And so, I took the odd-looking person with the disheveled head who jumped onto the road to be nothing but a mere nuisance. “Ah-ha!” he shouted, waving a club around his head. “I have you now! Get ready to be killed and robbed.”
There are many ways to take words like that, especially when they come from a Level 45 player wearing leather armor and equipped with a club, and especially when they’re said to a Level 48 player bedecked in heavy armor with a sword tucked into his belt. Most players, however, take them to be nonsense or some kind of joke.
Just in case, I looked around and pulled out my sword. Is there someone else about to jump me from behind while I’m looking at this guy? The road was empty, and nobody was visible on the other side of the trees.
“Is this some kind of mistake?” I asked cautiously as I watched the swirling club.
“What mistake?” he replied. “I rob everyone here!”
“But you look pretty shabby,” I noted. “I guess you haven’t been getting very lucky recently?”
“No, not so much,” he agreed, his face crestfallen. “Though, I’ll definitely kill you.”
He threw himself at me, doing his level best to smack me in the head with his club. Suffice it to say, I finished him off quickly and with ease. He had no idea how to fight, and clubs only work against swords when there’s a large gap in levels. I looked down at his cocoon once the deed was done and decided to leave it there. He was obviously missing a few marbles, so I felt bad taking his things. He didn’t even have a PKer tag. The people are bizarre around here, I concluded before setting off.
I was almost to the city when I saw him again. The unlucky bandit was running toward me, underwear flapping in the wind.
“Are my things still there?” he asked.
“They were, though I’m not sure if they still are.”
Without another word, he quickened his pace. I shook my head and walked into Kroytsen.
Kroytsen is the last city before the Rina Mountains. Founded by King Konn the Second as an outpost to hold back ice yeti raids between the First and Second Wars of Hatred, it is famous for…
It had been a while since I’d been in a city with a backstory. It was beautiful, too. I was in a hurry, however, as I had my last few things to do before we left.
I stopped a guard. “Excuse me, sir, could you tell me where the local instructors live?”
“Which one are you looking for?” the guard asked.
“The one that teaches warriors.”
“That would be Instructor Stynil.” He went on to tell me how to get there.
With everything that had happened in the past few weeks, I’d completely forgotten that I had at least three abilities to collect. It was time to stop putting that off. Although to be fair, I already had more good active abilities than I could use.
Stynil’s house was easy to find. What does he make? Model ships, maybe?
As it turned out, that instructor wasn’t making anything at all. He was just sitting on a bench outside his house gazing into the sky.
“Good evening, instructor,” I said with a bow. “Am I interrupting anything?”
“Not at all, warrior. What brings you here?”
“I’d like some abilities. I’ve heard about you all over—”
“Oh, forget all that,” the instructor said. “They forgot me a long time ago. Sure, we had our day in the sun, but how long has it been? Anyway, I see you can learn three active abilities, only I’m not sure how useful they’ll be for you. There’s already quite a bit you know how to do.”
“I guess so,” I said modestly. “Can you offer something else?”
“I can offer you just one active ability, though it’s a very good one, and three passive abilities.”
“Or?” I’ve never been a fan of surprises.
“Or three active abilities, though they’re only so-so.”
“How good are the passive ones?”
“They’re useful. If that’s what you’re looking for in passive abilities,” explained the instructor.
I thought for a bit and agreed.
You learned a new active ability: Upend, Level 1
Gives you a 60% chance of knocking your opponent off their feet, disorienting them for ten seconds as well.
Activation cost: 60 mana
Recharge time: 40 seconds
You learned a new passive ability: Sturdy Armor, Level 1
Gives the armor you’re wearing 50% protection against wear and tear.
Can be leveled-up by repairing your armor in a timely manner.
You learned a new passive ability: Straight and Narrow
Gives you a 20% chance of finding the path that will take you where you need to go when lost in a labyrinth, forest, or anywhere else.
