The Way of the Clan 8

by Dem Mikhaylov

  The Golden Sword. Not gilded, but entirely made of precious metal. No symbols on the blade or handle. The sword was not identified. It was necessary to go to a specialist. This was not a ceremonial, but a military weapon, judging by the size, the predatory shape of the blade, and the absence of any embellishment.

  The chandelier gilded with an abundance of gold and silver chains. The description of a luxurious lamp indicated only one thing - the name of the master who created it. One "local" named Knyshek Forsinthe from the town of Lucerne Hill. The chandelier was a mystery. I could easily guess where to start - teleportation to Lucerne Hill, where you would need to find the master, show him the chandelier, find out for whom he forged it, then find the true owner, return the expensive loss and find out that the chandelier was a small part of the set consisting of five or even eight items that were the pride of the house, but stolen by certain villains. And will a good hero agree to find the remaining parts of the set in exchange for worthy reward and eternal gratitude of the owner? It was clear that these were just my fantasies, but they were likely not too far off.

  The statue. This object was much more interesting. And the knocker was made of stone, the crown and hands were covered with gilding, the eyes were ruby. On the palms lies a twisted scroll - also a stone. A few of the fingers completely encircle the scroll. This is a puzzle. Even if I manage to pull out the scroll from the unbending fingers, how do I unroll the "stone paper"? Is it by dripping on the scroll, a special elixir mixed from a saliva of five dragons? Then read the verses? Is it a prayer? The options are infinite. But there is one clue - the statue is not identified. Again, help is needed for identification specialists.

  A large oval dish, covered with many mysterious symbols and drawings. The dish itself is quite ordinary, simply made of expensive metal. I could not read the characters etched into it. Judging by the drawings, someone was killed and then buried near some mountains. Who was killed this way? He had a baldhead with huge ears. The mountains were a dead giveaway.

  I lifted the dish, wrapped it in an old raincoat, then left my Private Room and went down to the check-in desk. There I turned to the same smiling brown-haired woman and, passing her the dish, said:

  “Is it possible to give this item to my friend when he visits the hotel next time?”

  "Of course, good lord! But this service is paid ...”

  “Of course,” I said, giving the girl a few gold coins. “I will be very grateful.”

  “Everything will be done!” She promised. “What is the name of your good friend?”

  "Bom-bom Drag-roll," I answered, not paying much attention to the amused snorting of the black-haired gnome passing by. What is so funny, anyway? Bohm has a completely normal gaming nickname.

  “Everything will be done!” Reiterated the brown haired girl and, giving an apologetic smile, looked at the redheaded archer holding a viciously screaming striped boar, who was approaching the front desk.

  I noticed the gaze of the archer froze on my gaming nickname just before he hurried up the stairs. On the way back to the room, I typed out a message to Bom:

  "Hello, hamster. I urgently need to go into the real world. Affairs above the ground. I came across something interesting, but, most likely, also dangerous. It is something like an encrypted card or a part of a legendary set. It looks like a big oval dish made of gold. Do not sell it! Study the drawings, ask around - carefully. It seems to me that there is something interesting here - at least information about an ancient grave hidden under the riverbed. The case may turn out to be interesting and profitable. Will you study the object? The dish will be given to you as soon as you go to any hotel."

  Having sent the letter, I returned to the objects taken from the hiding place of fisher Ambrosio, and managed to lay out a few jewelry trinkets according to their value rank - again I would have to drag myself into the bank. There were many valuable items, there nothing special - ordinary jewels. Almost all of them for women. There were bonuses, but mostly for dexterity and intelligence. As valuable as this was, I was not going to wear golden hearts with rubies in my ears. Give them to Kaylen? It would come in handy. But how would she accept such a gift from someone aside from her admirer Cray? That would be an unnecessary headache. I decided all things would go to the bank.

