Keymaster

by Sergey Zaytsev

  The only way out was always guarded. It was impossible to slip between the guards, and there was nowhere to run. The Raksh had issues learning the language of the outcasts, but what little they did know was enough to get the gist of things. In order to capture Madogost one had to hold it for twelve hours, but the Raksh managed to hold it only for one before the Dalrokts kicked them out. When half of them hurried to celebrate their victory and had sent the captives to their native hold, the four Dalrokts returned and everything changed at once. With the support of high-level Okhtans, the mighty Dalrokts attacked the rest and cut them down in a brutal battle. After that, a new balance of power was established in the Fortress, and the Dalrokts took over.

  As for the Okhtans... Not used to dirty work, not accepting compromises, proud and reckless, and capable only of fighting until they win or die, they disappeared from the mines at first. The guards got tired of messing with them, fending off endless assaults. Without a doubt, they had been “utilized” for socs.

  At level 15, in order to check what he was worth, Stinger decided to attack the level 20 guards and managed to kill one and even cripple another. Realizing how dangerous the prisoner was, the Raksh assigned higher-level guards to watch over him. When he reached level 19, he repeated his attack and was almost successful. This time, however, they sent him to participate in the Duel.

  The Raksh respected skilled and brave opponents, and Stinger knew how to take a punch. Using the perks of his tankish Explorer-rogue spec, and his monstrous strength and dexterity, with each victory he raised his reputation with the Belistva faction. The Dalrokts were wrong in that regard; one could still have a positive reputation with the locals if they knew how to approach the matter in the right way. But, blinded by hatred, they failed to realize that. After his third impressive victory, the Raksh rewarded the captive with freedom, and his reputation rose from “neutral” to “interest.”

  For obvious reasons, Stinger didn’t hurry back to Madogost, rightly believing that he had nothing to do there since its current occupants weren’t fond of humans. He was by no means tempted to stay with the Raksh; the damn tunnels and the endless search for precious stones had bored him to death.

  He found a place to live in the valley owned by the Raksh; here, in this very dwelling in which I was healing. Somewhere nearby was some kind of a lift, which I was yet to see, and a caretaker was needed to oversee it. That was the job that Stinger accepted, easily overcoming the previous overseer, Rawrk, in a Duel. The Raksh didn’t object. As far as they were concerned, Stinger acted in his own right. Moreover, they almost never descended from their Fortress to this valley, fenced from all sides by mountain ranges. The one lair that would appear here every couple of days became a farming spot for him and Rawrk. Yes, the Raksh didn’t leave. He recognized the human’s seniority, they established a friendly relationship. A few lair raids confirmed this relationship, simultaneously allowing Stinger to rise to level 22.

  All of that aside, Stinger seemed just as unskilled as I was flaying game. It turned out that the system offered him a prof twice while he had been coexisting with the Kobi. He refused becoming a Skinner; the Biters’ skins, as they were small and smelly creatures, tended to fall apart in his hands, as if rotten. As they were good for nothing, it was pointless to use them to level up the prof. Becoming a Prospector seemed more attractive to him. While he was driving them out of the mines, in between their respawn, he managed to level his profession as high as rank 4.

  In turn, I told him all about my adventures in the Fortress, but without unnecessary details. Being in the lousy state of health that I was, I couldn’t talk too much. I also had to tell him about Alan the Dark. Stinger guessed correctly which Patron the Sign belonged to when he was tending to my wounds. In addition, the Sign continued to glow. I couldn’t have kept it hidden even if I wanted to. I intentionally told him about accepting Rawrk into my clan and the role the Lowlings had in his death, since I considered this a good idea to lure the unique tanky rogue into my clan.

  Stinger’s reaction to the news was surprisingly calm. Now and again, he’d ask me to clarify certain things. He didn’t say a word about the clan or Rawrk. I thought that he would have something to say, but he didn’t seem to be the type that liked to jump to conclusions, but rather the type that preferred to think things through before expressing his opinion. I remembered Grant telling me about Stinger’s obsession to create his own clan. The tank was, obviously, currently not in the situation to be picky. But some people are terribly stubborn when it comes to things that are important to them.

