The Road East (Epic LitRPG Adventure - Book 2) (Fayroll)

by Andrey Vasilyev

  “All set,” I replied lightly. “Though, I do have two questions.”

  “Well done,” Zimin said, praising me once again. “My guys would just run off to go get the job done, but it’s important to take the time to think about it, ask questions, and put together a strategy. Go ahead, ask away.”

  “There’s a little problem,” I started awkwardly. “I’m a bit of a lightweight in the game, so I’m afraid I’ll get drunk and accidentally ruin everything.”

  “Understood,” Zimin said without a shadow of a smile. “That could be a problem. When you log into the game, you’ll find a beaker full of red liquid in your bag. Drink it, and you’ll be fine.”

  “What will that do?” I asked, making sure I was covering all my bases.

  “You’ll be able to drink him under the table. Once you have the elixir in you, you’ll be fine. And your second question?”

  “And the system won’t consider the potion outside assistance?”

  “Why would it? This has nothing to do with your main quest; it and the potion are completely different. Was that your second question?”

  “No, that was just a follow-up question. My second question is different: what am I supposed to tell the player that finds me?”

  “Very good question. Excellent. The key, in fact.”

  Zimin got up, walked over to the wall across from the window, and pressed a button. The wall split down the middle and separated. It turned out to be less wall and more shutters designed to look like a wall. Behind the shutters, was an enormous map of what looked to be all of Fayroll.

  “Here, look. What are you sitting there for? Come over here.” Zimin gestured me over.

  I walked over and froze in my tracks. The map was incredible; not only was it huge, but it also looked like it was interactive. I bent to look closer at the area around Kroytsen and saw a structure nearby called the Three Kings Bridge. It was almost as if I could see people walking across it.

  “Focus!” Zimin tugged on my sleeve.

  “This is incredible. I’ve never seen anything like it!” There was no hiding my enthusiasm.

  Zimin nodded. “And you won’t see anything like it again. There are only three of these maps: one each for me, Valyaev, and our boss. Anyway, you can say you found the dryad here in a cave that recently opened up.” Zimin jabbed a finger at a place on the map with a cave named Mayrog. It wasn’t far from Fladridge, right in the Dark and Scary Forest the nasty old woman asked me to carry her firewood to.

  “I found her and?” I awaited the next part of my instructions, my gaze fixed on the map.

  “You helped heal her since she was badly wounded, and she thanked you by saying that you could do a series of quests to unlock a secret quest possibly related to the gods. Go ahead and describe her, and make it accurate. He can probably imagine what a dryad looks like. Just make sure you describe how she looked at the beginning, back when she was nasty looking.”

  “And?”

  “Fall asleep from the beer and wait until he leaves. And that’s it; you’re done. Just don’t forget to call me afterward and let me know how it went.”

  “Whenever? Or the next morning?” I had no way of knowing what Zimin’s schedule was. Maybe he goes to bed at 9 p.m.

  “Any time; I go to bed late,” he said quickly, dispelling my theories. “This is really important.”

  “All right, consider it done.”

  “Good luck! Oh, and by the way,” Zimin said with a smile, “the paper’s second edition was great. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it, and even the boss apparently liked it. And, the Old Man can be picky with things like that.”

  “We do our best,” I said modestly. Why did he call the boss the “Old Man”? Although, we call ours Mammoth, so…

  “I can tell. And about your girl, the good one you have.” Zimin patted me on the shoulder. “Oh, I know you’re dating, you can’t hide that from me. But don’t worry about it, I don’t really care about that stuff so long as it’s consensual. But did you officially make her your deputy?”

  “Yep,” I said. “And, they gave her a raise.”

  “Excellent. We’ll have to give her a little something, too. People are everything.”

  Zimin walked me to the door and called over to Eliza. “Please make sure Mr. Harriton is taken wherever he wants to go.”

  He shook my hand and walked off.