  I had barely made the decision when the system rang again. Bohm's message was optimistic and decisive:

  "I got you, boss! Done! I am already running for the hotel. I will find out everything I can. If something comes up about the dish – should I wait for you? On the other hand, should I sell? I will not sell it for cheap! And Kirea wrote me about something, are we going to Dark Edge?"

  I replied immediately:

  "The Dark Edge is canceled. My plans were accelerated. Return the dish to me! I will put it on the mantelpiece. Do not wait for me, I am stewing in business here. Go find out everything. Do not forget about Roska! And Orbit! And my wolf will go with you. And again - Bom, if there is a cash flow, then immediately warn everyone - ten percent of the total amount goes to the general treasury. "

  "I understand clearly, boss. Will do. If you need backup - write me. Good luck."

  And so Bom and I had talked business.

  The beginning of a clan. Our own clan.

  Bom refers to the idea of creating a clan very seriously. I am not yet ready to give a concrete answer - because I do not know the answer. I really did not reflect on this topic - I just have no time. As soon as I sit down and start thinking about something, they immediately tear me from my seat and I am thrown into the next adventure.

  Perhaps this is too flattering for such a simple guy like me, but I compared myself to a huge whale floating between harpooner's vessels, through fishing nets. The harpoon fired at me, I rammed the net and dragged the whole cargo of boats behind me. It would be better to stop and shake off the net, to finish all unfinished business — but for some reason, I do not stop. I continue to swim forward. But someday the whale simply be unable to move forward - the yoke of unfinished business and deeds will drag me to the deep dark bottom, from where I cannot rise. Oh, how metaphorically I have begun to express myself ... and all because of the recent sea battle that took place before my eyes. During which many whales were killed by harpoons, caught in nets and chopped into pieces...

  Of course, the main moral of the story, I understand - do not try to do all the work yourself. Distribute it. Now Bom and the company will be engaged in figuring out the mystery of the golden dish. An adventure likely awaits. Whether they succeed or fail is not up to me. And later, let them find out about the items from the fisherman's hiding place. And then about the stone effigy with a gilded crown and the scroll in the palms of his hands.

  And I am very interested about how Doc and his new close friend Shmigovik are getting on. They clearly became friendly during their underground adventure in the ruins of a long-abandoned church in Tishka. Doc was very worried when the thief Shmig was taken into custody, into the caves of Algora. What caused the player to turn himself into jail? Another mystery. Not that I really wanted to stick my nose into someone else's business. No. Especially since Shmig had completely fulfilled my assignment, having done quality work. But the worm of curiosity gnawed at me anyway.

  While thinking, I sorted out all the jewelry. There were many chains of silver and gold. A whole bunch - you could actually weave a rope if you wanted to. I would take them to the bank. For some reason, I did not want to sell anything. When you are raising a restless daughter-goddess, you have no idea what you might need in the next moment. What if Roska will need a hundred chains for some incredible reason? Maybe it was nonsense. But I would not sell anything. I would rent additional cells in the Bank of Valdira, and have the belongings kept under reliable supervision.

  In the next box, I threw the last of the miscellaneous things. I glanced at the empty, littered floor and sighed with relief. Completion of any business, or at least a small part of anything, gives me a sense of satisfaction. Now I went on - I loo
ked at Roska's bed, under which some of the legendary animal equipment was.

  The outfit of Tyrant.

  The breastplate and collar.

  Both items, nameless.

  Last night I was enlightened about this topic. While I have not yet named the objects, they will not "turn on" at full strength. Now their defense ranks are standard, though above average. Pros for protection, strength, agility or whatever else. But as soon as I name the things, everything will change at once. First of all, the gaming system will ask which direction I prefer for the disposition of the pet – a protective or attacking focus. And my choice will change very much. It would be a difficult choice. I must take as much care as an engineer designing a tank – should I hang additional armor plates on the machine, or is it better to add another machine gun? Increase the durability of the tank or focus on combat power?

  I had delayed the moment of naming long enough already. But the time had come.

