I did not understand a thing, but hurriedly wrote an answer, demanding a more calm and thorough presentation of events. Brave, with difficulty, slowed his leaping thoughts, thought for a couple of seconds, and began to explain again.
The alchemist himself knew little about what was happening beneath the ruins of the temple. The researchers were not up for talking. They were busy dying - in any case, it seemed that Doc did not fly to the revival location even once. All this happened for hours, without breaks. Then Brave was forced to leave for alchemical affairs. But damn it - something strange was happening there!
To my deep regret, I could not get any other details, since the single witness had already given his testimony. To leave the glorious town of Tishka and climb into the catacombs myself? A option, of course - many years ago, if I hadn’t been burdened with so many problems, I would have already started exploring on my own. Now I have to stay here. I will ask the heroes - Shmig and Doc - later. Should they someday complete the assignment and return…
Kaylen and Cray did not fail to respond to the call. This time I sent a message to Cray only - so that he did not get the impression, that I thought of them as a pair, like “if Kaylen comes, so does Cray.” I do not like tensions within a group of friends. Although, if Cray did not respond, I would not have hesitated to send the news along to Kaylen the Seeker. You cannot depend on the whims of a jealous soul.
First came Bom.
The muscular figure of the half-orc landed with a crash in the bushes, broke through the knotted thickets and stomped towards us. Bom looked formidable - all dressed up in blackened iron. Long chain mail, almost to the knees, wide pants, steel boots, a long collar turning into a hood, a helmet that looked like a blackened steel bucket, which he took off on the move, revealing a grinning face. Behind him, a roomy-looking chainmail knapsack. His cloak was black, but had a gold stripe at the very bottom. The soles of his boots were also gilded. Overall, he looked very presentable and menacing at once. A powerful shield hung on his left shoulder, almost reaching to the ground. Burnished metal gloves. On his left hand were ruby stones, stones fused into black metal. On his right - diamonds and sapphires. On the left side of his chest armor, a red ruby was “fused” in. On the right, a strange emblem looked like a winged donkey.
A horse with wings is a Pegasus.
A donkey with wings? Hm…
In general, the symbolism was familiar. Bom seemed to have increased his payload - although, it seemed, a little too much?
“Hello assholes!” Loudly greeted the ass, catching a bottle thrown to him by me and putting it into his bag.
Grumbling an evil greeting, I began to write to Trouble. Hm…
Hm...Writing myself into trouble.
How to begin the letter? I did not write for so long…
Perhaps: “Hello! How’s it going?”
Hm.
The sudden lull in our communication was strange. How is it usually? You send the girl away to go fishing, and you talk more… and here it is the exact opposite… I sent her to the harbor, and we stopped talking…
It is my fault, is not it? I promised a romantic getaway, just for the two of us, and then sent her to go fishing by herself…
Hm… perhaps, I will start the message more tenderly: “Darling, everything okay?”
I did behave poorly - started some trouble out on the lake for the fishing contest organizers to deal with. Did she try to level things out for me? Or escape? Hell… so much happened that I forgot the details…
Better to start even softer: “Kira, my dear, I missed you so…”
But that’s not all! I even went as far away from Naykal as possible, to the primeval forests, so she would not find me…
But she will find me… Trouble always finds a way. She will climb into my cocoon and defile my helpless body… already I am getting the creeps!
Let’s start the message this way: “My beloved, my one and only beloved… I long for you, my heart breaks into pieces…”
Hm…
About the contest. The last thing I remember is that “awesome wave that struck our league.” And something about going to talk to the judge about foul play…
And then she wrote me something… and I think I forgot to answer… And now, she will suddenly discover that I have a full grown daughter… Oh, I am in trouble…
How can I start a letter now?
Best of all, probably: “My mistress, your unworthy slave writes to you!”
While I was thinking, a message popped up. From Kira…
With a sinking heart, I opened it.
“Ros, where are you?”
