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

by Andrey Vasilyev

  “North, definitely north.” I waved my arms again. “I’m tired of all this heat; it’s exhausting.”

  “Heading north, you say,” the Witch said thoughtfully. She rang the bell once more.

  “Flavio, bring Fitz here, please,” she said to the indefatigable youth.

  Soon, a dashing warrior with a red mustache walked into the room. I couldn’t help but recall Peter the Great’s observation that officers should look rakish and oafish so their commanders wouldn’t be too worried about how intelligent they were.

  “You called for me?” He stood at full attention.

  “I did. You’re the one taking the low-level group north, right?”

  The warrior hesitated a second before responding. “Correct, mistress.”

  “Excellent. Take this young man with you.” She gestured at me.

  Fitz looked me up and down before coughing into his fist. “Well, mistress, he’s a bit weak for the trip. We’re heading through the mines, after all.”

  “So, be careful with him. He’s a personal friend of mine who’s done a lot of good for the clan and me personally. I think you can keep him safe where you’re going. Take another veteran with you—Miurat, for example.”

  “Miurat?” Fitz grimaced, but quickly followed it up by saying, “As you wish, mistress.”

  “When are you leaving?” asked the Witch.

  “On Wednesday at 10 a.m. from Kroytsen,” responded Fitz.

  “Excellent. So, my friend,” she continued, turning back to me, “be at Kroytsen’s northern gate at 10 a.m., and don’t be late! Our rule is to wait five minutes and then leave without whoever didn’t show up in time. They wouldn’t even wait for me. Isn’t that right, Fitz?”

  “Correct, mistress, we wouldn’t,” barked Fitz.

  “Okay, you’re free to go, but send in Fiosi, please.”

  Fitz left, and the Gray Witch cast an appraising glance at me. “Well, you’re dressed much better than you used to be. There isn’t even anything to give you.”

  “And, you don’t have to, of course,” I said, embarrassed.

  “Oh, please. Good relationships are valuable, and loyalty is invaluable.” She looked over at Elina, who had turned bright pink.

  Fiosi walked in, and I waved in greeting. He looked at and even recognized me, though it obviously took him a second.

  “Fiosi, my dear, this brave young man isn’t looking that bad these days, though his breastplate isn’t what it needs to be. Could you find him something for his level in the storehouse?”

  “Something…what?” Fiosi looked at the Witch, needing more details.

  “Something stronger, since he’ll be going through the mines by Kroytsen. He’s my friend, and I don’t want his armor letting him down.”

  “Got it.” Fiosi walked out of the room.

  He was soon back with a gorgeous breastplate that had some pieces of cloth dangling artistically from it.

  “I remember that one,” the Gray Witch said with a smile, getting up and jabbing the steel a few times with her finger. “Cedric wore it once upon a time.”

  “Cedric Sekira?” asked Elina.

  “Yes, we got this breastplate in a dungeon somewhere in the Borderlands. Cedric had a few levels on Hagen, but he loved it. It looks good, for starters.”

  “You’ll give it back when you grow out of it,” Elina said to me pointedly.

  “Elina, the boy can decide for himself what he’ll do with it. This is a present, so it belongs to him now,” the Gray Witch said gently. “Go ahead, put it on!”

  I took the breastplate from Fiosi—elite. Today’s my lucky day! Everything I’d gotten that day had been either elite or from a set. I just needed to make sure my luck didn’t turn.

  Gray Dog Breastplate

  Once belonged to the Gray Dog, a great warrior from a line of noble werewolves that once lived on the banks of the Krisna.

  Protection: 520

  +19 to strength

  +22 to stamina

  +6% to critical strike chance

  +12% to dodge ability

  +10% chance of disarming your opponent with a powerful strike

  Class limitation: only warriors

  Durability: 460/460

  Minimum level for use: 47

  “Wear it with honor,” the Gray Witch told me. I bowed in reply.

  “And, where are you going right now?” she asked next, hinting that it was time for us to leave.