  The breastplate and the collar. I needed to come up with names...

  I am far from skilled in this regard. It is not my thing — inventing meaningful sounding names. And I am ashamed of this. Oh, how shy. And for no reason — I have seen plenty of ridiculous names. "The destroyer of the universe", "The devil's devotee", "The infernal wizard magic beast", "The achiever of unachievable", "The entropy of chaos and order", "The hand of the cruel shaman of death", "The indestructible laughter of the Sad Knight", “Protection of a fiery heart ", " 666.666.666 ", "The helmet of the Dark Lord", "Divine standard" and so on and so forth. The human imagination always surprises me.

  Hmm, ... and what if you just called it: "Tyrant's Collar"? Sounds short and modest. And then: "Tyrant’s breastplate".

  Decided!

  I exhaled with relief, pulled the objects out from under the bed, shook off the dust from the legendary objects and cleaned the shiny metal with my sleeve. I took hold of the breastplate and looked at the properties. Finding a flashing line "name is not selected," I pressed it with my finger. A message immediately appeared, along with a melodious, solemn sound:

  Attention!

  Do you want to give a name to this Object?

  This procedure is irreversible!

  YES / NO…

  Yes, without hesitation.

  Please say the title of the subject slowly and clearly. Alternatively, use the virtual keyboard to enter the name.

  This procedure is irreversible!

  “Tyrant's Breastplate”, I tried to pronounce as clearly as possible.

  Attention!

  Do you want to give the title "Tyrant’s Breastplate" to this Object?

  This procedure is irreversible!

  YES / NO…

  “Yes.”

  Another melodious chime and a glittering screen appeared. New data appeared, while the old data changed, or completely disappeared. Then, everything was covered with an almost impenetrable fog, after which the gaming system issued the last request:

  Attention!

  Choose the prevailing type of properties for the item!

  The choice between "Protective" or "Attacking"!

  This procedure is irreversible!

  Your choice!

  Protective / Attacking

  “Protective!”

  Again, I did not hesitate. Why? Because at least one item from the legendary set should be aimed at protecting my wolf. Tyrant is fast, tireless, and fierce. But health is a different story.

  The flickering mist disappeared, allowing me to see the properties of the object.

  Type: animal equipment

  Title: Tyrant’s Breastplate

  Description: armor. Black and white plate reliably protects the breast of the legendary wolf.

  Class of the item: Legendary!

  Durability: Impossible to destroy! Other: Impossible to steal!

  Attention! The item from the legendary set!

  Number of items in the set: 2.

  Restrictions on the minimum level: none.

  Additionally: the effects given by the subject increase in proportion to the level of the character.

  Current Effects:

  + 16 power.

  + 14 Agility.

  + 36 Stamina.

  + 25 Protection.

  Ability:

  + 2 to the skill "Hoarse Howl".

  +3 to Wolf's Scent.

  +1 to the skill "Wolf Grip".

  +2 to the ability "Wolf Roar".

  +0 Stun Enchantment.

  +0 to the skill Bloody Hunt.

  +0 to the skill Unbelievable Rage of the Beast.

  +0 to the skill "Following the Greats."

  The number of equipped set items Legend of the Wolf: 1 / 2

  Additional bonus from equipped set items: none.

  Having read this, I became thoughtful, mechanically collecting the remaining money and jewelry from the floor. Some of Tyrant's skills were very familiar to me. A couple of them my wolf had used successfully. Other skills, especially those listed at the very end of the list, I had not heard of. It is not due to my ignorance — the skills are unique, and belong to the young legendary wolf alone. Tyrant has simply not yet developed them. Accordingly, as I understood it, the stats of the armor dynamically change depending on the level of Tyrant.

  The conclusion was simple - it was necessary to continue to develop Tyrant, so that he could acquire new abilities. However, at that moment, the legendary wolf did not serve me - he played the role of a steed for a restless girl, who dreamed of adventure and fishing. And I, myself, had more pressing matters to attend to.