You learned a new passive ability: Diplomat, Level 1
Gives your persuasive abilities a 25% chance of avoiding fights in some situations where they aren’t inevitable (The best battles are the ones you don’t fight, no?).
Can be leveled-up depending on the quantity and quality of the conversations you have.
The old man was right; they were some great abilities. I happily paid him 500 gold and headed for the local headstone to wrap up the day. I linked and removed Serpent’s Tooth from my list of active abilities. Upend was much better.
Then, I checked over the list of abilities I was left with.
Sword of Retribution
Bloodletting
Wolf Soul
Memory of the God
Upend
Not a bad selection, if I did say so myself. I hoped Bloodletting would level-up soon, as well.
“Somebody sent Coliunya running off in his underwear again,” I heard someone say to their companion as they walked past the headstone. “He just can’t get enough.”
“They’re going to leave him naked one of these days,” the person next to him responded. “We’ll all have to chip in again.”
“Excuse me,” I said, jumping in. “Are you talking about the guy on the road who tries to rob people? The one with the crazy hair?”
The pair stopped and turned toward me. “Were you the one who killed him?” asked one of them.
“Well, yes.” There was no sense concealing it. “What was I supposed to do? He came at me waving his club around.”
“Did you take his things?” asked the second, fairly harshly, I might add.
“No. He seemed kind of strange, so I left them. There probably wasn’t anything there anyway…”
“He is strange,” they explained, this time in a normal voice. “He used to be a pretty high-level player, though something happened in real life and something bad happened to his head. Ever since then, he hasn’t exactly been crazy; more just not quite right. He’s always there on the road pretending he’s a highwayman, though he’s never actually killed anyone. People kill him all the time, on the other hand, and sometimes they take his things. When that happens we all chip in and buy him some new outfits. We feel bad with him running around naked like that.”
They left, and I thought to myself about some greater good there might be in the game. In real life, we shy away from or squeamishly feel sorry for halfwits like that, and here, people were helping him out of the goodness of their hearts. Which world is better, I ask?
The headstone I linked to was right next to the northern gate, and so I walked over. It opened out onto the nearby Rina Mountains. I could see light from the setting sun playing in the snow caps, and it was as if I could see even beyond them to the headache I had waiting for me. Beyond them was the North, an expanse swept by cold winds, cruel warriors, and powerful enemies.
Vika and I got to the office well before the sun came up the next morning. She had spent the previous evening telling me how much information Diana had dumped on her. It was true—the week had been a busy one in Fayroll.
At about noon, my phone rang. It was Zimin. “Kif, good afternoon. Go over to the window.”
I walked over and looked out to s
ee rain pattering on the cars in the courtyard. “And?” I asked tentatively.
“What’s next to the door of your building?” Zimin’s was enjoying his little game.
I looked again and saw a new-looking Chevrolet Impala, though it was the 1967 model. Where did that piece of gorgeousness come from? It had been my dream since… Okay, it’s always been my dream!
“Yep!” I heard Zimin say on the phone. “Guess how we found out how much you like old American cars, and how we got a new Impala. We had it made just for you—a perfect, handmade replica.”
I started to mumble into the phone. “But that’s so expen—”
“Stop,” said Zimin. “This is a bonus. You’ve been a huge help to us, and we have the right to reward outstanding employees. We also have the right to penalize the ones who cause problems, too, by the way. So, go down, there’s a guy sitting in the car. You have to go with him, fill something out, sign something… I don’t really understand the whole thing. He’ll explain it to you and take care of everything.”
“Thanks…” My embarrassed mumbling hadn’t stopped.
“Forget it. Oh, also,” Zimin continued, his voice tinged with sadness, “we had some bad news here at Raidion: an employee died. He was young and incredibly talented. You’ll get a fax soon, and I want you to put the obituary on the front page of the Fayroll Times along with his picture. Di will send you some options—pick whichever one you want. Oh, and do whatever you have to do to touch up the text, all right? Just make sure the keywords are there: we’re all grieving, it’s a tragedy that he’s gone… You know what I’m talking about. Okay, I have to run.”