  I’d already noticed that everything at Raidion happened quickly, and that time was no exception. Fifteen minutes later, I was in the same Volkswagen on my way home, as I had decided against going back to the office. The appraising and ingratiating glances of the girls at the reception desk had given me a nice warm feeling, and I was beginning to see the charm and appeal of cozying up to the elite of the world.

  Once home, I took a nap, called Vika to give her the good news of her additional if hypothetical pay raise, and told her that, if she stopped by that day, I would probably be in the game. I was happy to hear a “sounds good, I can wait” rather than the usual “you’ve got to be kidding me with your games.”

  I hung up the phone and wistfully realized that the little honeymoon period I was enjoying would soon be coming to a close. As soon as women get the tiniest beachhead of power over men, they begin waging a perfidious war of conquest for the men’s freedom and time. Freedom, women think, is not something men should have, as it gives them too much leash for superfluous thought and action. And, time should be dedicated to them—the women. So, you have to enjoy it whenever you are in that beautiful part of the relationship where the woman is still on her best behavior and content with at least a semblance of democracy and gender equality. It doesn’t last forever…

  That evening, at half-past eight, I was standing next to Ibrahim’s dukhan. I had decided to stop by a bit early just in case. My confidence, I should add, in the success of my operation had been boosted in my room when I guzzled a potion from a vial that had appeared in my bag.

  Astute Drinking Companion

  This potion lets you drink as much alcohol as you want without getting drunk. However, you will still appear drunk to the person or people you are drinking with.

  Minimum level for use: unlimited

  Duration: 6 hours

  Class: unique, one-time use

  I was surprised to see that it was unique. It probably cost quite a bit, especially given that potions, in general, were far from cheap. I also remembered that I still had the potions I’d gotten in Fattah Cave, not to mention that scroll. Leaving the latter for another time, I pulled out the potions, checked the description, smacked my lips, and put them back in the chest.

  Health Potion

  Restores 2500 health.

  Minimum level for use: 60

  Duration: instantaneous

  Class: usual, one-time use

  It was a shame they weren’t for my level. On the other hand, I didn’t have that far to go to Level 60.

  The dukhan was just what I assume one would expect from an Eastern eatery of the Middle Ages. Carpets were strewn haphazardly around the room, guests were reclining on them, in the center, a slender woman was performing a belly dance, and a fat man with a shaved head ran trays to and from the people on the carpets. There was also the second floor, though I couldn’t tell what was going on up there. Is that how Eastern cafes actually look? I had no idea, though that’s how they looked in all the movies I’d seen.

  As I stood there looking around, a one-eyed man came over. “Hello, sir. Are you here to eat or just to observe?”

  “To eat,” I answered, coming out of my trance. “You aren’t Ibrahim, are you? Sayyid, the guard, said that your kebabs are the best in the East.”

  Ibrahim broke into a smile that gave his crooked face a look reminiscent of a bandit.

  “Ah, Sayyid talks too much, though in this case, he’s right. Go ahead, there’s an open spot over there with a good view of Guldjian.”

  “Ibrahim, you know, I’m not really used to lying down while I eat,” I said, gently
declining his offer. “You don’t happen to have tables, do you?”

  “Of course, we do,” the man said, clapping his hands. “Go up to the second floor. I’ll be up soon to take your order myself.”

  The second story was very un-Eastern, which I was happy to see. Trying something exotic is fun, but eating lying down… Not for me.

  Ibrahim walked up the stairs, took my order, told me he’d soon be back with everything, and left. I decided to finally check out the scroll as I waited for the food and possibly for my drinking partner.

  It looked old, even ancient, and I was afraid to unroll it. I had the feeling it was about to fall apart in my hands. Doing my best to open it carefully, I finally got it to where I could read…nothing. The text was written in some unknown language.

  You have a new quest offer: Through the Centuries

  Task: Read the old scroll you got in the cave yourself or find someone else who can.

  Reward:

  500 experience

  Other reward: variable

  Accept?

