I took another few steps forward.
The ram’s effect wore off and the warg, obeying an order from its master, ran in my direction again. But Gorgie was on the alert. Activating Thorntail’s Jump, he got behind the wolf and dealt his most powerful and crushing blow yet. A loud squeal of pain informed me the warg had bigger things to worry about than me.
“Say goodbye to your mutt,” I told him, chuckling. Swallowing a clot of blood, I took one more step.
Three more feet and I can attack. For a few moments we just stood opposite one another like two stone statues. The moment of truth. I can see a lack of confidence in the orc’s eyes. We’re like two gamblers trying to guess what cards our opponent might have up his sleeve.
We attacked at the same time. The shaman lashed me with a ghostly thorny branch. I meanwhile took a long jump to get in range then launched an eel lightning.
The orc’s eyes bulged in fear and he froze like a statue. Two ice arrows like thin sharp icicles, reinforced with scrolls of fury, and the shaman’s defenses were blown to smithereens.
I saw the bone amulets and talismans around his neck falling to dust after every blow. In his eyes, I saw anticipation that every spell I cast might be the last for him.
Then a third arrow penetrated the orc’s heart and brought our stand-off to a close.
I wanted to run and help Gorgie, but the Great System informed me the fight was over.
Running a sullen gaze over the bloody battlefield, I slowly slumped down to the ground. My eyes went dark. The last thing I saw before losing consciousness was Mee’s frightened little face.
Chapter 12
I CAME TO all at once. I shot up on an elbow and looked around half blind. I think I’m in a tent. Although based on the dimensions, this might be more of a yurt. I was lying on the floor covered by an animal fur one step away from a small fire pit hastily assembled out of large river stones.
Captured again? Impossible!
Shivering in panic, I opened the message tab and, after a brief read-through, exhaled with relief. No mind control or other nasty things of that nature. Better already.
After that I looked over my body. I didn’t see a single bruise, scratch or scrape. But I remembered for certain that I had plenty of them at the end of the battle.
I quickly ran back through the last few minutes of my fight with the shaman. I hurriedly patted down my stomach, chest and ribs. I raised my hand to my mouth. Surprising. There was no blood. Hm, but what about the blood I was spitting up after the shaman’s attack? What is going on?
The canopy of the tent suddenly started to move and made me get ready to deflect an attack. But fortunately no one was coming to hurt me. A satisfied scaly face stuck in through the flap.
“Hrn!” Gorgie growled, overjoyed, and slipped inside.
I was immediately licked head to toe and pressed down by his massive armored carcass.
“I’m very glad to see you too, my brother!” I said tenderly, stroking the harn behind the ear. He fell onto his back and, rolling his eyes in pleasure, gave a loud groan.
After examining my pet carefully for damage and not finding anything, I breathed a sigh of relief. Then I finally realized what was bothering me.
“Big buddy! You hit level eight on me!”
“Hrn!” the harn replied in satisfaction, continuing to lie on his back.
And meanwhile, I opened his characteristics.
— Ferocious Harn.
— Name: Gorgie.
— Level: 8 (2100/44000).
— Status: Loyalty to master (permanent).
— Mind: 1/1
— Strength: 78/120
— Agility: 79/120
— Accuracy: 5.8/120
— Intuition: 7/8
— Wisdom: 14/16
— Animal instinct: 14/16
— Speed: 77/120
— Flexibility: 52/120
— Intellect: 44/80
— Mana supply: 490/490
— Health: 70/80
— Endurance: 67/80
— Life supply: 750/750
— Energy supply: 720/720
— Scale armor: 35/40
— Defense: 350/400
— Damage: +201.1…+637.2
— Bite: 35/40
— Paw swipe: 35/40
— Pounce: 7/8
— Animal regeneration: 14/16
— Hunter: 36/40
— Fisher: 17.8/40
— Resistance to Hexapod poison: 7/40
“Congratulations!” I said, patting him on his armored side. Then I asked:
“And where’s Mee?”
“Here,” came a quiet voice behind me.
The gremlin’s big eared face stuck out from behind the cloth flap. There’s a happy smile on his tired little face.
