messing with you for half an hour…"

  "Come on, are you cranky again?"

  "Well, why don't you buy yourself better armor? Even Mongoose has stronger ammunition than yours!"

  "Oh, don't start again. Heal!"

  "It's done. Lie still! I activated regeneration, but you have to wait until the wounds are healed. But remember, when we get back to the camp, I'm not gonna leave you alone until you visit the Xy camp. They must have some equipment there."

  "I have no money for new clothes! These are good enough."

  "Where did it all go? We've made a lot of gold in the last couple of weeks. Plus, you made some money on Mongoose when you bet on him back in Garax."

  "Leave me alone!"

  Bers even attempted to get up, but the wound on his stomach bled, and Doc, cursing, put him back on his back.

  "Come on down! Or should I put that rock on top of you, so you stop fidgeting?"

  "How long will it take to heal?" Terekhov asked, looking at the redhead gloomily. "Maybe it'd be easier to finish him off and pick him up at the menhir?"

  "Thank you, commander, you're so kind!"

  "Leo, what's wrong with you? It's Bers! He'll heal fast on his own. For the next ten minutes, the regeneration speed is tripled. How are we going to look for menhirs here anyway? Let's just take a little break. I'd like to do some tricks with the local fauna."

  Doc bent over the body of one of the Asai and, judging by his preparations, was going to raise the undead. Tellingly, no one stopped him. Indeed, the undead have become more and more useful as reinforcements. As Doc's skills evolved, his wards became faster, stronger, and even smarter if you could say that about dead puppets.

  Viper was a much more caring nurse for Kata than Doc could be for Bers. I'd say he was a little overprotective. He practically waited on her hand and foot. At first, I was annoyed, but then quickly got over it. I had a job to do—I had to collect all Qi balls from the Asai before they absorbed automatically.

  The balls were striped, green and black just like the skins of these predators. Wood and Earth. Strength and Vitality. I could use either one, so I converted some of the spheres to one color, some to another. I used the last one to restore my Qi charges.

  The forced halt became an occasion for the Hounds to huddle in a close circle and quaff a cup of "scarlet flower". Nobody invited me. Not that I developed a taste for Doc's rotgut, but their treatment once again hurt my feelings. There was a clear sense of tension between us, as if we were divided by an invisible wall. It was even worse than in my first days in the unit. Then I was picked on and instigated, whereas now, they studiously ignored me. Even Viper seemed to clue it up and looked at me sideways. It seemed to me that this guy was not as simple as he wanted to appear. I doubt Genghis would have sent the first available fighter with us.

  My mood was lousy, but I tried not to let on. I sat cross-legged at a little distance from the main group and started Meditation. I had to refresh my buffs to upgrade the skill.

  I have already started to like meditation for the feeling of unity with nature, dissolving in it, enhanced feelings and sensations, combined with calm and tranquility. In the jungle, I was flooded with unexpected sensations. It was as if I was not in the forest, but at the bottom of an endless green ocean full of life. Qi flowed around me in powerful streams that split, wriggled, accelerated and slowed down, merged again and closed into rings. It was only now that I realized the beauty and unstoppable power of this place, which could not be seen with the naked eye—one had to have a true vision.

  I also found the Source. It was relatively close, somewhere on the verge of my perception. I tried to remember the direction. Normally, I couldn’t sense them that far.

  It was pleasant to meditate—my head cleared of anxiety and vain thoughts, and it was very entertaining to watch the flow of Qi. Helpful, too, because I suddenly had a hunch.

  "Hey, Viper!" I called out to our guide. "So you're saying you didn't find any vanara settlements near your old camp?"

  "Right. Not only near the camp. I've never seen one at all. In fact, we have explored a fair part of the jungle."

  "It seems to me that you just looked the wrong way," I smiled, looking up.

  High above us, in an unimaginable maze of intertwined branches and vines, there was an entire world, stretching to the height of a multi-story building.

  Chapter 5. The Old Camp

  Doc has done a fine job on the undead this time. I didn’t know if it was because of his increased skill or the quality of the source material. Perhaps, the necromancer should give tribute to his new artifacts as he must have gone shopping in the last session. He replaced his worn leather doublet with new chest armor, light but supported with bone accents on the torso. On the right shoulder, he had a bone shoulder pad made from the skull of some animal with small forward-curved horns. The outfit was complemented by a wide leather belt with a hefty silver plaque in the form of a human skull. In addition to the dagger, a small but plump book in expensive leather binding with metal corners was now strapped to his belt. All in all, Doc looked much more impressive now than before. The amount of gray hair on his head and beard noticeably increased, too.

