The Way of the Clan 8

by Dem Mikhaylov

  "I declare the thirty-minute readiness!" The crystal clear voice of the Baroness seemed to be heard for leagues around.

  I rubbed my hands and sat down straight in the snow, watching the Baroness work. A fascinating sight ... she barely had time to respond to each of them. But she coped with it.

  “The right wing of the Union waits at the agreed point!”

  “Left wing - delayed for half an hour!”

  "We will not wait for them!"

  “Got it. They ask us to tell them our maneuver, in order to be able to calculate the way to intercept.”

  “No! Before the flagship gets the cruising speed, we will not transmit any data about our route! To no one!”

  “Clear! What should I tell them?”

  "Let them speed up! Let them use spells, let them tear sails, but in twenty minutes we see their first ships!”

  “Clear!”

  “Next!”

  “Northern Pirates demand to increase the payment for passage on their waters doubly!”

  “Tell them we won’t give them the promised info! The price will remain the same!”

  “A pair of small allied clans lost half of their ships. A third of the remaining needs to be repaired. They ask whether it is possible to postpone the start time ...”

  "You cannot even answer them. Why waste time on such ... Who do they think they are?”

  "The elf Orbit appeared two miles from here."

  “What do you mean "appeared"? On which ship did he arrive?”

  “No ship. He just emerged out of the water. Together with the mammoth. Swimming here swiftly.”

  "How did he come here? Who told him? You cannot teleport here...”

  “We do not know. We asked him, and he looks at us with pity ... and whispers something to the mammoth trunk, sticking out of the water.”

  “To hell with him! I will figure it out. What else?”

  “Another squadron was spotted near Al Dra Das. Half remained there, the other half-moving north. Maybe towards us.”

  "They will not make it. What else?”

  “Mages have taken positions. Malice among them. They are ready.”

  “Good! At least something in time. What else?”

  “Forty tons of additional cargo unaccounted for ... where do we shove it?”

  “And what about logistics? What kind of cargo?”

  “Spare equipment, alchemy, ship repair material ... Should we not throw it overboard?”

  "Bring it here. What else?”

  “Friends of the Navigator arrive on one of the ships of the southeastern armada. Where will they go?”

  “Let them stay there, for now. Ros! Your friends have arrived. Ask them how where they are while sitting quietly as a mouse corpse.”

  “Got it,” I responded. “Thank you. What a simile…”

  “What's next?”

  “The Gragrog clan does not respond. Completely ignoring us.”

  “They chose Architects,” the BB jerked her head. “Oh well… put the Gragrog to the blacklist ...”

  There was a roar. A shaggy, lop-eared monster with a trunk emerged out of the water. The Kolyvan himself. A cheerful orange scarf was tied around the mammoth's neck. As if the bald elf thought, that the knitted ribbon would protect the Kolyvan from the oceanic water. Boy was he wrong. Icicles clung to his wool. On the back of the prehistoric beast sat the joyous Orbit. The elf was pouring with steam, as if he had just come from the bath. Seeing me, Orbit waved both his hands, directed the beast towards me, and then there was an enthusiastic scream:

  "Uncle Orbit is he-e-e-ere! Here! Here!”

  "There she is!” Exclaimed the elf, sliding down from the mammoth.

  “Oh, and what is this?”

  “A scythe!”

  “Thank you!”

  "Fuck ..." I muttered, covering my face with my palm. Soon, I would become the father of a juvenile criminal.

  The next half hour on the island did not change anything. The Baroness kept on sorting out the questions. Sent people on errands. Ordered and ordered. Then she raised her hands sharply, and it became clear that the time had come. I jumped to my feet, and looked over at the anglers, who had caught a bunch of mysterious fish. It was time to call them.

  “Let them sit,” the Baroness waved.

  “What do you mean?”

  “There’s nowhere to go.”

  “I don’t understand…”

  “Now you will understand. Wake it!”

  “Yes, ma’am,” shouted a hefty half-orc, lifting a hefty trumpet to the sky.

  A long and alarming roar swept over the island.

  A moment later, we heard a many-voiced response from all sides. Then, in the gray fog, many multicolored lights appeared, approaching with considerable speed.

  A moment - and several long beams of magic light struck the island. They hit the ice and the ground. There was a long roar. The rays of light shone full force, and I covered my eyes with my hand.

  And then the ground underfoot shuddered heavily. Once more. And again... And with a deep, protracted roar, the whole island began to slowly rise, lifting us along with it.

  Frozen blocks of ice broke off and fell down to the receding surface of the agitated Cold Sea. From the wet stone, thick stone pillars began to creep in, jerking higher and higher, soon reaching a height of twenty meters and not stopping there. And there were many such pillars. Lots of them. It soon became clear that these were giant masts.

  I shook my head in shock, looking at the distant sea from the huge height of the stone platform located in the midst of the monstrous mass of the island rising from the water. What is was the length of it? A kilometer? More? And the width? There was fog around us, and so I could only approximate the size. A banister rose out of the stone, surrounded by a square. With a solemn roar, a huge helm began to rise from the center of the platform …

  The hand of the Baroness placed her hand gently on my shoulder.

