by Rick Scar
“How are you doing there?” he shouted to Gikhor and the captain, going to Lekhor at that time. They saw the bear being weak, but breathing. And if they did not help him, it all would turn bad. On his breast there were four strips from claws covered with the same aura. He ran up to the bear immediately, pulled out all that had dropped out from him and, without examining plainly, and took away the already integrated shard from loot.
You were visited by good luck! Good luck seldom comes, but when it comes, brings all that is necessary for you. You’ve found a Potion of healing (Gold rank).
“Lol? So that's how IT works!”
Having read the message, he brought the shard to wounds of the horgh, absorbed the violet smoke then poured a healing potion in his slightly opened mouth.
You’ve saved the horgh from his inevitable death.
Relations with the tribe of horghs 73/100 − neutral.
The cursed shard(Unique).
Load: 13/200.
"Now it is clear why there are a lot of damned places. How many shards remain? The only one who comes to his mind and who is able to answer this question is Radermin, but he won’t answer without the box... Damn it! Forgotten to tell Pak about potions. Now I’ve money and buying them is not a problem."
He decided not to postpone, and he wrote back with a mark "urgently". Perhaps, Pak was free.
“Cap?”
“What yours to want?” He went limping, but had a satisfied expression on his face. It was unclear why he was not confused by the sticking-out bone...
“Do you have anybody to cure you?
“Yes, the shaman to put life on legs. To he to go. If good luck us, then mine and Gikhor to live tomorrow.”
“The shaman is too far from you,” RAVen answered frowning, he did not want them to die, he wished to go on using their force. Well and, maybe, it was because he had attached to their strange speech, simple relation to the life and humanity for those days. But the main reason was force and again force.
“We strong horgh, we to reach the tribe if your successful destiny to go with my and this blockheads.”
“The Strong, but Wounded” task is offered to you.
:Accompany the horgh to their tribe.
Award:
+4000 experiences;
+15 affection of the Horghs’ tribe.
Accept? Yes/No.”
“Of course, I’m with you, Captain! Only I have something unfinished. Could you behead this dead animal?”
“Gr-rkh!” Instead of words Dreyrok threatened his sword and cut the bare head of the bear with two blows. Thrusting it into the inventory, Will lent his shoulder to Lekhor, and they slowly moved towards Latakhorgh.
On their way they met the same living creatures, as they had met before, but Will avoided them, being aware of their aggression radius.
There were more monsters at night than in the afternoon. Therefore the rogue hurried up, knowing that they would not be able to cope even with one of them. In three and a half hours they reached the gate that was opened by soldiers of the garrison as soon as they saw who coming. After greeting the captain and two horghs, they have returned to guard.
“Congratulations! You ‘ve done “the Strong, but Wounded” task.
Award: +4000 experiences;
Current relations with the horghs tribe 88/100 – neutral.”
The armed guards near the shaman also laid hands to stomach, slightly inclining heads to greet Dreyrok. Grrakhkat was still sitting in the center of the room being busy with something special.
“Old man, I’ve brought the warriors. Will you treat them?”
That one opened his eyes, examined their wounds, made eye contact with RAVen.
“I heard you found the way to find this beast, so it’s true. Have you killed him?” He waited for his answer, staring at the guy.
“BE sure!” Will told and got the head out the inventory, and it occupied a decent part of the room.
“So you did it after all!” Grrakhkat nodded with satisfaction and said “Only don’t throw it out here, leave in the yard, I’ll investigate later, maybe, I’ll learn where this damned aura came from. And here, choose what you would like.”
“Congratulations! “The Monster at Night” task is completed.
Reward: +15000XP
Relation with Grrakhkat 47/100 − neutral.”
“The joker’s ring (Gold).
Characteristics:
+15 Agility;
+400 Health;
Skill: “Surprise!” passive when health falls lower than 10%, the ring releases a smoke screen within a radius of 12 yards, allowing the user to escape an enemy.
Recharge: 2 days.
Requirements: 60 level.
Restrictions: No.”
“Noiseless Walker’s ring (Gold)
Characteristics:
+12 force;
+5% basic damage of a dagger.
Skill: "Noiseless Walker", passive, the owner of ring, receives ability of silent movement.
Requirement: 50 level.
Restrictions: No.”
“The guest’s Necklace (Gold).
A part of the Guest’s set.
There is an earring, a ring, boots and a guest's raincoat in it.
Description: This necklace was in possession of a thief, who was famous in the Gakronsky empire, His name was Guest he was called so because of its ability to feel at home wherever he was, especially where he was committing thefts. But nobody learned how this thief looked.
Characteristics:
+23% skill of theft;
+17% speed.
Skill: “At home” (Unique), passive, you’ll be always sheltered by ordinary citizens and peasants for a night.
Requirement: 65 level.
Restrictions: No.”