  He raised only two Asai from the dead, but since he tinkered with them for a few minutes, he also managed to strengthen them with some alchemical ingredients. Thus, the zombies turned out no weaker than the original creatures. They moved with almost the same speed and grace, too. Their eye sockets glowed with green flames, the bones of the skull peeked through the holey skin, and backbone protruded through the skin on the back much stronger than when they were living. On the hollow sides, holes were gaping, and I could see the ribs through them. But overall, the beasts remained as ferocious and dangerous as when they were alive. When we hit the road, they briskly trotted on the sides of our squad, faithfully looking back at Doc.

  I also walked near the necromancer, at the end of the procession. At least, Doc didn't give me the evil look. He seemed not to really care about the incident with the Eye and tried to cheer me up.

  "Don't worry about it, Stan! I don't know why Leo blew up. I don't think it makes a difference. You've done so much good for the squad. Hell, if it wasn't for you, we would have failed this mission!"

  "Yep.”

  "That’s okay that you didn't share. You slipped into temptation, as they say. Everyone makes mistakes."

  "I wouldn't even take this
eye, had I not needed money in real life. I had no choice. No job, no college money, and my dad is mad at me. Doing the free running tricks and challenges are no longer an option. I'm off the wagon."

  "So get back on it! And try to make up with the guys somehow. In the real world, this jerk is basically holding you hostage. We need to stick together."

  "Yep. What did Terekhov say to get you off the hook?"

  "I don't know. They came for me, and at the last moment, he talked them out of it. How would I leave Nadine alone?"

  "Look, if that's the case..." I started, turning to a whisper. "you're now the only one of the whole team, who still has the communication module in real life."

  "So?"

  "Try to find out whatever you can. Genghis made some kind of a deal with the Corsairs this morning. I was with him. It seems like we exchanged the Eye of Dahamesh for some other artifact. We should…"

  "Okay, I get it—I'll try," Doc interrupted me—walking ahead of us, Edge got curious about what we were whispering.

  Doc was definitely the man. I didn't just ask him to find out about the deal. I had a strong feeling that it was very important. If we could find out what exactly Genghis received, it could be a lead. What if it had something to do with Clam's mysterious task?

  Hell, it must have had something to do with it! Otherwise, what would Genghis's squad be doing in this jungle? Even if they camped here for a month, arranging the base and leveling up away from prying eye, which made sense. —the mobs there are fat and give lots of experience. But why, after that strange loss of the camp they didn't go to a different location? Clam's task must also be connected to Uobo!

  It was all very strange. Clam's missions usually related to some squabbles between the guilds of players. Uobo, on the other hand, has few players. First of all, this area was dangerous, and not everyone would go there. Second, the distance from the strongholds of large cities like Garax or Golden Harbor was quite significant. The nearest one is Arevin, and it was located one hundred and twenty-five miles north, near the entrance to the Arnarholt gorge. Selling loot when located here was inconvenient—flying back and forth would make anyone go bankrupt and waste a lot of time. So this strategy was only good for the units like Genghis’s. They probably centralized the sale and trade of loot, too.

  On the way, we came across a deep ravine, at the bottom of which there was a softly murmuring river. Its edges were overgrown with tall grass, making it easy to fall down without noticing the abyss. We moved along the trunk of a large fallen tree, which roots stuck out of the ground like fossilized tentacles of some monster. It took a while for Doc to cross because he was worried about one of his wards falling down. On the other side, he lingered, gulping down a bluish glowing potion from a crystal vial.

  "It looks expensive," I remarked.

  "Yep. I can't brew these myself. At the auction, it costs around two gold coins for a bottle. But at least, I won't have to worry about mana in the next hour. It gives a decent bonus to regeneration."

  "Do the lizards take that much energy from you?"

  "Yeah. These are high-level mobs. I took some effort to raise them and controlling takes a shitload of mana. I'm gonna have to empty all my stash tonight, but it's worth it. My skills with these cuties will be upping right before my eyes. And if they also get to participate in real battles today…"

  Doc rolled his eyes dreamily.

  "I might finally get the Lord of the Dead to the twenty-fifth level. And I can create a familiar."

  "Yes, I remember you told me. A zombie that is attached to you, which you can arm and equip. Would you have enough mana for that?"

  "Part of mana is reserved for controlling familiars, depending on a percentage of the maximum reserve. So there's no problem with that. But most importantly, I won't have to tinker around with the corpses every time I want to raise reinforcements. Although, in protracted battles, I can raise ordinary zombies just for cannon fodder. But familiars are different. Only with their emergence, the necromancer starts to unfold in full force…"

  Doc talked about it so enthusiastically, I couldn't help but smile. After all, he was a grown man, who could be my grandfather, and all the same, he got so sucked into the game.

  We picked up the pace, trying to catch up with the others, but then we got stuck again. I could barely get him away from the stump, overgrown with clusters of translucent mushrooms with bluish hats. He hastily cut them off one by one and put them in the inventory.

