The worst part was that I took a hit right at the very end when two of the three nagas were already dead on the ground. How did I miss that?
With just one swipe of his saber, the naga had taken off half my health in what was apparently a critical hit. I had already been nicked a few times, so I found myself laying on the ground with 22% of my health remaining.
You were poisoned by the blade! The poison will do 0.4 damage per second for the next minute.
Great! Just what I needed…
“Don’t move!” I heard Dix say a second before feeling warmth flood into me. My health bar climbed out of the red and back into the yellow.
The three battered warriors were finishing off the last of the nagas in the middle of the room. The floor was covered in bodies, meaning our feet were slipping on the scales of our fallen foes.
“Guys, come help me pin him,” yelled Erador. “I’m not really attacking him, but still.”
“O-o-oh,” hissed Sviss. “No-o-ow you’ll s-s-see! Di-i-ie! You light ones will a-a-all die soon! The dark lo-o-ord will come back s-s-soon, you’ll all s-s-see. The-e-en he’ll turn the o-o-orcs loose on you!”
“Not you!” Milly saw me laying on the floor. “I told you not to get involved, why didn’t you listen?”
“No worries!” I jumped up. Dix was good at his job, and I was back to full health.
The three warriors pinned Sviss against the wall and grabbed hold of his arms.
“Co-o-oward, you’re afraid to take me alo-o-one!” he hissed into my face.
“You bet I am!” There was no sense hiding that. I was about to jab my blade into him when I had an interesting idea.
“Hurry, he’s about to die,” said Turok.
I nodded and said to myself, Memory of the God.
Nothing particular happened—my muscles weren’t infused with super strength, and my sword didn’t suddenly feel light as a feather. On the other hand, my strike sapped the beast of nearly all his remaining health. My sword even slipped all the way through his body and clanged against the stone wall.
The giants shook their heads in respect.
“Well, would you look at that,” said Turok. “Not bad for a little guy like yourself.”
“Yep,” agreed Nox shortly.
Milly Re didn’t say anything, instead looking at me thoughtfully.
I realized I might have given away too much and tried to smooth things over. “Ooh, critical hit!”
“Sure it was,” nodded Milly Re. She turned to the veterans. “What are you looking at? Finish him off so we can start looting!”
A few strikes later, the surprisingly little and unsurprisingly evil creature was dead. A happy sound told me I was now a Level 46 player, and the timer in the corner blinked and disappeared.
You completed a quest: Sviss, King of the Nagas
Reward:
Part of the Snakeface action completed
5000 experience
2500 gold
Snake King Helmet
I had sure gotten enough helmets that day.
You finished Snakeface.
Reward:
Serpent’s Tooth, an active ability, Level 1: 20% chance of doing poison damage
7% less poison damage taken
To see similar messages, go to the Action section of the attribute window.
Well, that was that. Oh, wait, no it wasn’t.
You unlocked Legend of Fayroll
To get it, complete 109 more actions in Fayroll.
Reward:
100000 gold
A random legendary item matching your class
+25% of the health you have when you complete the final action
+25% of the mana you have when you complete the final action
Title: Gaming Legend
To see similar messages, go to the Action section of the attribute window.
I wonder if anyone has ever gotten that.
“What did you get?” asked Milly Re, as though in passing.
“Gold, experience, and an elite helmet,” I answered honestly as I looked over the helmet itself.
Snake King Helmet
Back in ancient times this helmet was worn by the best naga warriors, as they were in charge of protecting their king.
Protection: 460
+18 to strength
+15 to stamina
+10% protection from poison
+9% chance of doing poison damage
+4% chance of mental resistance
Class limitation: only warriors
Durability: 400/400
Minimum level for use: 52
Another nice find. It was just a shame I couldn’t wear it yet. Come on… I’d gotten two elite items and neither of them was for me. Well, the helmet wasn’t for me yet, but still…
The group got busy stripping the corpses and opening the trunks, while Erador, who still had a decent amount of health, walked around the room triggering traps.
Gold poured into my pockets, and from time to time, I declined items I didn’t need and checked items I did. A shield, another helmet, gauntlets…
Hello, there! “Sword of the Guardian of Time.” What a name! I groaned when Nox got it.
Milly turned to me. “What happened?”
“Oh, there was a sword for my level,” I said, crestfallen. “Nox got it…”
“Nox, come on, give it to the kid,” Milly quickly said to the giant. “He fought well.”
“It’s elite,” grumbled Nox. “You know the rules; I don’t want anything to happen.”
“I’ll answer for it,” she said sharply.
“In that case, open your window, kiddo,” Nox said to me amiably. “Here, take it, I don’t mind. Milly, if anything happens, it’s on you.”
I could just feel that it was my sword. I knew from the second I saw the name.
Sword of the Guardian of Time
This one-handed sword was forged by legendary blacksmith Le Jiord for one of the most famous warriors of the Borderlands.
