by Sergei Katz
“That’s good news. It looks like you can only swing them one at a time!” — I cut the distance and swiped back at him.
My opponent didn’t expect such impudence from me and didn’t have time to jump out of the way. My attempt missed its mark, but apparently, I had seriously injured one of his paws. My leg was aching as well, but during the passage through the caves, I had become used to such pain and was able continue the fight. During the next five minutes of fighting I was on the lookout for ways to take my opponent by surprise. I caught hold of one of his tails and tried to entangle it in one of his paws. When this first attempt wasn’t successful, I caught hold of the second tail and tried to tie them together in a knot. The Alphiner didn’t fall for it either. Catching me off guard, he slapped me on the left hand with his hammer tail, as he was untangling the other tails.
As a result, I quickly changed tactics and decided to concentrate on his injured paw. Was it cruel? Of course, but I couldn’t see any alternative, so I just started to strike at the injured paw every chance I got. Another couple of minutes of similar tactical strikes and all sorts of fighting maneuvers from both sides followed. Both breathing heavily, we were slowly walking around each other in circles. My left arm was useless and my legs were aching after so many blows from the creature’s tails. My right side was pulsating in pain after a direct hit from the hammer shaped tail. The Alphiner was dragging his injured leg behind, and he was towing the left side whip tail behind him through the grass. I had managed to knock the pack leader over on the grass, and without wasting time, I had jumped on this injured tail with all my weight, and that’s when I had taken the hammer blow to my side.
My Copper Winged friend had joined the pack in the meadow, and was following the fight along with the rest of them. If I understood correctly, the bird had swayed half the pack into rooting for me.
“What a cool Totem I have!” — I was touched. — “But what should I do with this pack leader? Without weapons, we were equal in strength, maybe he is even stronger than me. I just got lucky several times, and at the right times my blows were critical. If I understand correctly, if my Luck hadn’t been at 25 points, then he would have already torn me into tiny pieces a long time ago ...”
It seemed that the Alphiner had reached the same conclusion as I had: he stopped, raised his right paw with a sigh, and then put it to his chest.
The leader of the Alphiner pack from the Enchanted Forest of the Celestial Fairies recognizes your strength and right to be a friend of the pack and he offers you a draw in this trial by combat.
“All praise to the creators of the game! I was beginning to think that you and I would be dancing forever.” — I accepted the draw.
You have completed the hidden quest: “Obtaining the trust of the pack”. Your reputation with the Alphiner pack from the Enchanted Forest of the Celestial Fairies is now one of Trust. To reach the status of Respect you require 10 000 points.
You are accepted as a friend of the Alphiner pack from the Enchanted Forest of the Celestial Fairies.
You have obtained the reputation of “Accepted among the Beasts”. There is the possibility of improvement: you can reach the same reputation with another 10 packs.
+10% chance to meet rare species of animals.
Your “Endurance” has increased: +1 (16).
Your “Strength” has increased: +3 (14).
Your “Dexterity” has increased: +1 (16).
Your “Intellect” has increased: +4 (11).
Your “Reflexes” ability has increased: +3 (12).
Your “Inventiveness” ability has increased: +5 (6).
After reading the messages, I collapsed down on the grass, completely exhausted, and fell asleep.
CHAPTER 11:
THE FIRST STEP
I woke up at night time. The whole meadow was lit by the moonlight. Apart from me, there was no one else around. Even my Totem had flown off somewhere.
“Well, unless some night time predator decides to eat me, nothing terrible will happen. I must remember that I am still a Newcomer. Despite my best efforts, I still have to look after myself even when I’m asleep, because I can’t really rely on my new friends! The first thing is to have a heart-to-heart talk with my Copper Winged friend as soon as I get a hold of him. The safety of my backside, among other things, is in his own selfish interests too. Plus he is my pet. At the end of the day I need protection while I’m sleeping, and until then I will only spend my nights in the trees. During my walks though the forest I haven’t come across any similar meadows, not even any Fiddle mushrooms. Even a giraffe would have realized that this is an unusual place, but I'm not a giraffe, — I thought glumly. — Even now my abilities are much improved, so perhaps I'll find something that I didn’t notice before.