  "Wait, I need to collect some. I've never seen blue tapinella in person! I had to buy them at the auction for three silver coins just for a mushroom hat! These are worth a few gold pieces."

  "How do you even know these things? To me, they look like regular mushrooms," I shrug my shoulders, carefully looking at Doc's crops.

  I had to stare at the stump for a good half a minute until the system eventually gave me a short tip: "Unknown mushroom. Can be useful in alchemy."

  "Intelligence!" Doc chuckled, tapping his finger on his temple. "The more you invest in it, the more data you get from the system, which includes the properties of everything that surrounds you."

  Oh, yeah, I kept forgetting that. Turns out that the gameplay looked completely different for Doc and other mages. They saw a lot of things that we, simple warriors, did not notice.

  Actually, what am I talking about? I'm not just some lumberjack but a monk. I also know some things that others don't. For example, I see Qi and know how to absorb exactly the element that I need. To each his own.

  "Hey, we're almost there!" Viper shouted from the forefront of the squad. "Stay close together!"

  Genghis had chosen the place for the camp and fortified it by all the rules of military science. Even I, who has little understanding in such matters, appreciated it right away. The site was located on a small hill, near the ravine, and more than half of its perimeter was surrounded by a cliff. But judging by the remains of the palisade, the wall was still erected on all sides and added a sort of exclusion band. All tall vegetation was cut down around the camp so that no one could get by unnoticed.

  Now, however, the jungle was already taking over. There was little left from the structures, and it felt like they have been taken away literally log by log. Only a few beams from the large building were sticking out of the ground. Grass and young shoots of shrubs were growing on the site itself. This wasn't surprising: the camp was destroyed a couple of gaming sessions ago, and according to the Artar calendar, it's been two weeks.

  I sensed the Source since we took the halt. It was on the edge of the camp, over the cliff. Right next to it rose a strange wooden structure that looked like an Indian totem. It was crowned by elongated dry skulls of some horned animal, perhaps, deer. White symbols were painted closer to the base of the structure. They looked like a depiction of some constellation. Six runes, connected by lines made something like two pyramids with fused bases.

  "What's this?" I asked, first approaching the strange altar, while the others were raking the grass for other clues.

  Viper looked puzzled at the skulls that were silently staring at us from above with their empty eye sockets.

  "This wasn't here before! That's where our menhir used to be. You see there, that’s what’s left of it.”

  Large angular fragments of a stone stele were indeed scattered nearby. It seemed that the menhir was crushed by the blows of something heavy, a huge sledgehammer or something like that.

  "There was something like a ritual place next to it. Karim and Kali hung out here, and a couple of mages. They said it was a place of power or something. Well, that's their quirks. By the way, that was one of the main reasons they wanted to set up camp here. And Genghis wants to take this place back. The location is good."

  "But first you have to get rid of vanaras," Bers said skeptically. "Is it worth it? Unless you're not sure that's their doing."

  "It could be no one else," Viper shrugged. "We have eyewitnesses. There was always a watch in the camp—at least a couple of
people were always on duty. We made sure there was always someone in the game. Anyway, we have to deal with these monkeys. Ever since we settled here, they've been bugging us more and more. They hate people in general and try to drive them out of the jungle. It's war—either them or us."

  While the others listened to Viper's chatter, I explored the Source. Apparently, it was regularly used—its light was barely noticeable, but not particularly intense. I sat down in this invisible for everyone else pillar of light and started Meditation. I spent a couple of cycles pulling the remaining energy from the Source. The harvest wasn't rich, just enough for a couple of Qi pearls. That's not bad. I was short on them, and since experimenting with setting up my combo skills, there were just a couple left. I was used to having at least a dozen in stock.

  During meditation, I glanced at the altar and startled. The eye sockets of the skulls on its top glowed with purple flames, and the streams of Qi around the structure wrapped around in tight spirals. It seemed that this thing was built at the Source for a good reason—it fed off the energy and redirected it down into the ground.

  Absorbing Qi was hard. I felt like I was sucking it out through a thin straw. It seemed that the altar responded to my efforts, and this response was not the friendliest. After the creation of the second pearl, I restored the Qi charges I spent and decided to call it quits.

  "Well, what did you see?" Doc asked.

  "Something doesn't feel right," I shivered. "I wouldn't be surprised if all the fuss was about this place. I think vanaras destroyed the camp because they wanted to build this thing close to the Source.”

  "What kind of sources are these?" Terekhov came closer.

  Wow, he finally decided to break his silence!

  "Viper was right—this is one of the places of power that are used by monks and some mages. I personally use it to replenish Qi. I don't know what mages might need it for. These Sources are quite rare. Perhaps, one for several square miles."