The Way of the Clan 8

by Dem Mikhaylov

  "And soon I will come in and finish the chess game I started."

  “OK.”

  “Attention! Two thirds of the Sargasso field are behind us. We have passed them successfully. But the lagging ships will have a hard time...

  "Let them maneuver! Leave behind a cover group.”

  "Black clouds! The waves up by thirty percent! Two of the analytical group experts predict the possibility of a tsunami!”

  “Great, that's just what we need,“ said Malice. “The Immortals are giving us the full treatment.”

  "But they are not only doing this to us," the Baroness grinned. "The Architects and Water Aces are about to come across a whole bunch of problems."

  “Attention! The eye sees the earth! Several large islands hiding behind the clouds!”

  "The islands? The evening is still far away,” the Baroness said. “Where did the land come from?”

  “Two large islands and three small ones. And around a dozen cliffs stick out of the water.”

  “These are normal islands,” Klest shrugged. “Why complicate it? Cannot there not be any more undiscovered islands, or something? A sort of delicious bonus after a battle.”

  “If so — then you need to go immediately. Form a group of five ships. Baron! Malice! Create two units. And forward!”

  "You can see the ruins on one of the islands! Ancient ... oh man… so cool! Can I be in the fighting squad, BB? After all, I have served you faithfully for years!”

  “You can. The rest, continue to work. We do not change course. We should avoid Sargasso. Look both ways. Send air scouts in all directions! Well then…! Let us see about this island in the middle of the ocean. Maybe there is something special there ...”

  "Can any of us be with your units?" - I asked.

  “Yes,” nodded the BB. “Extra eyes and hands will not interfere, as the islands are rather big. But they will defend themselves! And all trophies afterwards will be inspected and distributed. You understand.”

  “Yeah. You get the cream — we get the crumbs of the cakes. A fair share of the cake crumbs. I agree.”

  "Then call them and send them."

  "I will … Bom!"

  I did not have to persuade them. To my deep satisfaction, I still managed to show parental responsibility and leave my daughter on the flagship. The rest of us went to the island.

  A sharp rush of salty wind struck the black clouds covering the mountains. The thunderstorm faded and then the screens above the bridge showed a mysterious shore washed by waves. Palms, sand, some stone columns with angry fanged faces gloomily looking into the open ocean...

  "The intelligence team has departed! Estimated time of arrival to the islands – quarter of an hour!”

  Chapter Fifteen.

  Burning old continent. Shreds and rags ... A Bedlam in real life...

  Attention, attention! The Bulletin of Valdira notifies!

  Architects are losing clan lands!

  The oldest clan of the world Valdira lost seven islands in the last two days! The bloody, destructive battles stop for no one! Several toothy predators have attacked the island settlements of the Raccoon Sandals, which was to the south-west of the Akelrome. A total mess in tropical paradise!

  Only the Salted Gneisses remained unconquered war, a vast island swamp inhabited by bog-creatures. The remaining seven islands out of eight submitted to the will of the invaders— the last warriors of the clan of Architects were forced to retreat, teleporting to an unknown location.

  Seashell Shallows have fallen! And from now, land is divided between the clans Gray Shaggy, the Golden Templars and the Sharp Espadons! We all understand that Architects do not forgive and do not forget. And on the return from the Great Sea voyage, the oldest clan of Valdira will remember the offenses and will repay the younger clans a hundredfold. But, who knows when, and how long the journey on unexplored waters will last?... Until then, the young clans continue to fiercely fight for every inch of foreign land...

  Burning news from the raging blast!

  The volcano has woken up! For many years, this sleeping giant was only coughing fetid smoke and turning in slumber. Then suddenly it suddenly burst into flames, sneezing smoke, coughing with red-hot lava! Fiery rivers rushed down the wooded slopes. There is a monstrous fire in the area, covering the dells of Drubna, protected by the Albatross clan.