  “Welcome to the flagship of the Sleepless,” the Black Baroness smiled predatorily. “Welcome to the Black Queen!”

  Ahoy! Raise the sails!

  Navigator on board!

  The Black Queen ship is declared the flagship!

  The Black Queen ship receives a special flagship flag!

  “The sails, Ros. It is time to raise them.”

  "Raise the sails!" I shouted hoarsely.

  With a deafening crack, the huge black sails flew downwards, a wide-open eye drawn on them.

  "I'm passing over control of the flagship's special actions," I added.

  "I accept them," answered the BB. "Roar!"

  And there was a roar...

  A roar of inexpressible loudness, a roar of no ship, but a ferocious monster hiding in the dense sea fog. A roar that caused me fear. The formidable roar was heard for tens of miles the sides; it was heard by many of the other ships.

  “All in their places! And all the rest – out of our way! Onward!”

  Attention!

  Great Navigator!

  We listen to you!

  It is time to take a particularly important decision!

  Are you ready to announce the beginning of the Great Sea Trek to the Lost Mainland of Zar'Graad?

  Yes / No

  “I received a request from the system.”

  "You know what to say."

  Nodding, I involuntarily swallowed my digital saliva and chose the affirmative answer.

  ATTENTION!

  THE GREAT SEA CAMPAIGN LAUNCHED!

  A bright white light flashed around me. A wide column of amber light from my shoulders went up into the gray sky, struck and pierced the clouds, and headed for the stars. I looked like a searchlight. And then, a thin bright ray of amber light emitted from my chest, pointing to the east.

  “Follow the beam!” shouted the BB. “For all interceptions, take the basic battle order! The trek is begun! And it was we who started it – the Sleepless!”

  “YA-А-А-А-А-А-А!”

  T
he sea itself seemed to roar. With enthusiasm, with a fierce joy. Like Vikings leaving from the icy shore.

  The Black Queen was moving to the east and gaining more and more speed with every instant. From the height of the bridge, I saw the whole magnificent panorama - the bridge was so high that it rose above the gray fog. I saw a distant horizon, and hundreds of masts sticking out of the swirling cloudy vapor. We walked slowly through the ship's armada, assuming our position. Below, the body of the island was rising from the water. Hundreds of players were running, dragging something, breaking ice, setting huge crossbows.

  The Great March has begun.

  At last…

  And in that very moment, all of Valdira had gone mad ... In the ports and cities, the unthinkable was happening...

  Chapter Seven

  Acceleration. A ship, an island or a monster?

  With each second, the flagship Black Queen, this revived bulk of stone, acquired new details. On the upper deck, there were huge steel and wooden crossbows, near there were catapults, stationary magic wands the size of lampposts, and crystal balls intertwined with copper strips - generators of magic shields.

  Small buildings and enclosures appealed, as well as aquariums. They were inhabited by special livestock, necessary for combat and urgent repair needs. In addition, some guard beasts in case of boarding. Imagine enemies, popping up on deck, where couple of dozen armored cave lions are waiting for them...

  The monstrous dimensions of the flagship made it possible to easily allow a number of objects and animals aboard. And space still remained. I counted seven decks - and the upper one was the narrowest. The other decks moves down from the ledge to the water itself ... then the decks continued to go even lower, but there they went backwards, as the guard, that clever fanatical player, explained to me. Only fifteen decks. The eighth, central deck, four meters below the waves, was the widest and longest.

  The Black Queen – I so wanted to say the "Black Baroness" because I understood perfectly that the ship was named in her honor. If you looked at it from the front, it resembled a diamond, more than halfway submerged in water. On the eighth deck were located our "engines”, consisting of magical artifacts and underwater living beings. A gigantic ship set into motion by sails, various artifacts, and the efforts of living beings, including a hundred combat sperm whales and thirty megalodones. Sperm whales and prehistoric sharks had become our escorts, playing the role of protection.

  In addition to all of the above, there were special artifacts that generated currents and winds around the Black Queen, as well as those that extinguished colliding waves and external winds, if such arose.

  In order for the flagship of the Sleepless to go forward without any stops, everything possible and impossible was done. Listening to the half orc - and by the way, his name was Bloopy the Wise - I felt like a village shepherd who had come to the center of the capital and gotten info from the guide. It was all very interesting. The grandiose nature of the plan and its execution was breathtaking.

  Bloopy went on telling...

  The island itself was hollow inside. There were plenty of cabins, private cabins, galleys, arsenals, warehouses, underwater rooms, marching incubators, aquariums for predatory youngsters, workshops, smithies and other things, including a reliably protected labyrinth of corridors – In case enemies invaded through holes in the ship or deck hatches. I saw smoke pillars billowing behind our back at a distance of about three hundred meters from us. Forges on other ships.

  The safety of the lower part of the ship was answered by achilots. And these were players of the Sleepless Clan, not mercenaries or allies. Only our own went on the flagship. Only time-tested clan members. Those who have served the Sleepless for many years. Not including myself, nor my family. But we are an exception to the rules. Such a rigorous selection is needed for additional protection against possible sabotage. All were afraid of saboteurs.