Hmm…
Damn it… and on the other hand… great! I was never any good at writing compositions. Only once, I distinguished myself when the teacher read my five page opus, answering the question “Do I want the same work as my father or mother? Why or why not?” As the topic, I chose my father’s work, after which my mother was called to the school… I do not want to brag, but my mother still quotes from that paper. And the teacher never asked for papers on such a delicate topic again…
Everything was resolved by itself. Worst-case scenario, I had my excuse, and it sounded like this: “My dear, it is a game, that’s all!” And that was it. This was not real life, I did not have a daughter… I did not take my real girlfriend and throw her into the company of real life drunk fishermen… ahem…
Therefore, I wrote back simply:
“I am sorry, dear. I am completely wrapped up. If you are free, fly to me. Just do not call anyone else.”
And, sent. All according to the famous phrase, “nothing foreshadowed trouble, but it came,” Kira landed in the same place where Bom had collapsed a few minutes ago. She did so much more gracefully, but still managed to trip over a tree log. Groaning, she kept on walking and, on the way, squeezed the life out of some unfortunate creature that tried to lunge at her.
She was an ordinary paladin, but dressed to the nines. Kirea the Protectress looked as if she was dressed by the finest designers in Valdira, and this created an interesting effect… It is not every day that you see a graceful girl kick away a tree and break the muzzle of a fuzzy creature with her delicate fingers… all within three or four seconds. Something like a female terminator.
I had to explain the matter right away - that she could not come nearer because of my disease. But there was no need - seeing my remaining symptoms, Kira immediately realized and slowed down even before I started talking.
The paladin sat down on a silk handkerchief put there by Bom - where did he get it? Gentleman in steel trousers…
Kira thanked Bom with a sweet smile, and then I found myself staring at her, hungry for the details.
Taking a breath, I scratched the back of my head, scratched my nose, bit my lip thoughtfully, tugged at a strand of hair, cleared my throat, and asked:
“Orbit, explain everything to her, will you? Starting with the restaurant. You, in fact, were the executioner - bam and everything is covered in blood, and the demons smile happily and collect the fallen guts from the scaffold.”
Now, while Orbit is talking, sl-o-o-owly mincing his words, I will have time to gather my thoughts.
“Beautifully said,” snickered Whisper.
“A lot of words and little meaning,” noticed the doctor Placebo. “You messed something up with the princess, did not you?”
“Ahem, ahem,” the bald elf said, emerging gracefully from the water, dabbed his lips with the leaves of a water lily, and declared, with an unusually quick phrase: “Ros is not to blame!”
“Right!” I agreed.
“He was sitting in a restaurant, discussing the face of his daughter with her mother, the Black Baroness, when the evil harpy flew in and we had to jump through the roof!”
“Right!” I nodded, and then jumped abruptly. “Hey! Wait!”
“No, no,” Kira waved her hand, pulling her meter long sword a millimeter out of her bag.
Continue the broadcast, oracle, or
I will slice your bald head open. What was that about the mother, and about the daughter and her late father?”
“Kira darling, you wait,” I put my palms up. “Do not listen to the bald grouse. Orbit! You were supposed to talk slo-o-owly! Everything was supposed to be different!”
“Daddy! Who is this beautiful lady?” My daughter pulled at my sleeve.
Tyrant had already come up to Kira to greet her. Furry traitor!
“Daddy?” Repeated Kira, taking a silver fish out of her knapsack, and throwing it onto a tree stump. “Ros, should I give you a demonstration?”
“No, thanks.”
Slash! And the fish was sliced in half.
“Orbit, what happened next? Tell me.”
“We ran away, ma’am!” The elf said quickly. “We fled and ran here. And then the Baroness left here to be treated for sickness. Ros infected her!”
“I will kill him!”
“That is - Whisper infected her! And he also infected the mammoth Kolyvan by…”
“You better shut up! I will tell her everything myself!” I growled, rising up and taking a decisive step towards the beautiful Trouble and the certain death that awaited me.