“Wounded?” I asked, concerned.
“No,” the boy nodded.
“Thank heavens!” I sighed with relief. “Randy? Bruni?”
The gremlin shook his head as he got comfortable next to the fire.
“Too bad,” I sighed heavily. “They fought valiantly.”
We spent a moment in silence, each thinking about our own thing.
“You were also a hair from death after the battle,” the gremlin told me. “If not for your magic, you might have been a goner.”
“What are you talking about?” I asked in surprise.
“Don’t you remember?” Mee looked at me with wide-open eyes.
“What am I supposed to remember?” I answered with a question of my own.
“For example when you ordered me to bring you down into the water.”
“Water?!” I asked, dumbfounded.
Mee looked at Gorgie in incomprehension, then at me.
“What’s the last thing you remember?”
“The fight with the shaman,” I started, squinting. “Then his death. Then a severe pain in my chest. Blood in my mouth. Lots of blood. That’s all. What happened next?”
“After the shaman died, you briefly lost consciousness. Then you woke up and started saying to put you in water. At first I thought you were talking nonsense. It was so strange it almost hurt. But you said it was for some kind of spell.”
And then it finally hit me! Ah, of course! Muckwalker’s Aquatic Regeneration!
“Now do you remember?” Mee asked, seeing my reaction to his words.
“Only the fact that I have such a spell,” I shook my head.
“I see,” the gremlin nodded. “Anyway, as soon as we dragged you into a water-filled ditch, you activated it and dark-green slime covered your body.”
“And then?” I asked, intrigued.
“While you were in the water, I found this tent among the shaman’s possessions and set it up on the edge of the forest. And when the slime went away a bit later, taking all your scratches and scrapes with it, we brought you here.”
“How long have we been here?”
“Two days by now,” Mee answered and added:
“Don’t worry. The area is quiet for now.”
“What about the orcs?”
Mee shook his head.
“Only a shaman may cross the bridge and only in service of a ritual. Other orcs are not allowed to come here. Such is their law.”
I nodded understandingly. Looks like the warlocks of the orcs guarded their secrets jealously. But in any case, it would be dangerous to stay in one place for long.
“Sorry, Rick,” Mee said quietly. “We had to throw the bodies of your fellow humans into the river. Along with those of the orcs and wargs. To get rid of the evidence.”
I sighed heavily and placed a hand on the gremlin’s little shoulder.
“Don’t apologize. I think Randy and Bruni would have done the same in your place.”
Mee silently undid the drawstring of his knapsack and started placing some items on the fur. I took a look. Esses, a bronze ring, a steel bracelet, a bone amulet, a small stone knife a few differently colored flasks and a gray crystal.
“This is all the most valuable stuff the orcs had on them. Well, with the exception of tents, weaponry, furs and other baubles.”
“And this?” I pointed at the smaller pile.
“That’s Randy and Bruni’s stuff,” Mee answered quietly.
I breathed a heavy sigh.
“I see.”
“It isn’t much,” the gremlin said. “A few thousand essences and ten tablets. This must be what dropped for them in their final battle.”
I looked closely.
— Experience essence (7940).
— Silver tablet (10).
— Messenger Amulet.
“Hey, what’s this?” I asked, intrigued and picking up a small round bronze medallion.
Messenger Amulet.
— Type: Single-use artifact.
— Rarity: Epic.
— Effect:
— Conveys a message.
— Note:
— Activates only in the hands of the recipient.
— Recipient: Captain Isamu Takeda.
— Sender: Sergeant Randelph Larsen.
— Disappears after use.
— Weight: None. Takes no space.
I looked at the gremlin in surprise.
“Do you see this item’s characteristics?”
“Only that it’s a messenger amulet,” the gremlin responded. “Can you see more information?”
“Yeah,” I nodded. That must have been my fifteen Mind points.
“What’s in it?” Mee inquired.
“I can’t read the message itself,” I answered. “But one thing is clear — Randy was no common soldier. I think this is a message for his commander. And based on the fact it’s epic class, it must be an important one.”
“And you intend to find its recipient?”
