Although... Maybe I was blowing things out of proportion. Maybe Erg, as a more senior tribesman, had decided not to steal Dago’s thunder.
I glanced at the big sullen fellow again and chuckled at my thoughts. No... Erg would never do that. Based on the way the troll was always running out in front, he wasn’t the type to let someone else have the glory. He must have just been keeping it secret.
My ability’s active time ran out as did the time to wait.
Farhas added another couple dozen crystals to the big pile and turned to me:
“Before we get started, I wanted to ask you a favor.”
“Go ahead,” I nodded.
“When we’re done with the Tree, I’d like you to spend another few days here.”
I got on guard. After all, I had a feeling we wouldn’t be allowed to leave so easily.
“Why?” I asked coldly.
The old man nodded at two unconscious warriors Mee was keeping watch over.
“They’ve lost a lot of blood. Their bones have just started to heal. They need treatment and rest. Without a healer, they will die.”
Seeing that I wanted to object, the old man jumped out in front:
“I swear than neither I nor any members of my tribe will hurt you. When my warriors are back on their feet, we’ll allow you to go. Beyond that, we’ll show you the shortest way to the west and provide you with all the provisions you’ll need for your travels.”
Based on the way Mee shuddered in surprise and looked our way, he must have also received the oath text.
I considered it. To be frank, a breather was just what we needed. I had to absorb the spirits. Check for the source of the strange magical emanations beneath the pedestal. And just simply rest up before a long journey.
An oath is serious business. An oath is a guarantee. After carefully reading the text one more time, I got up and extended a hand.
“Agreed!”
Farhas responded to my handshake with an open smile.
Chapter 22
TWO HOURS LATER, we were at the portal. It was fairly easy to walk the wide clearing the otherworldly insects had cut through the forest. On the way, I checked the map. As it turns out, Gorgie’s little outing before the attack had borne fruit after all. All the green traps had either been destroyed or deactivated. But then I leafed through all the victory notifications and did in fact find a few referring to the green traps and loot for their killing.
It was hard to recognize the area around the portal. At a distance, the trolls stopped fast with their mouths agape, afraid to come near the ugly semblance of a tree they very recently had proudly referred to as the Tree of Spirits.
It had grown noticeably over the last few days. It was eerier and viler. The black tar stuck to its trunk and branches was constantly pulsating, which made it look alive. The greasy black puddle around the tree had become wider by five paces at the very least.
With a heavy sigh, I met eyes with Gorgie.
“Well? What do you say?”
The harn growled in agreement and took the first step, by the same token showing me a safe route.
Although Mee tried to come with us, I left him with Farhas. I could not risk his life. And not only because he was the link that bound us to the trolls.
With every step, I could feel the portal more distinctly and manifestly. And the closer I came, the more I understood that we didn’t have much time.
Surprisingly, I suddenly got the idea that I should activate Scolopendra’s Sixth Sense and look at the portal. It took one hundred sixty mana points from my supply, then a gigantic coal-black spot appeared before my very eyes. Just looking at the new scene took my breath away.
The spot was pulsating measuredly, as if in time with a beating heart. It seemed to be breathing. A lump rose up my throat right away. It was a nastier sight than anything I’d ever seen before.
A slight nudge to my right leg pulled me out of the stupor. It was Gorgie reminding me why we came here with his scaled head.
“Thanks, buddy,” I whispered with dry lips and started taking out the crystals.
My new ability made it easier to see the black spot’s reaction to having crystals thrown into it. It was shivering, quaking and constantly growing slightly smaller.
— Congratulations! Your reputation with the Order of Monster Hunters has been increased by 6250 points! Happy Hunting!
— Present value: 9530
— Removed:
— Large ghostly crystal (290).
— Medium ghostly crystal (10).
— Small ghostly crystal (30).
— From now on, you will receive a 70% discount on all items available in any of the order’s arsenals!
— From now on, the brothers of our Order regard you as a Legend!
— Congratulations! You receive:
— Monster Hunter Token (1500).
“As I was expecting, I was not able to get the portal shut. It has gone untended for too long. The orcs have desecrated it too much with their blood sacrifices. The ghostly crystals we gathered are just delaying the inevitable.”
I said all that when I got back to the trolls. This time I didn’t neglect to mention the orcs — let them know whose fault this was.
“Will the sacrifices be enough for long?” Farhas asked gloomily.
“It’s hard to say, but a few months for certain.”
When the warriors heard my response, they all exhaled in concert. Seeing my uncomprehending look, the old man explained:
“We were afraid we had just a few hours. But you pulled it off.”