“You’re going to have to! Tell me! I am up to my neck with fish scales, you know. All sorts of troubles in Naykal! Do you know that the results of today’s competition were declared null?”
“No,” I shook my head in surprise. “I am sorry that I put everything on you. Are you tired?”
“Yeah… but not enough to forget about the daughter.”
“Dad, well, who is she?” Roska pouted, coming up to Kira and playing with her silk skirt. “So beautiful, damn it! Can I have a dress like this too, dad? I am already grown up! Uncle Whisper promised to introduce me to the blonde elf from his clan who has a big guitar, he is a great teacher and… dad? Where are you going?”
“Ros! Ros, drop the knife! Drop it! Wait… I cannot move… why am I paralyzed? Placi! Placi! I cannot move!”
“Side effect of the elixir. Wait a few minutes, everything will pass. And, Whisper - kindly call me Placebo.”
“A couple of minutes?! Ros! Drop the knife! You won’t hurt an old friend will you? We went through so much together! You.... it is stuck! You stuck a knife into me! Pull it out, pull it out! It is right in my chest! I was kidding! It was a joke! Why are you kicking me? People, help! Ros, pull out the knife! What’s that? Where did you get such a big stone? Ow!”
With a jerk, I snatched out the knife - which had consumed a little HP of the paralyzed sky. I leaned down. Looking into Whisper’s eyes, very quietly, I said:
“Listen, you really aren’t a bad guy. I do not mind walking among the corpses of fallen enemies with you, nor do I dislike hiding from a giant meteor with you. But if you ever again try to marry my daughter into the Sleepless Clan or even try to drive some hero tales of the Sleepless into her head… then our paths end their convergence there, dear Whisper. This is not a threat. Just accept it as a fact. And I do not care if you are just following someone’s orders. Do not! Touch! My daughter! Do you hear me, Whisper?”
“Yes, I hear you… Come on - I was joking. What order?”
“Of the Sleepless Clan?” I asked, rising. “Come on, yourself. Why not joke about the elf with the guitar from the Architects clan, for example?”
“I am not a moron! I wanted to tell her some shit about those guys. Okay, sorry, Ros. There was no order. Simply, “everything for the sake of the clan” is our motto. It is automatic. With Roska, it will not happen again. Not from me.”
“Thank you for clarifying,” I chuckled. “Just not from you.”
“You should have joined us long ago!” Whisper said, out of nowhere. “I get the impression you think we are some sect, trying to seduce you! Or that you’re a virgin in a depraved brothel!”
“Do not touch my daughter, heathens,” I repeated, glancing sorrowfully at the notification that my aggr status had been extended for another few hours.
“If you want to survive in Valdira, you have to live by the principle of your faithful ass,” said Whisper. “Take everything indiscriminately and take for yourself! Work, work, work… so I understand your position as a father, but you also understand - it is not us, it is the way the world is.”
“Yeah, yeah… and why “faithful?” About the ass.”
“He was offered to join the Sleepless twice, but each time he sighed and turned us down… Oh! I can move again. And Bom did not refuse only, but said that he should discuss everything with the boss first, and not Busia… that’s what he said, really! The boss, not Busia… If the Baroness finds out, she will be so pissed. So there’s that for you as an apology for the elf with a guitar. Your team is a faithful one, and waiting for you to come up with a plan for the future.”
“Phew,” I sighed. “And have the others been offered?”
“What do you think? Placebo is already talking to your alchemist, promising him a bright future, a diamond encrusted xylophone. Alchemists are always needed! Clans tear each other apart for the sake of a good craftsman or alchemist. And you… well, that’s not my business, brother.”
“You’re used to it, Whisper,” I shook my head. “You’re used to being in a clan. And that’s the way you’re used to thinking. How many years have you belonged to the Sleepless? When was the last time you were walking on your own, like a predatory and free cat, before they made you into a skillfully trained and faithful hound? Are you in the clan of your own best interest? You guys are just like the damned black riders of Mordor - you only come out of your fortress if you smell something. You forget, Whisper - Valdira is a GAME. And I play it myself and allow others to play.”