To choose was difficult. Either to take the 50th level and start using it in the nearest future or to take a set item with a strange passive skill and what the set could give nobody would know, until it was complete. Whether the joker's ring was able to help him to escape? Besides it was necessary to take with relation to the future sale. Having considered pros and cons, he decided to stop on the last option.
“Good choice, Envoy. And now, for the fact that you could kill the monster even in your weak body, choose a unique skill or the next rank?”
RAVen gave a crooked smile. The shaman threw a challenge at him. The raising of each skill did not come easily to him. The chance to find the book of skill with the rank above Journeyman was incredibly small, so it was not worth to speak about legendary. Players had to raise them by their own efforts due to frequent use, or hope for good luck.
“I got you won’t tell me about the skill?”
“No, I’m bored so I’d like to see you in action. Either you’ll take a pig in a poke or become slightly better here and now.”
“Eh, Old man, I’m not gonna let you have fun, I’ll take the unique skill, I will handle the rest on my own.”
“The Skill Book (Unique): "Without barriers".
Active skill (Apprentice).
Chance to move on both walls and ceiling.
Duration: 50 seconds.
Energy expenses: 60.
Recharge: 3 minutes.”
"What a swell pig in a poke! Pinky. Ha-ha. But it’s time to bowl off".
Chapter 37. The Message of the adept.
Next day Will saw the shaman to heal the leg of the captain and persuaded him to go for cleaning some more infected places in the forest. Gikhor's hand also was cured. The powerful magic allowed a lot.
Though RAVen actually also did not hurry to clean the forest. Its true purpose was to level up in order to start searching for the box. He wanted to keep within three months to catch additional force in the form of smoky dog. The guy did not know how strong he would be if he grew, but there could not be simple awards in the epic chain of quests. Right?
Therefore the next four days he and some horghs, led by Dreyrok, walked in the forest in search of those places
. The captain remembered one more a place besides the found earlier cursed objects, but then they looked for a needle in the huge forest. In process of disclosure of the map an extremely frightening question crossed the rogue’s mind, whether Taargada Forest could cover the whole continent of this floor. Looking through the forum this morning, Will came across the topic where players were sharing their screenshots of the opened sites of the map from the first up to the third floor, trying to see the project scales. And it looked like there were opened 24% of the first floor, 21% of the second and 18% of the third of the total map’s area. All this was harmonious work of several million players! But Will was only one here. And, considering last weeks, he might be said to make no headway.
But, as disappointed as he was, there was no other way therefore he was leveling while there was a good opportunity. Two days later after the murder of the bear, they found one more cursed place. It was a tree. The young man did not know its name as it was just an imagination of the developers. Having killed the infected monsters looking like toads, with the help of the crystal, he absorbed some energy from the tree trunk then he filled the crystal a little more than a half of capacity.
“Cursed shard (Unique).
Loaded: 109/200.”
But they could not find anything. As a result RAVen had the 46th level and three unused points of skill. He had not spent them, keeping in his mind that receiving specialization opened new branches of development. Though the stealth also should have been leveled, reducing detection radius of more high-leveled enemies, but there was no need in it. If something happened he would be able to use points there.
Different alchemical, mechanical and similar ingredients for crafting dropped out of the killed monsters. The total amount of the gold was two hundred forty eight coins. There were also several topazes of the fifth and sixth class for incrustation adding +10 to intelligence and +8 to agility. Two items which had dropped out of a toad and a winged dragon were 70+ level and had no value for him, so he put aside them for sale.
When Will returned to the city, he threw off all unnecessary in his storage and headed back to the shaman. Engaging in grinding in the forest, he did not forget about the terms specified by the old man. The designated time was drawing to an end, and he hoped that five days did not mean exactly five days.
The guards let him pass as one of them, his reputation and rumors about the monsters killed in nearby lands probably caused this.
“Hi, old man.” Will did not remember why he began to call him so and why he reacted calmly to it.
This time the shaman was not sitting in his favourite pose, but was at the table where there were candles and a few books being spread out. Hearing the voice, Grrakhkat turned back.
“Oh, White raven, you in time. I just have almost stopped deciphering, even wait minutes twenty.” He was back at his work.
Will sat on the floor and speculated how the adept had died, why he had been in the small room in the warehouse and what he had wanted to inform in the letter written by blood?
“That’s all!” The man distracted him from thoughts and called up. “I have rewritten the text in language clear to you. But I do not absolutely understand what it is about, maybe you'll figure it out.”
The guy took the piece of paper and scanned the message closely. “The brotherhood is in danger. The secret I have learned cost much to me. Fatally wounded, I could hide here, in the warehouse of my grandfather, in the secret room only to write about a plot against Shadow Order. Latians and Holy Land united, you, who will find this message, warn …"
The rest could not been decoded; perhaps, his forces had drawn to a close. At last the room arrangement secret came out. But it was difficult to believe that they were constantly climbing through the window there. It was rather intended for sending post birds, than for entrance to the room. Thinking of it, he understood many details were lacking. But it was not so significant.
“You know the will of the dead adept of Shadow.
+2 Influence points.