  “To Selgar,” I answered. “Then offline—I’m exhausted.”

  “After the day you’ve had, I’m not surprised,” agreed the Gray Witch. “Okay, off you go. Elina and I are going to talk about some secrets. You know, girl talk.”

  She waved her hand, and a portal appeared right there in the room.

  She’s incredible, I thought.

  “Thanks for everything. Your servant.” I waved to them both.

  “Stay in touch!” She called after me.

  I shook Fiosi’s hand and bowed to Elina, who threatened me with her finger, before stepping into the portal.

  Selgar was as noisy as ever. I got to the caravanserai, walked into my room, and logged out immediately. I didn’t have the strength to go see the dryad. There was one other reason, however. I had the feeling I was being followed, this time by someone much more dangerous than the clown from the Hearts.

  I sat there for a few minutes thinking about what Fitz was there for. Is he supposed to be a comrade in arms or will he be there to keep an eye on me? An escort or a guard? Soon, I decided that it didn’t matter too much either way. The most important part was that I had more battle-worthy companions for my trip northward than smugglers—and I didn’t have to pay for them. Although, those mines… After Snakeville, I trusted popular opinion.

  Realizing that my thoughts were beginning to get mixed up in my head, I went to sleep. There was plenty to do the next day.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  The last one, in which our hero gazes at the mountains and fall comes to Moscow.

  As I was falling asleep, something important slipped into and right back out of my mind. I tried to remember what it was, but I was already too far gone and soon drifted off to dreamland.

  The next morning, however, I remembered what I’d forgotten the day before. Well, actually, I’m two days late. I’d forgotten to wish Karina, my friend and colleague, yet another happy eighteenth birthday. I checked the clock to see that she, along with the rest of the country’s working population, was already up and called her, starting with profuse apologies and ending with well-wishes.

  Like any true native of the city on the Neva,[16] she calmly and laconically told me that she wasn’t offended—she was long since used to how forgetful I was. I also took the opportunity to congratulate her on the release of what I was “absolutely convinced” was a fantastic book. My obligation fulfilled, I hung up the phone.

  Then, I went to smoke a cigarette, thinking about how I could probably use a break from the game. The trip through the mountains would be draining, and I could use some rest. On the other hand, I knew there was little hope of quickly getting to Kroytsen that Wednesday. I still needed to go see the dryad, and the Hounds would certainly not wait for me. With a heavy sigh, I made up my mind, put out the cigarette, and climbed into the capsule.

  My phone interrupted me before I could log in. I checked the screen: Zimin.

  “Kif, good afternoon. Well done!”

  “What are you talking about?” I asked warily.

  “What else?” He was taken aback. “I’m talking about how elegantly you handled your problem with the quest.”

  “I did my best,” I told him modestly. “It was definitely a balancing act!”

  “We’re aware. Valyaev and I believed in you. And, really, you’re making fantastic time. We figured it would be winter by the time you left the East, and here…you’re just blowing through it!”

  “Yeah…” He was suspiciously effusive in his praise.

  “Oh, and thanks
for what you did the other day,” he continued. “I mean, that conversation you had in the dukhan.”

  “I hope I did everything right?”

  “More than. You were fantastic.”

  “So your plan worked?”

  “Like clockwork. Take it from me, the smartest people are always so sure of themselves, their invulnerability, and even their ability to crack tough problems that you can trip them up with the simplest of tricks.”

  “I’ll remember that,” I replied.

  “So, you did a great job,” repeated Zimin. “Anyway, you have things to do, and I have things to do. See you tomorrow, Kif.”

  “You need me to come over? It’s just that tomorrow, I was planning on being in the office,” I said with some worry creeping into my voice. “We have to release the third issue.”

  “Don’t worry about it,” laughed Zimin. “Everything will be fine.”

  And he hung up. What…? It was hard to believe that last phrase when he ended the conversation so abruptly with it.