  Many were cut off by fire, they now have nowhere to run! Residents of villages and towns suffocate in the smoke and call to the aid of their patrons and defenders – the Albatrosses! But instead of hundreds of decisive fighters with fire, only a few griffins arrived, one young dragon, and forty beginners with double figures as far as levels go. They do all they can and even more, but this is not enough – the fire is expanding, and the old volcano Gorrmiy continues to spit fire. The earth is shaking – is it not a harbinger of a big bang?

  However, not everything is so bad – local residents sighed with joy and hope when dozens of brave ladies and gents from the Murky Shadow clan came to their aid. They resolutely rushed to the salvation of every living creature, carrying them out in their arms from the deadly fiery trap. Rescuers do not ask for anything in return and continue to do good, again and again rushing into the fire without the slightest fear. Glory to the heroes! Glory to saviors!

  The only question coming from the village elders and it sounds like this: why do the Albatrosses not do the same?

  Well, we must admit – we also do not know the answer to this difficult question.

  Deep horror!

  Two daring young clans committed a desperate act, determined to encroach on other people's clan lands. Young achilots infiltrated the deep submarine precipice of the Seven Runes, which belonged to the old battle clan the Nautilus. The invaders hoped for the success of the enterprise – after all, the owners of the land had gone on a very long journey, leaving only a few incomplete detachments on the defense. Well ... the clans Black Eels and Prickly Stingrays broken off their claws and fangs!

  Nautilus states — anyone who encroaches on their property will greatly regret it!

  As for the young clans, no one prevented them from penetrating the abyss of the Seven Runes. Still, when they almost reached the bottom ... a monstrously huge creature suddenly rose from a cloud of bottom sediment! The water itself trembled in horror from the wild, frenzied roar! And then, slaughter began...

  The result was pitiable for the aggressors – their forces have been, for the most part, destroyed – and the remnants are scattered. The horrible monster left its den in the abyss, and, adhering to the deep ocean currents, moved at full speed to the algal forest of the Red Laminaria, where the citadels of the friendly clans of the Black Eels and the Prickly Stingrays are located. The monster was accompanied by a detachment of extremely skilled fighters of Nautilus and their allies.

  The editorial office learned that the aggressors had asked for negotiations, having informed that they were ready to give up, if Nautilus forgot about the misunderstanding,... the impudent youth did not receive a response to the request. What awaits the young clans after the attack on such an experienced clan like Nautilus? It is not yet known. However, we do know that the clan leader Lockhart Swordfish does not forgive such jokes...

  Wood at a bargain price?

  The title says a lot! There was a sharp decline in demand for ship and mast wood! And also canvas, tar, hemp, ropes, strong chains and other iron products. Merchants who managed to sell their junk are exulting. The rest – they tear their hair, sobbing and fearfully thinking of the interest on their bank loans ... their warehouses are teeming with wood and other goods that no one wants to buy for a fixed price.

  The most desperate have already begun to lower their prices, hoping to get at least something. A total collapse of prices! Buy wood cheaply, now! It does not happen often that such excellent quality goods are worth a penny. For the first time, beginner artisans get the opportunity to work with such an excellent material!...

  ***

  The Armad
a of the Sleepless came quickly upon the unknown islands, prudently keeping a respectable distance from the foreign land. Behind it, and to the sides of us, a fierce fight with living algal fields continued, the algae wielding huge stones and sending them into armed soldiers. Thanks to our new tactics, it was possible to cope. New information and advice came every minute – in incessant battles with the new enemy, the hardened Sleepless constantly received experience and immediately shared it with their brethren.

  Locusts and termites from magic scrolls proved useless. But scrolls such as underwater locusts proved to be surprisingly useful. Tiny crustaceans of reddish color, always hungry and extremely active, swarmed the fields.

  What was even more ridiculous – normal cows were not affected by the algae. This was discovered quite by accident, when a cow flew overboard as a result of a side collision. The animal quickly climbed on its hoofs, looked around in melancholy, swung its horns, and ... began to dine, lavishly taking wads of algae in its mouth. Bewildered by such impudence, the beetles rushed to the eater, but the cow was saved from its sad fate. This discovery did not bring any particular benefit, but generally herbivorous cattle received so much new food that it would last them for a long time...