“Valdira is a game…” The spy snorted sadly. “Let’s find some kind of nasty freak with a muzzle and claws, and smack him up… and when you shout immediately that you cannot live without your beloved Whisper, just demand that I am always there. Hm?”
“I won’t do anything of the sort. Do not bother my daughter.”
“What about on neutral topics? Can I communicate with the precious child? She’s cool…”
“You cannot.”
“Why?”
“Because only robbers have your face.”
“Hm…”
“Kira, my fishing princess, what are you doing with my daughter?”
“Why is not she combed?” Kira muttered, managing to retrieve an elegant scallop brush from her bag, and proceeding to comb the tangled mane of Roska’s hair. “Hm… your daughter is…”
“Tell me, how was fishing, darling?”
“My darling,” repeated Roska.
“I will tell you,” Trouble sniffed with a laugh, shaking her head. “At first, everything went as usual - that is, not very well, in our case. We assembled a league in just a couple of hours…”
According to Kira, we lost to much more organized, better equipped, and more professional leagues. We were not completely useless, and caught some things… but not much. The competitors mocked us. But the brave fishermen, clenching their teeth and fangs, persevered. But shamefully enough, we ended up in last place. We did not prepare enough ahead of time. On the shore, the league quickly disassembled. Oh, what a shame! A goddamn embarrassment!
But thank goodness, the most terrible fears did not come true.
But nothing foreshadowed the cancellation of the competition. A crazy miracle sailed from the other side of the lake - the fish! A terrible fish came flying in with enormous force, such power that it dragged along five or six fishing boats of “locals” which had been linked by next. It threw them about five kilometers from the venue of the competition. It turned a couple of boats over. The whole spectacle was enchanting. It was so impressive that the judges’ eyes instantly widened at the silver scales, and all the competitors threw away their fishing rods.
The judges ran away. The defending mages “scattered” protective spells everywhere, enveloped the whole shore and part of the lake with a magic haze, but there was nothing to
do. When the fish was gone, everyone understood that, according to the dull and angry faces of the judges, all the fish that had been washed up and caught during this period of time did not count.
But then! Suddenly! With a ringing, and a terribly bright golden light, a message appeared, hanging in the air over Naykal - that now, literally just now, a certain Mr. Rosgard, head of his League, had caught a particularly large fish - a pike! That the pike was weighed in at… - and that is when the real mess began, because the weight of it jumped from a minimum of forty kilograms, to two and a half tons! Accordingly, the inscription “Outland Anglers” jumped from the bottom of the list to the top… and the judges, who were already shocked and morose, began to pull the hair out of their scalps more feverishly.
The other competitors, sitting in their boats and on the beach, defiantly put away their fishing rods and began to arm themselves with combat equipment, looking with bloodthirst at the fishermen.
Again sad… very sad…
And then! All of a sudden! It was announced that Rosgard has released the fish…
Now, Kirea angrily wrenches the hair off a man who was happening to walk past, tearing off his wig - by coincidence, the passerby turned out to be a criminal who had been hiding, for a long time, from the authorities. The guards immediately rushed to him and arrested him. The vigilant Kirea, still sizzling with anger, was promised a medal.
With protests, with groans, sobs and brutal cursing, the competition continued.
And then entered the most terrible guests. From the parting fog, on rafts, on logs, drunken and terribly joyful bog-creatures…
Of course, at first, the players and “locals,” surprised by such an invasion, believed the wide-toothed creatures came in peace. From their cries, and the zigzag patterns of their swimming, it was obvious that they were drunk as hell. Then, the fish loving creatures got out onto land and began to congratulate everyone - without explaining for what, exactly. They poured pots full of muddy liquid with alcoholic worms. They clapped the anglers on their shoulders and, breathing terrible fumes, said in theatrical whispers: “There is fish here! So-so many fish!”
The Way of the Clan 7 Page 10