I threw a dozen stones from my bag into the middle of the meadow, and I headed out to find something that would be of use. I discovered a lot of things, but, basically, nothing that would be of use to me. That’s just the way life went: not everything fell into your hands just like that.
Having already almost finished the circle, and on the edge of darkness, a name started flashing brightly over one of the bushes. I still had plenty of time upon my hands, and I was curious. I approached the bush closer and read its name: Forest Gooseberry.
“How about that! Could it be that there are real plants here as well as the invented ones?!”
Tall trees with large crowns were growing all around, and the moonlight no longer illuminated the bush. I picked off one of the berries and brought it close to my eyes. It did remind me of something I had seen in the past, only it looked much shinier and I couldn’t recognize the color, so I was a little bit suspicious.
“Okay, I found it, so I should try it ... It’s absolutely delicious!” — I got carried away and ate a dozen more berries.
Forest gooseberry: A rare plant that can grow in any forest. Used in potions and cooking, and is edible raw. It is considered a delicacy all over this world. It restores 40-100 life points.
“I am definitely having these!” — I completely stripped the poor bush of its fruits, and began a systematic search of the area for the same type of bush. Sadly, the bush was the only one around, but at least I got forty-three berries in my collection from this one.
“So, my Copper Winged friend doesn’t need to worry about where his next meal is coming from, because he has his chewy berries. My next step is to find more of these bushes: firstly, they are delicious, and secondly, it is possibly something that can be sold. Once I meet people I will need money, and with these fruits, I think, I will be able to earn some cash ...” — Then I remembered about the falcon, and an idea came to my head for some reason, so I took a dozen cuttings from the bush, on the premise that if they turned out to be of no value, then I could just dump them. But what if it turned out that they were worth some coin?
Having finished wandering through the forest, I returned to the meadow, where I had left the stones that I had collected from the Sparkling River. The moon played across their surfaces even better than the river waters had. Their glow was soft, and smoothly changed every time the clouds floating in the sky altered the degree of light in the meadow.
Even without really understanding what I wanted to do and why I was doing it, I took out all the stones and began to lay them out like puzzles in the meadow. At first, I was just playing with the stones on an unconscious level, looking at them in the moonlight. Then I divided them into several groups of colors. I remembered where I picked up the Moon Flower, and took them to the same place. Then my perceptions suddenly changed. My hands started to move on their own accord, basing their actions on my intuition and instructions from the Moon Flower. I felt a flow of vitality, and my mind was no longer in control but merely watched what was going on around as an interested spectator.
“It should be like this, or maybe it should be like that?” — All my thoughts were jumping around in my mind like animals in a zoo park. Everything, starting with my int
uition, and even my newly found ingenuity, gathered together to work on this project. The tension grew, and I felt like we needed to complete this task as fast as possible.
I began to understand what was happening, but paradoxically, without my participation, a masterpiece was being created. Then somebody else joined our creative group, and for a moment it completely alienated me, and even prevented me from observation. This lasted a few seconds, after which I became an outside observer yet again. I felt that my life force was diminishing. Much more of this and I could die from exhaustion ...
And then it was over. There was a moment of silence, and then control of my body returned to me, and the next thing I saw was...
It was something out of this world! Exactly in the same place that my Moon Flower came to me, a mosaic of stones had been erected depicting a Moon Flower when it first came into blossom. The image was almost perfect, but even my analyst's brain for some reason considered the project unfinished, and I knew that the world was waiting for my decision. I felt this with my whole being. Even without looking, I took seven leaves from my bag, that I had torn from my Totem’s tree, and put them here and there, making the mosaic more alive. No, something was still missing - my hand took something else out of my bag without a conscious thought, and my hand put it on one of the leaves. That's exactly the way it was at the time when I received the Moon Flower – there had been a dewdrop on one of the leaves.