  Nothing had changed in Selgar. From the window in my room, I could see people scurrying to and fro: traders, players, water carriers, city guards. To be honest, I preferred the East to the West. If it had been up to me, I’d have stayed for a while. I would have liked to visit the abandoned city and maybe even the local assassin’s castle—purely for interest’s sake. Alas, I wasn’t completely my own man. Who am I kidding? I’m not my own man at all.

  Having dropped the armor I didn’t need into the chest, I counted up my savings. Not much had been added to the coffers over the past week. I had about 20,000 gold, which wasn’t much. I still needed to buy a couple portal scrolls, too, so I was more or less broke. It was just a good thing I was getting a free ride through the mountains. I doubted I would have had enough to pay what I assumed were exorbitant rates.

  Once I left the caravanserai, I spent some time meandering the streets. I didn’t trust the nice people I’d chatted with the day before and thought they might have set a tail on me. After a dash around the city that included a stop to buy scrolls, I ported from a side alley to where the dryad was. I pulled it off suddenly and had my sword out and swinging by the time I got to the other side of the portal, just in case someone had jumped in behind me. Either I wasn’t being followed, or my tail decided not to follow me into the portal.

  The filthy and bedraggled dryad crawled out from under her palm and looked at me expectantly. “Well?” she blurted out, tapping her feet. “Didn’t work?”

  “Why not?” I answered cheerfully. “We people are adventure-seekers and brave heroes—we do what we say we’ll do.”

  With that, I held out the crystal vessel. She took it in her shaking hands and held it up to the sky. “I’m free! The prophecy is coming true! I’m me again!”

  The same fanfare cut loose and, just as with the previous dryad, the palm Cinderella whirled her way into a golden cocoon. I’d already seen the spectacle, so I didn’t fall back on the sand in shock. Instead, I enjoyed the show and waited to see what she would look like after the bang.

  She looked excellent, needless to say, and she had an eastern flair to her: a wispy waist, baggy silk pants, a half-veil, and all the rest. That was the real Ogina the East, and I enjoyed watching her float in the air.

  “My hero, you saved me! You did the impossible!” she said in her newly bell-like voice.

  You completed a hidden quest: Soul of the Dryad

  This is the second in the Children of the Goddess series of hidden quests.

  You retrieved the part of Ogina the East’s soul kept by Mandiblefighter.

  Reward:

  10000 experience

  Sir Adrian’s Gauntlets

  +5 to stamina

  Ability to unlock the third quest in the Children of the Goddess series.

  “Tell me, hero,” Ogina said, fluttering down and taking me by the hand, “are you going to continue what you started? Will you help my other two sisters?”

  “Do I have a choice?” I sighed. “As if…”

  “You always have a choice,” said the dryad. “Everything depends solely on your goodwill.”

  “I wish that were true…” I sighed again. “Anyway, this is pointless, so let’s forget it. Yes, I’d be happy to help your two sisters.

  You unlocked Find Hilda the North

  This is the third in the Children of the Goddess series of hidden quests.

  Task: Find and save the keeper of the northern reaches.

  Reward:

  7500 experience

  Set item that was considered lost in the depths of time

  Random class ability scroll

  Oh, wow, the stakes are getting higher. But, of course, that meant the problems I’d have completing the quest were getting bigger, too. They didn’t just hand out set items and class scrolls. Although, maybe that was just incentive so I’d keep pushing forward? And, didn’t I say I’d be going north? Right again.

  “Hurry, warrior. My sister is suffering, and sadness racks her heart,” the dryad said, clasping her hands over her chest.

  “I will,” I promised. “That’s where I’m going next.”

  “Then I’ll get to work here. The centuries haven’t been kind to my lands! When you come back a year or two from now, you won’t recognize it here. It will be a lush garden you can wander through.”

  “Hold on a second, my lovely green friend.” The dryad was about to take off. “Can you read this by any chance?”

  I gave her the scroll I had stored in my bag. She’s one of the Ancients, so maybe she knows something.

  The dryad turned the scroll over in her hands, licked it for some reason, and handed it back to me.

  “No, these symbols don’t mean anything to me.”