  Several encounters with monsters could have been avoided, had it not been for Baroness's interest in the islands. However, it goes without saying that passing a place which concealed something of potential value would be the act of a fool, especially given the fact that enemies who dreamed of getting what we had in the arsenal breathed down our backs. It will be silly if we did not look at the beach, and there was some super cool weapon hiding there...

  Hardly had the fleet approached the first of the islands, hardly had the ships sent forward had approached the beach, that, in the Far East, near the horizon, the watchman saw the gray peaks of mountains. Steep snow-capped slopes with rare spots of green shimmered on our screens. The players clenched their fists, gritted their teeth, and swallowed eagerly, but there was nothing to be done — it was too far to the new islands. It would take several hours to get there and the same number on the way back. By this time, our enemies would have caught up.

  We did not have time to grieve. We saw ahead of us the other islands. There were clearly visible traces of man-made structures buried in mud. Great chances for good trophies. But the glades were completely out of the way ... curses…

  Why did the Immortals throw around attractive temptations?

  The answer was simple – they were the delicious crumbs of the future pie. Not every fleet was destined to reach the end of the campaign. Many clans went on the journey hastily, only to realize after a few days that they did not have much of a chance. Turning back was a shame. This way, at least they would get something!

  Here were the scattered crumbs. Explore the islands, study underwater ruins and look for new artifacts, spells, equipment, resources. Load the booty on to the ships and return! The leaders of the race would not deviate from the main course, anyway — they would spit on this small prey and go further. But for the lagging and hopeless clans, this was a real joy!

  On this shoe, islands obscured by black clouds with stone idols on their shores... my imagination quickly drew an ominous island inhabited by bloodthirsty natives with sharp teeth, praying to a dark and terrible Forgotten God, and plenty of bloody sacrifices. And I thought of how the black clouds covering the island came from an ancient stone temple, where stood a sacrificial altar chiseled from an unusual stone and where not only the main priest was hidden, but the deity himself, waiting for the moment when some fool dared to step into the bloody darkness of the temple...

  Of course, I thought, this was not so, the island would hide something else in itself, and maybe nothing at all, except a couple of special herbs, minerals and monsters. It was just that I wanted to go there so bad — my mind was melting from the thirst for adventure, and I only got a thread of the unknown ... everyone else got to fight, and I only had the chance to shoot from a crossbow … stone teeth, palm trees and desert beaches, savages in skirts of palm leaves...

  Unable to stand it, I went up to Klest, who was looking at some drawings – snorting, I told him about the bloodthirsty natives I imagined in detail. Klest laughed, the Baroness, sitting in a high chair and looking at screens faintly chuckled and nodded. Everyone needs action. And we were sitting on the bridge and literally bathing in routine.

  We laughed for another ten minutes. And then looked at the screens.

  Some were showing the sails of hundreds of warships. They were followed by aerial assistance, which was doubled after the Sargasso fields.

  On other screens, the islands were visible, and dozens of spacious rowboats approaching the nearest one. A combat landing. Somewhere in there was my team, it seems — I saw Kaylen on the nose of one of the boats, on the lookout. And behind her, Cray, who was holding the girl by the waist. Damn ... he never lets up! How?...

  Another screen showed a couple of dozen ships. With the flags of strangers. And there was a fight. Apparently, going on far behind us. Rear Intelligence was also dealing with their own blockbusters...

  “Alert!” Screamed someone from one of the screens. “Alert! Cannibals on the isle! They stole Kisa! Carried him away!”

  “Huh?! ” I jumped.

  “Huh?! ” The Baroness twitched.

  “Huhh?! "Klest cried hoarsely, looking at me with an eerily suspicious look.

  “Repeat!” Ordered the BB, but her words were superfluous — the reported was confused himself.

  "TV screens" were everywhere — everyone wanted to see the islands. Therefore, many people witnessed an interesting tragedy. We saw warriors and magicians rushing through the sand, hurrying back and forth, retreating, crawling, covering themselves with auras, adding on to the available ones.