  Well, wasn’t that Russian of the developers? Go, though I don’t know where; read, though I don’t know what; receive…something. I accepted the quest, though the whole thing was strange.

  “Ah, the forgotten scroll,” I heard a voice say.

  I looked up and saw a potato-like nose, a beard, and a helmet with horns. Standing in front of me was a dwarf named Stavros—at least, that’s what it said above his head.

  “Why ‘forgotten’?” I asked.

  “People get it pretty frequently. They spend time trying to figure it out, give up, and forget about it. Nobody’s read it,” explained the dwarf. “Nobody even knows what language it’s written in or what kind of reward it gets you. Do you mind if I sit down?”

  “Be my guest.” I hospitably gestured toward a neighboring chair.

  The dwarf huffed as he made himself comfortable and then bellowed down the stairs.

  “Landlord, beer for me and my friend, right away!”

  That confirmed it; he was the player I’d been waiting for.

  His plan was simple, as he got to work getting me drunk. He was very relaxed about it, however, as we laughed and joked the whole time. He was a pleasant person to talk and drink with. If I hadn’t known that he needed something from me, I would have enjoyed the chance to get thoroughly smashed with someone like him. But, the potion was hard at work, and my thinking remained crystal-clear even if I began to look more and more drunk from the outside.

  “Tell me hic this. Have you seen a player with hidden quests?” An hour later, he asked me the question I’d been waiting for. “Seen him for yourself?”

  I looked around, motioned him closer with my finger, and whispered in his ear. “I don’t mind saying this to you, but you can’t tell a soul.”

  “Not a word.” The dwarf struck his chest with his fist.

  “I’m the player!” I hissed proudly.

  “Are you serious?”

  I recited the story we’d put together complete with all the details, lacing truths mostly about how the dryad looked in with the lies. Finally, I told him the name of the place I’d been given.

  “You’re kidding me!” Stavros scratched his beard. “So it’s real!”

  “Yu-u-up, but you don’t t—don’t te—” My head nodded until it was laying on the table and I was snoring as naturally as I could.

  The dwarf, judging by what I could hear, downed the rest of his beer, sat there for another minute, dropped a few coins on the table, and left.

  I waited ten minutes and looked around. Stavros was nowhere to be found. The money he’d left was more than enough to cover the check, and I was soon on my way back to the caravanserai proud of the job I’d done.

  After logging out of the game, I gave my report over the phone and got my hard-earned adulation in return. I was skeptical, but I went to sleep—alone. Vika, it appeared, had gone home. Or somewhere else…

  The next morning, I woke up in a great mood. Things were going well both online and in the real world. In fact, they were going so well online that I was scheduled that day to finally get to a place that until recently had seemed almost imaginary. And, there I was—probably. We’ll see.

  The first thing I did when I logged into the game was to throw my pile of to-sell items into my pack. I didn’t know where I’d be sent in the near future or if I’d even be in a city with any sort of active trade. You could never tell with those dryads.

  I walked out the front door of the caravanserai and heard a familiar ding. It was Sophius letting me know that everything was going according to plan and that their caravan would be going past the eastern side of the Fattah oasis in about two hours. If I didn’t want to miss them, he said, I’d better get started. I also noticed two letters with money from auctioneers who’d apparently sold some of my items.

  Having priced my goods a bit lower than the going rate to make sure they sold quickly, I left for the market and bought three portal scrolls from a vendor. One I decided to leave in my chest, while the other two I’d take with me. It was pricey, but there was nothing else for it. I used the first one.

  Needless to say, nothing much had changed at the oasis in the few days since I’d last been there. The same palms swayed over the brook, and I caught a glimpse of the low entrance to the cave. I sat down next to a palm tree and scanned the horizon in what I thought was an easterly direction.

  The hot breeze coming in from the desert, the rustle of the palm fronds overhead, and the monotonous landscape just about put me to sleep. In fact, I would definitely have fallen asleep if I hadn’t first noticed horsemen appearing just at the edge of my line of sight. It was exactly who I’d been waiting for.