The meadow shook to the sound of a hunting horn. The moon, as if just noticing what was happening in the meadow, lit it up even more vividly, while the shape that I had created started flashing in splendid colors. The seconds dragged on like minutes. The mosaic changed as if it had been given permission by the moon, and became a living stone flower, surrounded by sparkling stones. A Tear of the Forest stone was hanging from the flower like an earring.
And then the messages poured down:
You have created a small shrine. You have achieved the reputation of the “Creator of Small Shrines”. This achievement makes it possible for you to study the ability of the “Collector of Artifacts”. This achievement can be improved upon: create another 10 small shrines.
You have created a Perfect Shrine, which has been recognized and enhanced by the Moon. In the world, there are 3 true sources of power: the two luminaries are the Moon and the Sun, and what the light does not like is the Darkness. Only a perfect creation can be enhanced by true power. Such a creation is made from ideally suitable materials. It displays a moment from the past or the future of this world, and is created in a perfect place.
You have received the reputation of “Creator”. This reputation can be improved upon (unavailable).
+30% increase in the chance that a Grandmaster will agree to teach you.
The hidden “Uniqueness” ability has opened up to you: +1 (1).
Do you want to devote the temple to someone or leave it free?
“It was clear what I wanted. Why on earth would I leave it to somebody when I haven’t really even met anyone yet?”
In front of me was a list of options. A huge list of names that meant nothing to me, but fortunately enough, Trickster’s name was right at the top of the list, so naturally I chose him.
Your “Intellect” has increased: +3 (14).
The Moon Flower has passed into a new stage of development, and its mana consumption has increased to 20% (mana: 140 - 28 = 112).
Your “Handy man” ability has increased: +10 (13).
Your “Inventiveness” ability has increased: +5 (11).
— You've done really well! —Trickster appeared in the meadow, sitting on a stool. My patron admired the stone flower for a couple of moments. — Not how I imagined my first altar, but it's even better than I could have hoped for.
Trickster admires your creation, and the way you have made such progress so quickly. He is sincerely grateful to you for dedicating this temple to him. Trickster’s attitude towards you has improved: +1 000. At the moment: it is Good: 1 150. Reaching the level of Respect requires 3 850 points.
— You really deserve a better reward, but unfortunately, I must obey the laws of this world. So, this is the most that I can give you in appreciation for what you have done, —Trickster said, sighing. — But I promise that I'll find another way to thank you for such a gift!
Thanks to you, there was a small change in the world: the first divine spirit has appeared. You need to make another 48 small changes.
You have received the reputation of “Leader of the 2nd rank”. This reputation can be improved (unavailable). With the maximum improvement, you will receive the status of (unavailable).
You are the first Newcomer to receive the reputation of “Leader of the 2nd rank”. All bonuses and abilities received from God are increased: +15%.
Their duration is increased by 25%.
It seemed that Trickster had also read my messages:
— That was pretty good! Our first bonuses were very impressive, and well worth the effort. To be honest, I didn’t expect so much from you. You haven’t even left the kindergarten yet, but you have already made me a divine spirit!
As we were speaking we had been alone in the meadow, but suddenly the entire meadow was filled with Alphiners, and my Totem started flying around the flower. At the same time my Totem, thinking he was unnoticed, squinted at Trickster, and Trickster pretended not to notice being stared at. Trickster grabbed hold of one of the Alphiners and scratched it behind its ears. The pack leader looked on disapprovingly, but he didn’t hurry to argue with the divine spirit that had landed in his meadow. What happened next was that four ancient Alphiners arrived in the meadow. They all had different colored coats, as if age had faded them. These were clearly the elders, and they seemed to have some decision to make.