He hung up without bothering to hear my last “thank you.”
“Kif, a fax came for you,” said Vika as she walked over. “It says: ‘For Nikiforov’s eyes only.’”
I turned the piece of paper over to find a young, good-looking man smiling up at me. Just 37 years old, the game’s chief administrator. Gone from a heart attack. I guess you can work yourself to death. I read the text without paying much attention until a familiar name popped out at me.
Many Fayroll players remember with fondness the fun, raids, and even just conversations they’ve shared with a dwarf by the name of Stavros. And not one of them knew that they were actually playing with the game’s chief administrator, someone who had practically absolute authority within its bounds. He never bragged about his position and certainly never used it to his advantage. His position in the game was won fairly, just like yours and everyone else’s. But Oleg Talitsyn has left us—forever. The Raidion family, and also…
Stavros. The potato-nosed dwarf I’d told about the cave. It’s the simple tricks the smart ones never expect…
“Wow, so young,” said Vika, who had been reading over my shoulder. “What can you do, though? Man is mortal. The trouble is that mortality sometimes comes to him so suddenly. Bulgakov[17] said that, right?”
“Yes,” I said without thinking. “Woland.”
“That’s a shame. You’re just living your life until in a second…” She laid her chin on my shoulder and sniffed in my ear.
I looked out the window at my new car. A few wet leaves had already fallen on it from the trees around our building. I should have taken that moment to think about what I should do, how I should do it, and what was going on, but, for some reason, only one thought came into my head: Fall sure does come quickly in Moscow.
End of book two
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Book recommendations
I want to recommend Realm of Arkon, a great series written by a friend of mine: G. Akella (Georgy Smorodinsky). He is one of the most popular and best-selling LitRPG authors in Russia. Book one is currently available for free on Amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/Patch-17-Realm-Arkon-Book-ebook/dp/B015QMQ8V6/
Blaise Corvin is a leader of the American LitRPG movement. He is best known for gritty characters and action scenes. Delvers LLC is his first, and most well known series. Check for his books here https://www.amazon.com/Blaise-Corvin/e/B01LYK8VG5/.
Endnotes
[1] Karpov: A popular Russian crime drama.
[2] Patronymics: Used with first names in Russia and other Slavic countries to convey respect. For instance, Semyon Ilyich is his first name and patronymic, rather than his first and last names like Harriton Nikiforov.
[3] Denial-of-service attack: An attempt to make a machine or network resource unavailable to its intended users, such as to temporarily or indefinitely interrupt or suspend services of a host connected to the Internet.
[4] Palace Square: The main square in St. Petersburg.
[5] Red Square: The very center of Moscow, separating the Kitay Gorod commercial district from the Kremlin walls to the east.
[6] Michurin: A Russian practitioner of selection who created hybrid plants.
[7] Krasnoyarsk taiga: A thick forest without roads that is nearly impassable.
[8] Vereya: A small town close to Moscow.
[9] Shashlik: Meat marinated and roasted on a spit.
[10] Dmitry Donskoy: A 13th-century Russian prince considered the founder of Moscow. There is a monument in his honor in the city center.
[11] Gopnik: Young, generally uneducated people who have earned a reputation as aggressive but minor criminals. They are famous for their peculiar style and for constantly eating sunflower seeds.
[12] Yamamoto Tsunetomo: A samurai of the Saga Domain in Hizen province known for his aphorisms.
[13] Poleyns: A component of armor that protects the knees.
[14] Chertanovo: A northern region in Moscow.
[15] Paranja: A traditional Central Asian robe for women and girls that covers the head and body.
[16] The city on the Neva: St. Petersburg.
[17] A great Russian author (1891-1940) who enjoys a cult following. Woland is one of his characters.
Table of Contents
The Road East
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Endnotes
The Road East (Epic LitRPG Adventure - Book 2) (Fayroll) Page 32