  I quickly jumped up and sprinted toward them, getting sand in my shoes as I did. The caravan was moving at a decent pace, though not too quickly—noble knights are never in a hurry. Where would they be hurrying to? Great feats of valor are never rushed.

  “Ah, there you are,” said a sweating and breathless Sophius. “Gentlemen, this is my friend Hagen. He’ll be spending some time with us since he can’t very well wander around the desert on his own.”

  The knights waved iron-encased hands and saluted with their lances as their horses neighed their greeting. I responded with a half-bow and piled into the wagon that trailed the band. It was much better than the cart I’d been promised thanks to the covering that sheltered me from the sun.

  “How far will you be going with us?” asked Sophius, riding over. “You showed me, but please do so again to make sure we don’t get mixed up. What if you fall asleep and miss it?”

  I pulled up my map, pointed to the spot, thanked him, yawned, and…nodded off. The only reason I woke up was that somebody was prodding me. It turned out to be a lance wielded by Sophius.

  “Get up. Get up, Hagen. Otherwise, you’ll have to walk quite a bit further.”

  “What happened?” I asked with a start.

  “Nothing, just look over there on the horizon.” Sophius pointed at a spot that was barely visible.

  “Yes?” I nodded sleepily.

  “That’s your oasis,” he explained. “It’s about two hours’ walk from here. It’s starting to get cooler, so walking won’t be too bad.”

  “Thanks so much!” I again bowed to the kind knight.

  He nodded his helmeted head in reply.

  “And thank you to you all,” I said to the rest of the knights.

  They wished me good luck and rode off. As they did, I glanced up at the sky to see that I’d been napping for quite a while. The day was drawing to a close, and I needed to hurry. As I trotted along the sand, I wondered to myself if the dryads all lived off in the middle of nowhere. This was already the second one I was wearing my feet down to the nub to find…

  It was almost dark by the time I got to the oasis. Long shadows crept across the sand, and there was a faint chill in the air. I walked under the canopy of palms and looked around. The copse the poor soul of the West li
ved in wasn’t much, of course, but it had a certain flair. This dryad, on the other hand, was roughing it. The oasis was a forsaken hole that could barely claim the title—it had ten decrepit palms and one larger one around a mere trickle of water.

  “Hello? Ogina the East! I’m supposed to bring greetings from your sister, the one in the West, and help you!” I shouted, figuring that the dryad probably didn’t venture out to see people herself. Her looks and way of life probably weren’t much better than her sister’s.

  Something rustled under the roots of the big palm tree, and out popped a small, bent figure wrapped in a rag. I felt nothing but pity.

  “You poor thing,” I said, shaking my head. “Your sister even looked better than you.”

  “Eiliana?” croaked Ogina’s barely audible voice.

  “The very one.” I nodded. “She looks great now—as good as new!”

  “I know, I can feel it,” the miserable creature mumbled. “You’re the one who helped her?”

  “Yes.” There was no contradicting the obvious. “And, I’m here to help you, too.”

  You completed a hidden quest: Find Ogina the West.

  Reward:

  7500 experience

  Piece of dryad armor: High Grass Boots

  Ability: Wolf Soul

  “You’re finally here,” whispered the dryad. “I made it.”

  “Did you think you wouldn’t? You’re immortal, aren’t you?” I was taken aback.

  “Time. Time doesn’t just erode the body; it burdens the soul. And, when your soul isn’t complete as it is, that’s a terrible burden to bear,” moaned Ogina.

  “It isn’t complete? What do you mean?”

  “When the Goddess left and sent us forth to walk the path of suffering we’re still treading to this day, each of us lost something. Eilina was given death, and I… The part of my soul that feels hope was taken and given to Mandiblefighter. Ever since then, I’ve felt pain, sadness, and death, but not happiness. Happiness is hope, and I have no hope. It’s a terrible life.”