  So he left to hunt, leaving a bunch of questions hanging in the air.

  Snapping out of my thoughts, I looked at my boots and moved my frozen toes. Although the Kobi shoes protected from low temperature better than my previous ones did, they turned out to be slightly bigger than necessary, and didn’t fit as tightly as I would’ve liked them to. Maybe I could make some insoles...

  Without hesitation, I borrowed one of the skins from the bed, and carved out a couple of nice insoles from it.

  Comfortable Insoles

  Consumable item

  Increases cold resistance by 3%.

  Duration: 4 hours

  Level requirement for bonus: level 15 (item is a common one otherwise)

  Crafting reward: +500 XP

  Crafted by: [Wisecracker]

  Remember recipe: yes / no?

  I hoped that Stinger won’t be too upset about the skin. It wasn’t so difficult to get them, and I would personally reimburse them in the near future.

  Cunning: +1 (9)

  Bonus: 10% of current level XP (9,566); Intelligence + 2 (50)

  Current Level: 15 (17,671/95,660)

  I expected a new goodie or something; I wasn’t sweating for nothing, after all. There was no reward for the Vest. Clearly, I didn’t invent anything new, just got lucky and received an enhanced version. But the insoles were a small scale invention. Or maybe it was just accumulated progress.

  Synergy has been changed, Acceleration has been activated. The growth rate of animals, plants and crystalline symbionts has been increased by 30%.

  Started the process of creating a crafting Altar for the Fairy.

  Countdown: 5:59:59...

  What the...?

  Hurriedly finishing the insoles and putting on my boots, I looked up at the Furnace and whistled in amazement, unable to find words to describe what I saw. The gemstones had produced crystal sprouts. And those sprouts grew quickly, forming translucent twigs and leaves and intertwining stems, channeling energy from the escs. Tinnie was busily scurrying around this creation; wings buzzing, almost every second she would touch a leaf, then a sprig, apparently directing the growth process. Her eyes were focused, introspective. Magical plants… No, some kind of “crystal symbionts...” My head almost exploded thinking about where to get the seeds needed to grow something like that... Either Tinnie figured out how to get around the restrictions, or no seeds were needed, only suitable conditions and location. Fury, pretending to sleep, watched her friend with no less interest than I did.

  Our contemplation was interrupted by a creak and slamming of door.

  “What’s going on here?” Stinger asked ominously, throwing the carcass of another Sniffer onto the floor and straightening his back. It seemed that he knew the entire valley like the back of his hand and that it wasn’t difficult for him to find the next beast’s lair. “What are you doing with the Furnace?!”

  “Quiet.” I raised my hands in a defensive manner, trying to calm him before he does something rash. “Don’t distract Tinnie. If she’s busy doing what I think she is, we’re in for a very pleasant surprise.”

  “I don’t like surprises, Wise,” Stinger grumbled discontentedly, staring suspiciously at the glittering crystalline shoots that had almost completely overgrown the Furnace. It looked spectacular. He then came closer to get a better look and noticed my new clothes. His eyebrows flew up in surprise.

  “How did you make
that?!”

  He touched the ossified skin on my shoulder. His grip was akin to that of a steel vice. The plate didn’t give in. He then knocked on it with his knuckles. It sounded like knocking on a tin can.

  “Not bad. I tried it, too. More than once. But I gave up on it. It’s strange. I remember that I used to be crafty, but here all I can do are small fixes. Damn system limitations.” He smiled wryly, not trying to hide his displeasure.

  “You’re right. Damn system.” I nodded in understanding. “You got the wrong prof. You’re a Prospector, and I’m an Inventor. And there’s no way you can have more than one. By the way, have you figured out why this place is named the way it is, Vale of the Seventh Seal? Such names are usually given for a reason.”

  “What’s there to figure out?” he asked. “Can you walk yet?” he suddenly added, staring at me with a firm gaze.

  “I don’t know about walking, but I can ride for sure,” I replied, not knowing what he had in mind. “But I wouldn’t want to leave Tinnie alone. She’ll be busy with this for a long time. Who knows what kind of help she might need?”