  Picking up the spiked collar, I diligently repeated the same procedures with the new piece of equipment. The name was almost the same. But the "specialization" of the subject was chosen to be as attack. A second later, I was holding a full-fledged version of the legendary equipment.

  Type: animal equipment

  Title: Tyrant's Collar.

  Description: A thick and wide strip of strong metal bent into a powerful wolf's collar with sharp spikes.

  Item Class: Legendary!

  Durability: impossible to destroy! It is impossible to steal!

  Attention! The item from the legendary set!

  Number of items in the set: 2.

  Restrictions on the minimum level: none.

  Additionally: the effects given by the subject increase in proportion to the level of the animal.

  Current Effects:

  + 30 power.

  + 22 Agility.

  + 5 Stamina.

  + 5 protections.

  Ability:

  +4 The Hoarse Howl skill.

  2 to the skill "Wolf's Scent".

  +1 to the skill "Wolf Grip".

  +1 to the ability "Wolf Roar".

  +0 Stun.

  +0 to the skill Bloody Hunt.

  +0 to Unbelievable Rage of the Beast.

  +0 to the skill "Following the Greats."

  The number of equipped set items Legend of the Wolf: 1 / 2

  An additional bonus from equipped set items: none.

  “Done,” I muttered, putting the objects on top of one of the boxes. “We keep digging. What kind of contraption is this and who is the architect?”

  I was referring to a rather amusing thing, consisting of five different golden cups and bowls, standing in a tight circle and a massive gold hoop with a lilac stone lying on top of it. A sort of Stonehenge with some gold coins in the middle. Probably Roska made it, as she was bored in solitude. The child’s self-expression?

  I dismantled the architectural golden monument, having made several screenshots from various angles beforehand - just in case. The cups and bowls went to the sack with the coins. And I held the hoop in my hands for a minute. This was the same "golden crown" about which I had completely forgotten. It was atop the head of the eternally drunk angler Ambrosio, who sat on the very top of a high stone candle-rock above the peaceful waters of the giant lake of Naykal. The angler donning the golden crown drank wine from the golden cup, while he watched the danc
es of the bog creatures on the neighboring island, and imagined himself to be a great and rich king, surrounded by his merry subjects.

  Outwardly, the hoop was simple. A wide golden strip is decorated with a lilac stone with a beautiful cut. The item itself was not identified. After examining the hoop a little more, I picked it up with both hands and brought it to my head, intending to try on the headdress of kings. Would I suddenly look like a great and powerful person? Hardly, of course. The golden crowd had hardly touched my hair when an incoming message made me flinch and drop the crown.

  Who the hell is that?

  "Boss! We found a couple of clues already! The dish depicts a battle with the deva, or whatever the hell they are called. I continue to dig. But take into account - a familiar and reliable appraiser offered a very large amount of gold for the dish. Now I am going to a familiar "local" historian - also reliable."

  Gritting my teeth, I wrote the answer:

  "Do not sell the dish! And while you’re there, ask the historian about the golden sword, the golden crown with the lilac stone, and the stone statue with the scroll in his hands."

  "Wow ... Ros, did you rob someone? And why didn’t you tell me?! I could have helped earlier.”

  "We will talk later, accomplice. Dig deeper. And keep in mind - do not run too far! Do not go into a zone without teleportation! We should be constantly in touch the next few days."

  "Why?”

  "Because! It is important! Go on. Keep researching."

  Having completed the exchange, I squinted at the golden crown, carefully picked it up, and put it aside. I raked all the "garbage" consisting of coins and ornaments to the side. Then I directed my feet to the exit. It was time to visit the bank of Valdira again, and talk with the courteous employee.

  The next message was not from within Valdira. It came "from the outside," from the real world, sent with the help of Valdira-messenger, as indicated by the corresponding flashing icon. And it stated: