by G. Akella
"Thanks, I'll pass," the huntress chuckled, kicking the boss' carcass. "Was there anything else but the bow in there?"
"A ring for Bonbon," Max tossed the item to the bald warrior. "And offal of some sort—Luffy can collect it by himself."
"My alchemy skill is still at zero, but I already have enough of this filth to open a sausage factory," the mage put the reagents dropped by the boss into his bag, wincing in disgust. "It's a good thing every alchemist gets a special bag to store them."
"Did you hear?" Bonbon pointed his finger at the mage. "If this character offers you any sausage, don't take it! Well, unless you're starving."
"I'll be sure to keep it for you," the huntress snapped back, and kicked the carcass again. "What about the head?" she asked, raising her eyes at Max. "You don't just find sixteen gold coins lying about."
"I think Bonbon will solve this problem in a jiffy," chuckled the warrior.
"Finally a chance for daddy to do what he likes," Bonbon rubbed his hands together, approached the corpse, and proceeded to hack at Rgharg's head, separating it from the body with a dozen sword strikes.
"Here, take it!" he tossed the severed head to Max. "You're the leader, so you hand in the quest."
Max caught the head, the slime from the cut dribbling all over his breastplate, getting right under his neck.
"Sometimes you're too much, Bonbon," Max shook his head, rubbing away the filth with a cloth. "So, what's the plan? Shall we keep on looking for the chest? Unless that was the chest where we found those two gold coins upstairs."
"I'm sure it wasn't," replied the bald warrior, wiping his blade against the dead boss' hide. "The way these things work, once we empty that chest, the inn should disappear. This is a magical world, you see..."
Bonbon walked over to the stove, which had grown cold, opened the lid of one of the pots and smelled the contents.
"Smells good," he grunted as he looked at his companions. "What if we—"
"Eat this stuff yourself if you really want to," Luffy frowned. "Just don't get us involved. Max, let's get going already, before this guy gets any other bright ideas."
The pantries contained nothing of interest whatsoever—just rusty utensils, rotten vegetables, and mold on the walls, but Luffy did eventually find an iron-plated door in the last room. Max ordered everyone to get ready for battle, just in case, and only pulled the curved wooden handle after confirming that the party had followed his order.
The rusty hinges gave a hideous screech as they opened, and the heavy smell of blood hit them in the face. Masyanya threw up at once, and she had every reason to—the small rectangular room was where the ghouls had stored their victims' butchered corpses. There were human carcasses in various stages of disfigurement hanging on three meat hooks, and another one lay on a wooden table in the corner.
"Judging by the sight of these folks, they had worse luck than we," Bonbon walked inside and pushed one of the bodies, making it swing back and forth. "Now isn't that odd?" he mused as he turned to Luffy. "Imagine, now—you got resurrected a long time ago, and are running around meadows catching butterflies, picking daisies, and so on. And in the meantime some wench is cooking your meat, stirring it in a pot ever so sexily."
"I liked the bit about the butterflies," Max followed the bald warrior in and looked around.
The blue chest with the quest reward stood to the right of the entrance. The warrior lifted the lid, chuckled, and pulled out a rare bastard sword. At last!
Young Warrior's Runic Blade
Sword: two-handed, one-handed.
Durability: 489/500.
Rare.
Minimum level: 21.
Damage: 34-68.
+20 to strength.
+10 to constitution.
1% to critical hit chance with a physical attack.
Weight: 12 lbs.
The sword looked perfectly ordinary—a regular blade, a straight guard, and a bronze pyramid-shaped pommel. However, it was a rare sword nevertheless.
"Masyanya, why don't you just collect your reward? You can carry on later," Max addressed the huntress, gently running his hand along the blade.
"I've nothing left to carry on with," she grunted, wiping tears from her eyes before she entered the room, opened the chest, took out a pair of rare leather boots, and darted back out. Bonbon and Luffy each got a helm. The new item transformed the tank's appearance, lending him distant resemblance to a gladiator from Ancient Rome, whereas the circlet that Luffy ended up with looked more like twisted aluminum wire.
"Well?" the warrior placed the sword in his scabbard and looked at the ceiling.
The walls of the inn started to blur before his eyes, as if triggered by his speech, and in the blink of an eye they found themselves in the forest again.
"You know, Max, I think we've had enough adventures for tonight," said Luffy contemplatively, gazing up at the moon hanging over the forest. "I mean, we can keep on rushing pell-mell through the forest, but I don't think Talyan is likely to run away from us."
"Agreed," nodded the warrior. "Let's spend the night here, and head for the town in the morning. Shall we get a fire going?"
"Fire would be nice," the huntress shuddered from the night chill.
"In that case, let's start gathering firewood. Let's hope no one gets lost," Max chuckled and headed for the nearest trees.
They gathered firewood quickly, and supped just as hastily. Then Bonbon went to sleep.
The full moon still hung in the sky, the night birds calling out to each other. As Max looked at the burning campfire, he suddenly felt like everything that was happening around him was quite unreal, as if the magic forest didn't exist, and what surrounded them was a regular wood inhabited by animals of the usual sort—maybe half a mile away from a regular highway, where you could hop on a regular a bus and...
Max's skin felt clammy. He grabbed the hilt of his newly acquired sword and ran his palm down the length of it. The sensation of touching cold metal calmed him down. The warrior took a swig from the bottle that had stood nearby, pulled a burning branch out of the fire and used it to light his cigarette, then made a couple of satisfied drags.
"Where are you guys from, anyway?" asked Masyanya in a low voice. She sat staring at the fire, looking lost in thought.
"Me and Bonbon are from Moscow, and Luffy's from Kiev," replied Max. "What about you?"
"Omsk," the girl threw another branch into the fire and raised her eyes at Max. "How long have you guys been traveling together? And why are you headed to Talyan?"
"Me and Max have been together since the Sunlit Forest," Luffy replied for Max. "We logged in already after the patch. He came to find two friends of his, a man and a woman, and I had a car accident. We met Bonbon in Ellorian, and decided to stick together."
"Why Talyan?"
"A girl from the inn that burned down had told Max that his lady friend would be there."
"I see," the girl sighed. "And I got stranded here while at work. Me... and forty four other people."
"So why are you on your own?"
"Some dickhead started to hit on me back there. His level was close to a hundred. So I told everyone to piss off and left. I had no one left in the real world anyway. I never knew my father, and mom passed away a year ago. And I parted ways with my ex three days before I ended up here," the girl chuckled mirthlessly.
"Well, why don't you join us?" Max smiled to her. "We don't have much experience, but you won't get bored—that much I can promise."
"I believe you," the huntress nodded, glancing at the sleeping Bonbon. "This one must keep you entertained all the time."
"Once we find Alyona, we'll have a fully functional party of five. A tank, a healer, and three dps."
"I accept," the girl nodded. "I only managed to earn four silver coins over the last five days, and I spent them all on the journey. And in the two hours that I've been with you, I got two rares and a whopping six gold coins, including our quest reward. Unbelievable. Sata is sure k
eeping an eye on you."
"Who's Sata?" Luffy stopped studying his new headgear, raising his eyes at the girl.
"The Goddess of Luck," Masyanya smiled. "I've been studying the local pantheon on my way here. There were about fifty deities here before the patch, and some new ones seem to have joined their number," the girl stretched, covering a yawn with her palm. "I should turn in, or I'll be a total zombie tomorrow. Good night."
Luffy fell asleep about twenty minutes later, leaving only Max sitting awake by the campfire. He didn't feel remotely sleepy, thinking that he would finally see Alyona in just a couple of hours. How would she react to his arrival? Would she be happy to see him? What if she already had someone? Then he thought about the strange girl that he had encountered at the inn back in Ellorian, Saté. Sata? I doubt it, he smiled and took another draw from the bottle at his feet. Why would a goddess want to get involved with a lowly noob? But could it be that one of her priestesses had paid him a visit in that guise? One way or another, he was immensely grateful to his green-eyed protectress for her help, but as for trying to guess her identity... She would tell him whenever she saw fit, and he had plenty of other problems to worry about besides. These were the thoughts that went through his head as he finished the moonshine in the bottle, wrapped himself up in his cloak, and tried to fall asleep.
He dreamed of a large black fox sitting on a huge boulder—the kind found at crossroads in Russian folk tales. Max could not make out the inscription on the boulder, and so he did not know which of the three roads to choose. He just stood there, staring at the animal sitting on the boulder in silence. The fox took its time studying the warrior with its ironic eyes that seemed to have taken a good measure of him, and then jumped off and ran away, following the left road. Left-field solutions are our specialty, Max chuckled. He adjusted the scabbard with a two-handed sword on his back, which seemed to appear out of nowhere, and followed after the fox.
When morning came, they had a quick breakfast and set off in the direction of Talyan. All the while they walked, Max tried to remember what had happened next in his dream, but to no avail. All he could recollect was the stone and the black fox that had shown him the way. He could only guess at where that road might lead him.