I considered it, then nodded:
“If we survive and get out of here — yes. At the very least, we should do it to honor the memory of Randy and Bruni.”
After picking up the esses and tablets of the retinue men, I started looking through the orcs’ things.
— Experience essence (25370).
— Ring of agility (1).
— Amulet of strength (1).
— Bracelet of agility (1).
— Stone knife (1).
— Potion of endurance (2)
— Elixir of speed (3).
— Small crystal of mana (1).
Rubbing my hands together in satisfaction, I smiled — one more mana crystal! Alright then, let’s take a look.
Small crystal of mana.
— Mana: 0/500.
Hm, five hundred points. That means these crystals don’t have a standard capacity. But nevertheless, this is just amazing! This trophy alone is enough to make the battle with the shaman worth it. And I still haven’t even looked through my personal loot.
Let’s keep going.
Ring of Agility.
— Level: 8.
— Category: Simple.
— Agility +9.
— Durability — 43.
Amulet of strength.
— Level: 10.
— Category: Simple.
— Strength +12.
— Durability — 82.
Bracelet of agility.
— Level: 9.
— Category: Simple.
— Agility +7.
— Durability — 52.
Stone knife.
— Level: 12.
— Category: Rare.
— Strength +10.
— Damage +25.
— Durability — 149.
Potion of Endurance.
— Level: 7
— Type: Energy potion.
— Rarity: Rare.
— Effect:
— Restores 30% energy.
— Quantity:1 dose.
— Note:
— Not to be taken more than 1 time per day.
— Weight: None. Takes no space.
Elixir of Speed.
— Level: 8
— Type: Speed elixirs.
— Rarity: Rare.
— Effect:
— Increases speed by 25%.
— Quantity:1 dose.
— Duration: 10 minutes.
— Note:
— Not to be taken more than 1 time per day.
— Weight: None. Takes no space.
“Ahem,” I turned to the gremlin after carefully studying all the items’ characteristics. “All these bonuses would be nice but, as they say, the hat doesn’t fit. Who was wearing these rings and amulets?”
“The shaman had the knife and bracelet, his fighters had the other stuff,” Mee answered.
“I see,” I said, stashing it all in my backpack. “We’ll set it aside for brighter days. At the very least until you grow up a bit.”
Only then did I notice that there was a small cauldron hanging over the fire on a stubby tripod. Mee started stirring it intently. And whatever it was it smelled delicious.
“Hungry?” he asked when he saw me drooling.
My stomach groaned loudly in response.
Mee laughed.
“Patience! We’ll eat soon.”
I looked at Gorgie. The gremlin followed my eyes and said:
“Don’t you worry about him. I have plenty of warg meat stashed away.”
I nodded silently and thought distantly that Mee was a godsend for our little crew. A very practical kid. Heh, he and Crum would definitely have been able to find a common tongue.
Okay. While he cooks the food, I’ve got time to look through the loot I got for defeating the shaman and his guard. I opened the notification tab.
— You have killed Orc Rider (20).
— Congratulations! You receive:
— Experience essence (4000).
— Silver tablet (10).
— You have killed Steppe Warg (18).
— Congratulations! You receive:
— Experience essence (3600).
— Silver tablet (10).
— You have killed Orc Shaman (18).
— Congratulations! You receive:
— Experience essence (3600).
— Gold tablet of Intellect.
— Silver tablet (10).
— You have killed Steppe Warg (18).
— Congratulations! You receive:
— Experience essence (3600).
— Silver tablet (10).
— Attention! The Higher Powers have taken note of your accomplishment! You’re a team fighter! While part of a team, you managed to defeat 5 creatures more than 10 levels higher than you!
— Congratulations! You receive:
— Experience essence (2000).
— Silver tablet (10).
— Attention! The Higher Powers have taken note of your accomplishment! You’re a team fighter! While part of a team, you managed to defeat 5 creatures more than 15 levels higher than you!
— Congratulations! You receive:
— Experience essence (3000).
— Silver tablet (15).
— Attention! The Higher Powers smile upon you! You have replicated the legendary feat of Roland Stoneheart! You defeated a mage more than 15 levels higher than you!
The Wastes Page 15