All the Alphiners parted, allowing the elders to pass to the shrine. The pack leader was already standing next to the flower and waited patiently for the sages to approach. As soon as they reached their destination and came up to the pack leader, a gloomy silence fell over the meadow. Nobody moved, and you could feel that all the animals were holding their breath. To my surprise, Trickster stood up and bowed to the elders, then silently sat down and started waiting in anticipation as well.
Consumed by the moment, I was watching what was happening before my eyes. The elders went around the flower, accompanied by the pack leader, and they were discussing something in their cat like language. Then returning to the place where they had started, they first looked at me, and then, without ceasing their conversation, they turned to Trickster. Then there was a five-minute conversation. It appeared that three of the four were inclined to one decision, and the other one wasn’t completely sure. The pack leader did not decide anything at all, but only answered questions. Naturally I couldn’t understand the discussion, but it seemed to me that the four sages were never going to come to an agreement.
I was sick of the absence of any progress, and I decided to admire the stars. I didn’t even know for how long I was staring at them, however, just like the last time, I watched the constellations and movements of the stars. I saw how the stars were born and died. Then my intuition demanded my attention, and all my visions disappeared.
Your “Star Reading” ability has increased: +5 (6).
The next thing I saw was the pack leader bowing to the sages. He proceeded to the Moon Flower shrine and put his paw on top of it. Then he mumbled something, and his meowing was echoed by every Alphiner, from the smallest ones to the largest ones.
The council of the sages of the pack of the Alphiners of the Enchanted Forest has made a decision to become messengers of the divine spirit and assign it the reputation of guardian of the lunar meadow.
— Even in my wildest dreams I couldn’t imagine that you would find me some messengers for at least another six months, and even then I thought that you would need all of my support. But now here we are! — Trickster told me.
Trickster is completely delighted with the work you have done. Trickster’s attit
ude to you has improved: +1 000. At the moment: Good - 2 150. Reaching Respect requires - 2 850 points.
Thanks to you, there was a small change in the world: the first divine messenger has appeared. You need to achieve another 47 small changes.
You have obtained the reputation of “Divine Coordinator”. You have completed the first part of a hidden quest: “God’s Entourage”. This reputation can be improved upon.
— What do I have to do with all of this? — There was no limit to my surprise.
— Oh, believe me you do, — Trickster smirked. — You became a friend of the pack, created a stone flower and managed to create something perfect. That was enough to convince three of the sages to allow me to become the keeper of the meadow, which was beyond my wildest dreams. But the fourth one produced some reasonable arguments and didn’t agree with the rest of them, so I had pretty much lost all hope and became reconciled to the fact that I would never have a shrine to my name. Next thing the bored pack leader looked at what you were doing. It turns out that Alphiners respect anybody that can read the stars. So, when they found out that you could also read them, it was decided that your patron should be given even better respect, and they unanimously decided to become messengers and give me the reputation of a keeper. So, my dear friend, you're either just incredibly lucky or a total genius.
— Hello, my little genius! — The High Fairy Tsi appeared in the meadow. — How could you possibly create such a number of problems in such a short time and completely destroy the balance in the world?! You're just a walking tornado of chaos!
— What have I done? I haven’t even found a pet yet.
— Life would have been easier for you if you had a dozen pets, — Tsi sighed.
It was clear that Trickster was enjoying himself, and he had a wide smile on his face.
— Let's see what you've messed up in less than a week. Thanks to you, despite your lack of knowledge, a Moon Flower has appeared in this world, and soon there will be another two, that this world is unprepared for. Then you created a unique creature right in the middle of our forest, but this is nothing but a trifle. The Mangul Ruby Wild Boar negotiated an excellent deal to leave the Enchanted Forest. Also, you managed to pass through the cave of the Fire Termites, and managed to collect the Ruby Grain from there, which was almost impossible to accomplish. From what I could see, there was no access between the forest and the cave, but the Mangul didn’t care about such intricacies, because he belongs to one of the species of Ruby Entities.