“Yes, but celebrating would be premature,” I shook my head. “After all, it still will open one way or another, and then there will be another outbreak. Your tribe will come under attack again. The fort is in ruins and its supply is empty. Half of your warriors have perished. You cannot survive another attack of these beasts.”
“We’ll summon allied tribes!” Erg exclaimed hotly. “They will stand shoulder to shoulder with us!”
“The moment the elders of the other tribes find out what happened here, not a single one of them will allow their warriors to die in someone else’s war,” Farhas objected calmly. Based on the expressions on the others’ faces, he’d just said what everyone was thinking.
But that didn’t bother Erg. He proudly raised his chin and asked:
“Are you suggesting we tuck our tails between our legs and flee like cowards?”
The big fellow’s words made the other trolls all frown, but Farhas was unflinching. Seemingly, he was actually happy not to have to give his rude compatriot another bop on the nose for flying off the handle.
“What’s so shameful about fleeing?” he asked. “Simply to leave. Get some distance from this dangerous place. And in the end, find a new home. Where our children will have a future. The Stone Forest is great. Everyone knows that. But I understand you, Erg. You’re young, strong and ambitious. Your heart pines for victory. You have no wife, no children. Your family died from the pestilence. You have nothing to lose other than your life.”
Erg stood there scowling, his hefty fists clenched in anger. But the other trolls didn’t give a crap. Farhas knew the right sore points to poke.
“I for one am scared to imagine such beasts attacking our settlement,” the old troll continued, pointing toward the portal. “Children, women, the elderly... They’ll all be torn to bits or assimilated for rebirth. Is that how you see the future of our tribe, Erg?”
Yet again I was convinced of the old troll’s wisdom and cleverness. I must have been mistaken before. Farhas must have found out about the Intellect tablet somehow. He decided to try an alternative method. With Erg’s help, he was showing everyone that the young upstart would never make a good chieftain. At the very least for the time being.
The big fellow had nowhere to hide. Sniffling angrily, he lowered his head and shut his mouth.
“How far do we have to go?” Dago asked.
“That portal was open a little ove
r a day,” I answered. “You saw how fast those creatures can be. The farther you get, the better. Beyond that, the portal will be left unguarded and who’s to say how long it will be open for the next time? Or if it ever will close again...”
The last sentence I actually whispered. But everyone heard me. Just the way their faces turned bleak. What did they think was gonna happen? Without crystals, the portal would become unstable.
“If things really are how you say,” Farhas began. “Then this land will soon be hell on earth. The beasts will just keep coming. First they’ll conquer the whole forest and surrounding lands. Then they’ll make their way onto the steppe. I don’t feel sorry for the orcs, but will they be able to hold out for long?”
“We’re actually lucky the beasts were brainless,” I said. “They were working on instinct alone.”
“What is that supposed to mean?” the old man asked in surprise.
“That intelligent otherworldly entities are bound to enter into our world as well. And I’ve seen what they can do. It won’t take a hundred. Twenty creatures like that and we’d have died today.”
“That means we have less time than I thought,” the old troll said dismally.
* * *
— Attention! You have absorbed Crusher spirit!
— Congratulations! Your reputation with the Order of Monster Hunters has been increased by 200 points! Happy Hunting!
— Present value: 9930.
Regeneration, a potion of satiety, the improved Lair and a personal healer at my side — absorbing both of the spirits went smooth as butter. I had to take breaks between the rituals, but I had them both over with by evening.
In the end, I came away with two new marks on my body. The ghostly armorbug tried to slice through my wrist with its mandibles, while the crusher tried to pincer off a leg.
By the way, Mee also underwent a ritual and received an armorbug spirit. As for Gorgie, we weren’t able to pull off the same trick. The Great System gave me a clear indication that the harn unfortunately lived by different laws.
As for the spirits themselves, I wouldn’t say I was elated exactly, but I also wasn’t too disappointed.
— Black Armorbug Spirit.
—
— Type: Magical spirit.
— Rarity: Rare.
— Effect:
— Attack.
— Description:
— Summons a spirit that deals 3000 points of damage.
— Summoning requires 400 mana points.
— Remember! You may only appeal to the power of the Black Armorbug 1 time every 5 days!
When I opened the description of the crusher spirit, I was hoping deep down for wings. That would have been really nice! But alas, Random had different ideas.
— Crusher Spirit.
—
— Type: Magical spirits.
— Rarity: Rare.