Damage: 148-176
+20 to strength
+16% to critical strike chance
+12% to dodge ability
+9% to movement speed
+6% gold looted from dead enemies
Boosts Strong Shoulders to Level 2 (if that passive ability is learned; this happens once, while the ability’s effect is permanent)
Class limitation: only warriors
Durability: 400/400
Minimum level for use: 44
“My pre-e-ecious!” I hissed quietly.
You reached Strong Shoulders, Level 2
You can wear heavy armor.
Nox, Milly, and the other veterans looked at me with smiles on their faces, clearly remembering their first big find.
“Nox, open your exchange,” I said, surprising even myself.
Nox was taken aback, but he opened his window, and I sent him the hammer I got from the chest. I don’t like owing people things, and he seemed like a good guy. And who knows what the Gray Witch thinks of people who squander assets…
“Oh, come on,” boomed Nox. “I was just being nice!”
“Me, too,” I answered. “I don’t need that hammer, but maybe someone else does. Just don’t tell anyone from my clan—Elina would kill me.”
Nox wants to add you as a friend.
Accept?
“Of course,” I said. “Now, I have someone to call when I’m getting bullied in the schoolyard.”
Nox roared with laughter.
“Well, did we get everything?” asked Milly, who got nods all around. “Then let’s port out.”
“Milly, give me a second,” I said.
I realized that I hadn’t checked to see where we actually were. I opened my map and was struck dumb to see that the dryad was just two days’ walk away. The locations in between looked nasty, but still—two days was better than five. Though scrolls were pricey at my income level…
“Well?” Milly asked impatiently.
“Okay, go
ahead,” I answered.
The portal flashed and beckoned us in…
Chapter Nineteen
In which the hero tries to get everything done at once.
We tumbled out of the portal in Selgar, and I breathed a sigh of relief. Thank God, that crazy ordeal was over. Up until the very end, I hadn’t believed it would end up a success, notwithstanding the iron-encased giants and Milly Re’s able leadership.
Dix wants to add you as a friend.
Accept?
For the first time in Fayroll, I declined a friend request.
“Wait, what’s wrong?” asked a hurt and surprised Dix.
“Everything,” I answered. “I don’t like people who try to sit off in a corner. Sure, I’m no shining star myself, and it’s not my place to judge you, but I won’t be going anywhere else with you. You’re a bit of a coward out for a free ride.”
“Fine,” Dix spat and melted into the crowd.
“Rotten little guy,” boomed Turok. “The rest of you should drop everything off in your rooms or, even better, take it to the auction together. No sense putting it off. Dix could come back with thieves, and there are more of them around here than there is dirt on the street.”
“But they can’t steal anything out of our rooms, can they?” asked Flar in surprise.
“No, but they can jump you when you’re carrying everything to the auction by yourselves. They’ll run a Warsaw on you and be done with it.”
“Run a Warsaw?” It was Milly Re’s turn to be surprised. “What does Warsaw have to do with anything?”
“You amaze me sometimes,” said Turok, flashing his teeth. “You have so much crammed into that head of yours, but you don’t know the simplest things. Running a Warsaw means stealing something, and especially stealing it skillfully.”
“Running a Warsaw actually means to destroy something.” A voice I vaguely recognized called out from the next street over. “You’re talking about getting your pocket picked. I apologize for intruding into your conversation, of course.”
“Really?” Turok wasn’t the least bit offended. “I didn’t know that. Thanks for the correction.”
“No problem. In these parts, you have to be especially careful around the hotels. Most of the thieves hang out in the alleys around them.”
“And who are you?” Milly asked suddenly and sharply. There was no answer. She glanced down the street the voice had been coming from and threw up her arms.
“Empty!”
That didn't surprise me, as I'd figured out who the voice belonged to. He was letting me know that he was there and wanted to talk to me without anyone else around.
“Well, it’s true,” I said carelessly. “But I’m too tired to go to the auction, so I’ll head over there tomorrow or the next day. Thanks, everyone, it’s been fun.”
“Thank you,” boomed Nox. “We didn’t do too badly ourselves. Plus, that was a blast!”
We said goodbye, and I walked off toward the caravanserai. Right before I got there, however, I ducked into a side street, where I immediately saw a familiar hooded figure. What struck me immediately was that there was no name above his head.
“How did you get rid of your username?” I asked in surprise, forgetting to even say hello.
“Hi. It just happened,” Wanderer answered evasively. “So, you’re doing everything with the Hounds now? Careful, if you give them an inch, they’ll take a mile.”
“No, we were just clearing a dungeon together,” I said.
“There’s no ‘just’ with them.” He obviously knew something I didn’t. “Anyway, that’s your business. I have a couple questions for you.”
“Ask away.” I didn’t mind. “Though I’ll tell you right now that I don’t know much. I try to keep my hands clean.”
“Did you tell anyone about me? About what you gave me?” The hood approached my face. “Be honest.”
I wasn’t a fan of how aggressive and demanding Wanderer was being. There wasn’t anything I owed him. If anything, the opposite was true.
“Slow down there. Who do you think you are?”
“I’m not pushing you.” The hood receded a step or two. “Sure, we barely know each other, and you’re welcome to tell me to go screw myself, but I need to know who you told what.”