Current value of points of influence: 577.
Task offered to you: "Messenger"
Warn Shadow Order about the plot if they are still alive …
Reward: unknown.
Accept? Yes/No.”
"It seems to get into Shadow Order is impossible. At least, not that place they were earlier. Considering that I’ve found the shrunk skeleton not the corpse, it has passed obviously more than fifteen years since he died.”
“Thanks, Grrakhkat. I’m glad to have met you. If you need anything, I will always help. And now it’s high time for me to leave your tribe and to take up other matters.” Will gave a wave of his hand in farewell and went to the door.
“Farewell, Envoy. If you are in these regions again, come. I will always find something for you.” The shaman smiled in reply.
Chapter 1. A way out of being broke
Give me the place to stand, and I shall move the earth.
– Archimedes
Give me enough money, and I shall move the earth and all the planets with it.
– An unknown poor man
Money makes the world go round. That’s the ultimate and unappealable truth. Will Thompson, the older sibling and the only son in the family, had to learn this truth too soon. People that say you can’t buy happiness with money just don’t know where to shop, and, let’s face it, most of the time turn out to be some deadbeat losers. It takes either brute force or money to have power, except brute force takes a back seat on this one—having money means being able to buy any kind of force these days.
Financial debt, on account of multiple unsecured loans from various banks and bad credit loan companies—not always legal, and sometimes downright shady—was suffocating both Will and his dad. The purse strings were so tight that they could only afford a candlelight dinner, without the dining part.
Will’s father, Darius Thompson, was working his fingers to the bone and, for the most part, was away and not able to see much of his family. Will’s mom, a Russian immigrant, abandoned her family when Leah was three, leaving her brother to do all the parenting, which made the siblings very close. Against his father’s wishes, the young man dropped out of high school in pursuit of a better life for his family, and especially his little sister. He had made a crucial decision: he was going to make sure that his sister gets a proper education and pops into this dog-eat-dog world with all guns blazing. She was meant to shine bright, and he was always going to be there for her.
Will and his dad did everything possible to send Leah to one of the best private boarding schools outside their hometown. With her smarts, she’d have no problem getting an above average GPA good enough for any college. At fourteen, she was a cut above the rest of the kids her age. Being shrewd and savvy made her one of the top students, leaving most of her classmates far behind.
Will was a strong young man with an athletic build who, by the time he was twenty-four, had already served his country. He had been recruited into an elite Special Ops unit of the US military after some serious health screening, both physical and mental. The enlistment requirements changed in 2035, when the normal mandatory eight year commitment period had changed to five years of mandatory active duty, which meant there was a chance for a rookie to get selected for Special Forces. If there was one thing that Will had in spades, it was a great deal of personality, which he accumulated growing up. By looking in Will’s eye, his detachment commander saw something that others didn’t—an unbending will and determination. People like that are worth their weight in gold, which was why, after proper training, Will had made it onto the Hostage Rescue team.
The money was good, which gave him some breathing room financially and let him take care of his sister’s tuition payments. Leah, in turn, knowing what price tag her education was coming with both literally and figuratively, was all about her studies. She could not afford to let her old man and brother down.
It had been almost a year since Will left the service and found new
work as a waiter in a fancy restaurant; a job that one of his army friends had hooked him up with. He could have gotten a job in law enforcement, or as a personal bodyguard, but, having spent three years negotiating with terrorists and surviving firefights, he felt it was time to put his military past behind and step off of his dangerous path. For him this could only mean one thing: his relative financial freedom was waving goodbye, promising new debt and hardship. The obscure and unknown was knocking on his door again, until one day he accidentally overheard a conversation in the restaurant he worked at.
A couple of well-dressed guys of about the same age as Will were paying with Platinum Visa cards, emphasizing their social status and drawing a clear line between them and Will.
From what he could hear, they were talking about a new VR game scheduled to release in six months. Will would never pay any attention to a VR-based conversation, big whoop! But the phrase “big money”, slipping out of the mouth of one of the speakers, made him immediately reconsider. It’s a good thing they were sitting at the bar, so no one noticed a concerned third-party stare.
“I’m telling you, it’s legit. You know who my father is, right? I heard what they were talking about, every last word, man. Thank god he didn’t see me, he would have ripped my head clean off.”
“Ha! He definitely would, your dad is insane!” Both chuckled.
After that, they lowered their voices. It made it harder to hear them, but Will tried to follow the conversation the best he could.
“So when is it out?”
“Well, it’s not production ready yet. It’s in private beta, or something, but once it’s released, hundreds of millions of players from all around the world are going to want to play! Do you even understand what kind of money we’re talking here? This business is skyrocketing! They use real life money to buy virtual swords and costumes. Man, I’m so excited! I don’t even know why I’m telling you this, but just think of all the money we’ve spent on video games. They will buy anything that’s going to help them score extra cool points. Magic potions, epic threads, you name it! Real. Life. Money, bro! Those player auctions have tons of offers!”