— Effect:
— Camouflage.
— Description:
— Summons a spirit that surrounds you with an opaque magical fog that disorients and confuses opponents.
— Summoning requires 200 mana points.
— Remember! You may only appeal to the power of the Crusher 1 time every 5 days!
Hrm, so definitely not wings... But the low mana requirements were nice.
Farhas was keeping close watch over me. Watching me undergo the absorption ritual with two spirits had him pretty shaken up. I could understand that. Taming spirits was a very rare occurrence.
When I took out a third vial and extended it to Mee, his face was a sight to behold. Then, when the fourth came out for Gorgie, I thought Farhas was going to have a stroke.
So when it didn’t work with the harn, the old troll rushed over to me. And before he even stopped walking, he asked:
“If you don’t need that spirit, could I buy it or trade for it?”
Hm... And why not? Who ever said the trolls didn’t have any stuff that might interest me?
“Do you have any items for my level?” I asked hopefully.
Alas, the old man shook his head “no.”
“What about tablets?” I asked.
“They’re too important to our tribe’s development.”
I understand — a strategic reserve.
“Maybe you have some mana crystals then?”
“No. But I do have this,” Farhas said, taking a handful of hunter tokens out of his bag. “If this isn’t enough, my warriors have more.”
I have no idea how many tokens a vial like that might be worth. I think it all depends on exactly what the spirit inside it is. But still I want all their tokens. I suspect this isn’t the last arsenal I’ll come across.
“Do you understand that acquiring a spirit is a matter of great luck?” I asked. “The orcs wait years for it to happen.”
“How much you want for it?”
“All the tokens you and your tribe have.”
“That’s fine,” the old man nodded and walked in a quick pace to collect the “tribute” from his soldiers.
A few minutes later he brought me almost six hundred tokens and we made the exchange. Beyond that, he decided to give me back eleven Scrolls of Fury and nineteen Ticks — all the warriors had left after the battle.
“I understand that I gave you something I’d never have been able to use in the first place,” the old troll said suddenly. “Beyond that, I only gave you back things you gave us yourself before the battle. So here...”
The old man slowly removed one of the amulets from his neck. It was a tusk. Based on the size, it was a troll tusk. Its whole surface was etched with fanciful scrawling that appeared nonsensical at first glance. I examined it.
“Friend of the Trolls” Amulet.
— Type: Badge of honor.
— Rarity: Legendary.
— Description:
— The highest award for service to troll-kind.
— Recommendations:
— If you were given one of these, you must have performed a truly good deed, which the trolls appreciated highly.
— Nontransferable.
— Weight: None. Takes no space.
Farhas solemnly hung the amulet around my neck.
“This is not some mere trinket,” he explained. “The Stone Forest is the domain of the trolls. Outsiders have no place here. Now you are no longer an outsider.”
Chapter 23
IT HAD BEEN TWO DAYS since we beat back the outbreak of otherworldly beasts. In that time, Mee got all the wounded on their feet, even pulling one of them back from the beyond. The potions of satiety were a big help.
While the gremlin upheld our end of the deal, I kept busy as well. Using my new ability, I walked around the surroundings of the whole fort. I walked past to the portal and altar again as well but, alas, I didn’t discover anything new. There just had to be something valuable below the earth there, but my new ability was for magical emanations, so I couldn’t see it.
For the record, in the middle of the day yesterday, I discovered that the sixth sense could detect things both on the ground and in the air. I don’t know what it was that I saw, but its speed and the size of its magic supply made a grim impression. I suspect it was another of Master Chi’s specimens that flew the Hive. I was glad it didn’t notice me. The treetops were sufficient cover from the big old monster.
Farhas took my tale about the Hive very seriously. He spent a long time asking the details and levels of the beasts we encountered.
And the old man devoted extra attention to the vial of armorbug spirit. Hiding nothing, I told him everything in the description — damage, mana requirements, timeframes. Then I gave an instruction session on the absorption process. I even offered to safeguard the old troll with our spells and potions, but he refused. I didn’t understand why at first, but later it reached me — he hadn’t gotten the spirit for himself, but for young Dago. Although I may have been wrong. After all, the old man could have asked us to conduct the ritual for the boy, but he did not
. That meant there might have been a few reasons. And if I considered it, the elder was right. Dago with his little supply wouldn’t be able to summon a spirit anytime soon. Though honestly that was only if he didn’t have any mana crystals. In any case, I didn’t go wracking my brains with guesses — let the trolls carry out whatever scheme they had dreamt up...
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