  “We had hardly disembarked and stepped forward, when a huge ogre the size of a gorilla and biceps the size of my head climbed from the sand! He grabbed Kisa! Kisa’s chipmunk ran after them. And then the arrows started flying! And they easily break through our magic shields! Help! Help! We need backup… save Kisa from the lustful paws of savages!”

  "Forget Kisa's salvation! He shouldn’t get used to it,” heaved the voice of the Baron, who had stood up to his full height and put a square huge shield in front of him, a shield that could cover four people at once. “Baroness — we will be late again.”

  “You need backup?”

  “Not required. They have unusual weapons, but their levels are acceptable. We will manage ourselves.”

  “Collect unusual arrows and bows.”

  “Of course. And the darts. And the wooden swords. We will collect all available native arsenal, carry out the mission, rob everything clean, maybe even save Kiso on the way. Then we will catch up with you.”

  “Okay. Do not forget about seeds, fruits and plants. If there are unknown trees – tear them out by the roots, take them too. You know the protocol yourself.”

  “Yes. We will catch fish, beasts and insects, collect flora, weapons, check the minerals and look for lost treasures. All that jazz.”

  “Sure. You have a maximum of five hours. Then you have to play the deadly catch-up game. So do not dally.”

  "Four will be enough.”

  Then Klest and the BB turned to me. Hurriedly conjuring an innocent expression, I firmly stated:

  “Just a coincidence! I did not know anything!”

  "I believe it,“ nodded the head of Sleepless. “Nobody could know what awaits on these islands. No one except the angels of heaven, the Immortals. But it is not like they tell you with cheerful sincerity, right?”

  “Hardly,“ I sighed.

  “Exactly. And to believe that Valdira reads the thoughts of the Great Navigator and first projects them, and then materializes all this all in a few minutes ... if I believe that, if I accept such a thought for a realistic theory, then I might as well get off the flagship and walk on the water, jumping over the waves and collecting flying fish in a basket, singing to
the sea horses ....”

  "What a fantasy,” I drawled.

  “It was just a coincidence,” she shook her head. Goldie came up behind her.

  “Baroness, hold on! Ros, was this really a coincidence?”

  "A random guess," I snorted. "Uh oh... the conspiracy theories have begun."

  "And on the other island, what do you expect?"

  "How do I know?!”

  "You just guess, let’s see what happens," said Klest insinuatingly, moving his fingers mysteriously, as if trying to hypnotize me.

  Realizing that the bored captain of the giant stone ship needed some entertainment, I gave in:

  “Well ... if it is just for fun ...”

  "Yes, yes, only for fun. A sort of ridiculous joke for the sake of fun.”

  "The devil only knows. Damn ... the undead! It just occurred to me. Zombies everywhere, skeletons, an ancient cemetery, even a real necropolis enveloped in a greenish glow — and above it, a thick layer of black clouds.”

  "Pfft ..." Goldie winced, and hurried away, saying sarcastically: "This is too trivial.”

  “I’m just making it up!”

  “Undead ... “ said the BB, moving her gaze to the screen showing the anchored ships next to the first island. “Who knows…”

  “It was cooler with the natives,“ sighed Klest.

  “Oh, come on,“ I was offended. “Damn critic…”

  "They are just trying to get distracted," the Baroness said softly, looking much darker today than usual. "The things we left behind us are terrible, Ros. All right, guys and girls! Let us get to work...”

  The conversation was interrupted briefly – routine by routine, but the fleet moved and the moved ahead, the events of different importance happened one after another, the team didn't know any time to rest. Only I was free to take The Bulletin of Valdira which had been delivered on board that morning. That morning! And the mailman was gorgeous! The pelican that delivered the news looked so impressive that you wanted to move away from him, and his bloodshot, evil eyes, his body three times larger than normal, and the wingspan amazing. The muscles under the feathers so large that the pelican looked like he was on steroid. What a postman ... he took a tub of fish with one swallow, and then followed a cargo whale passing by with a thoughtful gaze … he was hurriedly given a second tub of fish. Even the whale was afraid...