  “Don’t fret, we won’t go far. Get ready, I want to show and tell you something. Let the little one do her business. When we come back, we’ll have a snack. I think you’ll be ready by then.”

  “Consider me convinced.” I stood up. The pain was almost gone. However, I was still reluctant to go out into the damn cold, as I was still feeling shivers. But to show weakness in front of Stinger would demonstrate lack of self-respect. “Fury, are you ready for a walk?”

  The Direcat rose lazily, and snorted noisily. She gave me a friendly nudge with her head, and almost knocked me over. The damn beast had become quite huge, and I loved her for that.

  “Are you gonna enlighten me and tell me whom you had to bribe in your sandbox to get such pets?” chuckled the big fellow and, without waiting for an answer, pushed open the creaking door.

  The stone corridor behind was a dozen steps long. Getting out, Stinger paused on the trampled, snowy path and waited for me to catch up with him. Fury immediately followed, and ran in circles around him, excitedly taking in the new scents and releasing clouds of steam from her nostrils. Although she had spent only a few hours indoors, her bestial nature had time to miss the open spaces and active movement.

  For me, those ten steps weren’t as easy as I hoped they would be.

  Pretending that I was simply not in a hurry, I stumbled to the exit with a stern look on my face and awkwardly mounted Fury. My insides ached when moved. I didn’t want to be careless and reopen my wound. But Stinger wanted us to travel all of a sudden! Fury, who had long surpassed me in mass and strength, didn’t even flinch under my weight, just looked back to cast a questioning glance. She was eager to race with the icy wind that was blowing across the plain. Sorry, Fury, not now. I doubt that you would like it if your owner falls apart.

  Having secured my weapon on my belt — Flayer’s Companion fit perfectly into Bone Slayer’s scabbard — I hesitantly touched my flask. Not now. I should leave the last sip for later, my HP is recovering naturally. I checked my secret weapon — the esc that I had removed from the Furnace. Although it had been partially used, it was still grade 3 and fit for a fight. I hadn’t told Stinger about Soulcatcher. As long as you don’t know a person well enough, you should always have a trump card up your sleeve.

  “So where did you want to take me?”

  “To a place that will answer your question about valley’s name,” Stinger said. “You’ll like it.”

  “And you said that you don’t like surprises. All right, lead the way, Susanin[3].”

  Stinger grinned. In daylight, I managed to get a better look at him. Matted wavy hair reached almost to his shoulders. It had seemed gray in the dwelling, but was actually yellowish, the color of ripe wheat. Sharp, as if chiseled, features of his wide face with high cheekbones were softened with thick mustaches and a neatly trimmed beard. Pale blue eyes carefully watched me from under thick eyebrows.

  He looked like a real Viking. I chuckled to myself, withstanding his gaze. He looked like a dirty, unkempt Viking who, perched on his drakkar[4], evaluated with a cold gaze of a maniac which village to plunder. All he was missing to complete the image was a two-handed axe; instead of it, a pair of daggers swayed on the tank’s belt. Making sure that I was firmly holding onto Fury and that I wasn’t going to fall off her in the next moment, Stinger nodded in satisfaction.

  [Stinger] invites you to join his party.

  Accept: yes / no?

  Chapter 39

  I didn’t refuse the offer. We were temporary allies after all.

  Covering his head with the hood of his fur cloak littered with many holes — he had finally returned mine, and put on his old one — he turned around and continued forward.

  I followed his example, and covered my head with my hood and tightly wrapped the cloak around myself. Fury and I trotted forward, following him.

  I could now explore the terrain in peace, as I didn’t have to run away from Dions or the Lowlings. The plain was flat, surrounded from all sides by impassable mountains. There was nothing around for several miles. There was no trace of the moons either; the sky was covered with gray clouds. Despite this, the pristine snowy blanket sparkled so much that my eyes started to hurt. I had to squint and occasionally look at Fury’s ash-gray nape so as not to go blind.