  In the flagship, there was a room reserved for the highest level of special artifacts. And we, the allies, did not get to go to the middle level. Never. Not even on an excursion.

  In the heart of the ship was the ... heart, no matter how silly that sounds. This room was also very secure. Inside, two dozen magicians worked in shifts to ensure that there was always a curtain of protective and enhancing auras around the flagship. They also did something else, but they were not to give any other details to me. But I did not need to know — my head was already packed to capacity.

  Overall, the Baroness had raised, from the bottom of the sea, a floating city. After this, she "installed" me as the Navigator, and stood me the helm. Then she sent this monstrous ship to the east. And the other ships of the fleet slowly gathered around us - hundreds of various ships.

  Here was the armada of the Sleepless ... I could not count the ships. And I had not seen waves for a long time. Only ships, thousands of multicolored sails filled with fair wind.

  The amber ray that pointed from my chest flickered intermittently and jerked from east to northeast. Noticing this, the Baroness righted her wide brimmed hat, glanced at the steering wheel held by a huge half-orc in his vest, but did not give the order. We continued to go east. I did not say anything. If she says east, it means we have to go east. But why did the beam twitch from side to side? A mystery…

  At first, I decided that east was where the Lost Continent was hiding. But it turned out that we needed to go north-east ... perhaps the direction would also be changed after that.

  Why do we follow such a broken path?

  "Protection of the Greats," Bloopy sighed.

  “What is that?”

  “Well ... the beam flashes and goes from side to side. So that no one could come close to the forbidden place too quickly ... like the legend…”

  "What do you mean?"

  “What do you mean?” The surprised half orc stared at me. “The legend...”

  “You still do not know Ros well,” the Baroness gave a short, snide chuckle. "He is quite culturally inept. Bloopy, I need a large table, many chairs, maps, a globe, appliances, wine, and lots of coffee. And where are the two signalers with their flags and flashlights? Have they decided to drink cocktails and enjoy a game of poker?”

  "I will sort it out now."

  “I will be waiting. And warn all those responsible that I am waiting for their reports no later than an hour from now. Especially about armament and protection. And the deployment of fleets.”

  “Got it.”

  “Ros,” this time the BB looked at me. “Did you shut down your messenger?”

  “Long time ago. Messages are only incoming from selected players.”

  "I trust you know it is saving you a long hassle.”

  “Oh, yes,” I chuckled, removing my jacket and remaining in a simple white shirt. “I can imagine how many people are trying to private message me. And every second message obscene.”

  “And every third a threat. Or a proposal, a request, a mournful whimper ... from the heads of all the powerful clans.”

  “I sell only once,” I snorted. “And the auctions have already taken place. You know me. A dirty trick can be expected from you, but not from me, frankly.”

  “Hmm...”

  "Plus, I have a big request for you."

  “What?”

  "Remember, how you wanted to be the first to set foot on the shore of the Lost Continent?"

  “I remember. And I still want to. Are there any objections?”

  No. You will be the first person and player who will set foot on Zar'Graad. But I want my daughter Roska to be the first goddess to set foot on the forbidden coast of a new continent.”

  “Hang on ...”

  “You hang on,” I lifted my palms. “My business is to offer, and it is up to you to think and decide. I do not demand. I ask. I have no idea if this will give Roska anything. I understand that you can choose your own goddess over her. But – if you help me, I will be indebted to you. And Roska will know who helped her get to the Lost Mainland. Do not answer a
nything now. Think about it. Or forget it. If you do not talk about it later, I will take your silence as refusal. Here, you are in your right. For now, I will go and look among my books, wherever something is written about the ray of light beaming from my chest, and why it is blinking and showing different directions...”

  "Hmmm ... the perfect solution. Just do not leave the bridge. Should I get you a couch?”

  “I am alright,” I waved off the generous offer. “I can sit on the deck. By the way, you have a cage with dinosaurs just about to fall overboard. On the port side...”

  “Huh? What the hell?” The girl twirled on the spot, took a silver megaphone from her belt and yelled “Hey! On the port side! Where are you looking? Hook up the cage with pteros! Hold it! Mother of God! We did not even have time to start the march and we are already drowning pterodactyls!”

  The BB continued scolding her subordinates, and I got a book out of my book bag and began to look for the passage in which it said something about a "red herring."

  I would at least make an effort. Despite the ruthless maliciousness of the BB in many ways — she had to handle the whole clan and the hassle was only growing.

  And about the legend...

  The lost mainland Zar'Graad was not just "sealed". It was also safely hidden somewhere in the boundless ocean. Overall, the safe was not only securely locked, but also hidden, thereby increasing the worth of its treasure. It could not be any other way. After all, ships were constantly plowing the seas and oceans in search of new islands, adventures, and fights. Everyone dreams of becoming a pioneer, if not in America, then at least on a small island. And such cases are frequent - every now and then another player or "local" stumbles upon an unexplored volcanic island, a reef, or something else noteworthy. And if the curiosity of Valdira’s “locals” could easily be averted, then persistent players could not be stopped. These demoniac adventurers would do anything to achieve their goal. And they would reach the Lost Continent without any Navigator.