  “But maybe you have some idea?” I asked, disappointed. I had figured she’d be able to read it with ease.

  “How should I know?” Ogina shrugged. “I can’t read—nobody ever taught me. My job is to take care of nature.”

  That made sense. They’d never had good old Lenin to tell them how they should “learn, learn, learn.” If they had, I would already have known what the scroll said.

  I put it back into my bag and opened a portal.

  “Okay, dryad, see you around.”

  Ogina the East and I waved to each other, and I ported to Eiberger. It was a four-hour trek from there to the Three Kings Bridge, and who knew how far from there?

  The spot where the Wild Hearts’ powerful citadel had so recently stood was bleak and lifeless. Boulders marked where the walls had been, though everything was wrapped in vines, desolation, and silence. How quickly time erases the past.

  I perched on some rubble that gave me a good view of my surroundings and precluded anyone coming up behind me before pulling out what I’d just gotten from the dryad.

  Sir Adrian’s Gauntlets

  Belonged to one of Fayroll’s greatest knights and duelists. Some knights, sadly, are killed by the flu rather than the lance.

  From the Knightly Collection set

  Set includes:

  Wilfred’s Helmet

  Sir Nigel’s Pauldrons

  Sir Adrian’s Gauntlets

  Molton’s Cuirass

  Black Rose Belt

  Mihal’s Greaves

  +46 to strength

  +40 to stamina

  +28% chance of a stronger sword strike

  +19% to dodge ability

  +7% chance of piercing straight through your opponent

  +17% life energy restoration speed

  +15% damage done by the Straight Through ability

  Durability: 2400/2400

  Minimum level for use: 90

  Class limitation: warrior

  Cannot be stolen, lost, broken, or gifted.

  Does not disappear from the holder’s inventory after dying when coupled with at least two other items from the set.

  The following bonuses are unlocked by using the complete set:

  Three random active cla
ss abilities

  Two random passive class abilities

  +3 to one random attribute

  +15% to your chances of getting items from dead enemies

  +13% life energy

  Why was I not surprised? I would have been shocked if I’d gotten something I could put on and use right away. No, it had to be one more tantalizing toy fading off deep into the future. It also means I’m out the 1500 gold it’ll take to port back to my room, so I’m not carrying this thing around with me through God-knows-where. Back to Selgar it is…

  I should note that “God-knows-where” turned out to be peaceful and calm. Of course, I may have just gotten lucky.

  A good portion of the trip, I spent walking along the banks of the Belyanka, a wide river with a lazy current, and didn’t meet a single soul—NPC or otherwise. Even the animals were peaceful. I saw deer, rabbits, and a bunch of other little herbivores. That gave me plenty of time to think over my next editorial for the Fayroll Times, sing a bunch of songs, and finally, after several hours of walking, see off in the distance an enormous bridge stretching the width of the water. The Three Kings Bridge itself.

  Even from that far away, the bridge looked imposing, and up close, it was mind-blowing. It featured soaring spans, figures of the kings or some other great warriors of the past on either side, and enough room for eight horsemen to ride across side by side. In a word, architectural might at its finest.

  You unlocked Great Wonders of Fayroll

  To get it, see the other seven wonders of the Fayroll world (Seen so far: 1)

  Reward:

  Title: Curious Traveler

  +3 to intellect

  A painting of the last Fayroll wonder you see for your hotel room (if you have one)

  To see similar messages, go to the Action section of the attribute window.

  So, I guess curiosity can do more than just kill the cat! I made a mental note to see where the other wonders were located. Three intellect points I didn’t need to fight and claw for sounded great.

  I walked along the bridge, spat off the side into the river below, paid the fine the guard demanded, and, basically, did my best to act like your everyday Russian tourist abroad.

  On the other side of the bridge, was a wide road paved with the yellow bricks I knew so well, though it had a row of small trees planted along either side of it. The landscape was gorgeous, the breeze was delightful, and I was getting close to my destination. What else does a traveler need to be happy?