  Stinger had roughly estimated that the size of the valley was six by four miles. There were only two ways to get into this rather small valley. The Raksh descended to it through a guarded passage in the rocks, located at the other end of the valley, leading through a long chain of tunnels to Belistva. This was a secret; the outcasts knew nothing about it. It was possible to get out of the valley with the help of a lift. According to Stinger, the ancient mechanism was used from time to time and only when the Creepoars weren’t around.

  It took a couple of minutes for my vision got used to excessive illumination, and I could finally have a better look around. I searched for any signs of danger. Around us was nothing except the untouched snow. There seemed to be no signs of life in the plain. Where have all the beasts gone?

  That aside, navigating the flat terrain was easy and pleasant, especially when mounted. I noticed that I was holding onto Fury with much more confidence. Aware of my condition, she ran with care; there was almost no shaking, and it seemed like I wouldn’t have to reinvent the saddle. Any harness would only hinder her combat transformation, so it was better to just get used to riding on her bare back. The only thing that still caused me discomfort, minus the temporary, albeit still painful, injury, was the wind that persistently scratched my face and hands, and sent chills down my spine.

  Stinger led us with confidence. The mountains on the left gradually disappeared. His level 22 could only be envied; he had more than one and a half thousand HP, and his physical defense was, as I suspected, two times bigger than mine.

  Half an hour later, the silence started to depress me.

  Mentally spurring Fury, I caught up with Stinger.

  “You asked about pets...”

  “I don’t care how you got them,” he interrupted, without turning around or stopping. “They’re yours. All that matters is that you make good use of them; they will cost you a lot of XP. By the way, what’s your Fairy doing? If she breaks my Furnace, I won’t care about the fact that she’s small and I will give her hell... You as well, as you are her master. One can’t live without heating here.”

  “I can’t tell you for sure yet,” I shrugged, grinning awkwardly. “It will all be clear in a few hours. Tinnie has unlocked a specialization, Artificer (items). We’ll have to figure it out through trial and error; you know how much of a help the system is. It gave me only one line of text as an explanation: “the pet can create unique consumables for equipment.” Interpret that as you wish. For some reason, I think that it’s related to jewelry. Rings, earrings, amulets, necklaces, that sort of thing. I think that the first recipes will be
available as soon as she’s done making her Crafting Altar. Then we’ll figure out what task to give her.”

  “I hope so. Without a Furnace, we’ll turn into a couple of icicles in no time.” He noticed me looking around with great caution. “Don’t worry. There’s not an enemy in sight. I’ll warn you if anything appears,” he assured me.

  I kept silent about Artificer (souls) for a reason. Yes, Stinger and I were both humans, and that made me happy, because only now did I realize how tired I was of looking at nonhuman faces. But I was still far away from trusting him completely. I had to get to know him better before telling him everything that I knew and showing him what I could do. I didn’t want to rush things either, because Tinnie’s second specialization had been described in a very few words, and I could have misunderstood its meaning.

  “By the way, you never showed me the lift. What’s the catch?

  “Good God, there’s no catch!” he groaned in annoyance, as if I was distracting him from something important, and not from a monotonous walk. “We just don’t need the lift. It leads to the Lower Valley. We’re not going there. When we return you can admire it all you want.”

  “And how low is this ‘lower valley?’ ”

  “Let’s just say that our valley is located about three hundred feet higher than the one containing the ruins of Diamond Crown. The Lower Valley is located approximately midway between ours and the ruins.”

  “Then it’s in the middle, not lower.”

  “I didn’t name it. That’s how the Raksh call it.”

  “Interesting. And do the Lowlings know about this lift?”

  “Unlikely so.”

  “Then they must assume that I’m trapped, and that I have no option other than using the secret passage if I intend to return to the Fortress. Going to the Lower Valley makes sense then. They definitely won’t expect me to come from there. Listen, we haven’t agreed on what to do next. Now that we’ve met, the sooner we discuss our future plans and adapt our present ones accordingly, the better... By the way, does it seem to me, or are you not at all afraid that the Lowlings might ambush us? They can’t open that passage by themselves… Or am I mistaken?”