I thought to myself and figured I hadn’t promised Zimin or Valyaev that I wouldn’t say anything, and I hadn’t signed any non-disclosure agreements. On the other hand, they signed my paychecks.
Wanderer assumed he understood what my silence meant, and, interestingly, he was exactly right.
“Let’s do this: if you don’t want to say anything, you can at least nod. Does that work?” He paused for a few seconds. “Tell me this: were the people you told about the landlord’s crown from the game admin?”
I nodded, very aware that that nod could cost me. Although…maybe it won’t. If I’m smart about it.
Wanderer breathed a sigh of relief. The question had apparently been bothering him.
“What’s going on with you?” I asked.
“If I tell you, I’ll have to kill you,” he said, drily cracking a joke. Or was he joking?
“Then don’t tell me. What’s your second question?”
“Where are you going next?”
“What do you care?” I grunted. “Sorry if that sounds rude.”
“You’re lucky.” Wanderer wasn’t offended in the least. “Maybe you’ll find me something else?”
“I’m not your personal gofer.” He was a smart one. Clever, too.
“I know, I know, I’m kidding. I’m just wondering.”
“I’ll be here in the East for a while,” I said honestly. “Then I’ll probably go north.”
“The long way or through the mountains?” the hood asked.
“Probably through the mountains,” I answered, my voice betraying my indecision. “Going around is too long. Probably.”
“Well, going around from the western side takes about a month, if not more.” Wanderer again seemed to be speaking from experience.
“What about through the mountains?” I was happy to get another opinion. Valent had already told me, but there was no harm hearing what someone else had to say.
“Again, that depends. If you take the pass, it’s about five days. If you go underneath the mountains through the old mines, it’ll take you just a couple days.” Wanderer paused. “But it’s bad down there. Life is tough enough in the pass, but in the mines… It’s dangerous, to say the least.”
“Like Moria,” I said, not exactly believing him.
“No, not really. We two-legged walkers—or at least the sane ones—do our best to get out of there as fast as possible.”
It appeared Wanderer had already been down there, and maybe more than once.
“Well, I’ll get to Kroytsen and see from there. Do you need anything else? I’m dead tired.”
“That’s it.”
Wanderer looked at me, shrugged, as if answering some kind of internal question, and held out an amulet that looked like an icicle or even a crystal finger.
“What am I supposed to do with that?” I asked, in no hurry to touch it.
“If you get into trouble when you’re going through the mountains, break it,” said Wanderer, all business. “Just make sure you wait until things are at their worst.”
“What will happen?” I reached out and took the glass figurine.
“Help will arrive. But if you have people there with you to see what happens, be sure you look even more surprised than they are,” Wanderer said in a tone that let me know he was dead serious.
“I imagine I shouldn’t tell anyone I got this?”
“Exactly. Okay, I’ll see you.”
“Hold on.” I wanted to ask him a question that had been bugging me from the very beginning of our conversation. “How did you find me?”
“I had help,” answered Wanderer simply.
“Who helped you?”
“I would tell you, but you’re better off
not knowing. You’re safer that way, though you do have one question I promised to answer. If that’s it—”
“No, it isn’t,” I said quickly. “If you don’t want to tell me, that’s fine. The less you know, the better you sleep.”
“Quite. Okay, I’m off. Cities aren’t safe for me.”
A portal flashed, and I was left alone in the alley.
“Quite the life,” I said, turning the glass figure over in my hands. “If it isn’t one thing, it’s another.”
I was interested to see that there was nothing to identify the figurine. It was just…it.
In the hotel, I got a key from the mute receptionist, marveled once again at how inhumane the game’s creators were, and walked up the stairs to my room on the third floor.
Armor clanged above me, and I had a flash of déjà vu. There, just like the first time, was Sophius, my friend the knight.
“Hello there, lord knight.” I half-bowed.
“And hello to you, too, Sir Hagen. How’s life in Selgar?”
“Not bad. A quest here, a monster there. I picked up a few levels.”
“Good old hard work,” he said, congratulating me. “I’m leaving Selgar tomorrow, though, so I’ll see you.”
“Wait, really? Where are you going?”
“To Al-Arda,” the knight answered kindly.
“Where is that?”
“Al-Arda? It’s on the eastern coast. The second-largest city in the East. They say there’s a new line of class quests there.”
“Nice,” I said, happy for him. “You’re going by yourself?”
“No, this isn’t the West. It’s the East—you can’t make it a day on your own out here. There are about twenty of us caravanning out that way.”
“Could I see where you’re going?” I asked. “Unless it’s a secret, of course.”
“Certainly,” Sophius answered genially.
I looked at the map he showed me, and my eyes widened. The caravan would be going right by the oasis I needed to get to.
“Oh wow, I wish I could go with you.”
“You’re more than welcome,” the knight said, which surprised me. “If you have a horse, of course. Though, I guess, if you don’t have one, you can ride in the cart.”
“I can’t tomorrow or even the day after.” I clapped in frustration. “Such a shame!”
“Sure is,” agreed Sophius.
The Road East (Epic LitRPG Adventure - Book 2) (Fayroll) Page 24