Chapter 18
Talyan was a small town surrounded by a hedge of thorny bushes, which met them with pouring rain. The guards were trying to find shelter from the rain on the two watchtowers standing to either side of the road, paying absolutely no attention to the four soaked travelers.
"Where are we off to now?" Masyanya asked Max, shouting to be heard over the downpour.
"The village council first, to hand in the quest," the warrior pointed at a large wide-branching tree standing standing a bit off the road. "And then to the inn to dry off."
"Damn!" Luffy slipped on the wet grass and only managed to keep from falling by grabbing Bonbon's shoulder. "A decent owner wouldn't even let a dog out of the house in this weather. We're the only idiots up and about."
"Didn't I offer you to wait it out under a fir tree?" the bald warrior snorted. "You could build a hut from fallen branches and pick some mushrooms."
"You armored lot don't care," the mage continued, ignoring the tank's words. "Just wipe those cast iron pots of yours with a cloth and you're dry. But what am I supposed to do?"
"Well, isn't it obvious?" Bonbon looked at him in surprise. "You can hang your undergarments up on a line and dance a fire dance around them. Just take Masyanya with you for assistance. It's not much fun to watch you shake your as, but her..."
"Will you ever shut up?" Masyanya tried to kick Bonbon, but the tank dodged easily, catching the girl as she slipped, and put her back on her feet, quite unperturbed. Masyanya let out a disappointed sigh, shrugged, and followed him.
"Who are you and what do you want?" one of the guards at the entrance to the town's main tree moved to the right, blocking the entrance.
"Are you blind? Or do we look like orcs?" Luffy snapped, quite unexpectedly.
"Relax," Max held the mage back by the shoulder and demonstrated Rgharg's head to the elf. "We have a trophy that we must hand in to Majordomo Elloise. "We managed to take down a peculiar beastie on our way here, as you can see..."
"Where'd you find one of those?" an expression of approval lit up the elf's impassive face for a split second.
"He was hiding from the rain under a fir," Bonbon informed the guard in a deadpan voice, throwing a sideways glance at the mage. "Probably picking mushrooms, too, but I can't be completely sure."
"All right, enter," the elf chuckled, obviously having taken none of the bald warrior's words seriously. "Majordomo Elloise asked me to let none of your kind pester him, but I believe he'll make an exception in your case. You need the second tier," the elf nodded and stepped aside.
Interior-wise, the main tree resembled the one where Max and Luffy got their very first quests in this realm. Max traced the inner wall with his hand with great care, then waved to the others and headed for the makeshift staircase.
Majordomo Elloise, a dark-haired level 70 elf, sat behind a table growing out of the floor, frowning as he sorted through a pile of scrolls. When he noticed the visitors, his frown grew deeper, and he spoke in a weary tone.
"I have no idea why Riindyl let you through, but there is nothing I can do for you, young people. I don't hand out any quests—not even if you start begging. I don't need my floor swept, or my room decorated with garlands. Nor do I want you to sing me any strange songs. If you're newcomers, the best person to see about quests is Areothor, head of the guards. You'll find him in the barracks—"
"We didn't come to ask you for quests—we're here for our money," Max cut the irritated majordomo short, approached the table and placed the head of the dead boss upon it.
"Oh, so that's why you're here!" the elf took Rgharg's head in his hands with great care, as though it were an imperial Ming vase, and examined it from every side. "May I know your names?" he asked, raising his eyes at Max.
"Max, Luffy, Bonbon and Masyanya," the warrior introduced himself and each of his companions.
"You two-lived have really strange names," muttered the elf musingly. "Do they mean anything?"
"Not really—names bear no deep meanings in the world we come from."
"This is odd," the elf shook his head once again. "A week ago a warrior like you named Donkeypunch was convincing me of the opposite."
Max bit his lip to keep from exploding with laughter. He heard Luffy choke on a laugh behind him, followed by a sob from Masyanya and a grunt from Bonbon.
"Let me rephrase," Max tried to speak in a level voice. "In most cases, our names indeed possess no deep meanings. But sometimes there are exceptions."
"All right, that does not concern us much right now," the elf dismissed the matter, and placed four stacks of four gold coins on the table before him.
You've completed the quest: Rgharg.
You received 4 gold.
"On behalf of the city of Talyan, I thank you, Max, Luffy, Bonbon and Masyanya, for having disposed of a dangerous monster. Please accept my gratitude," announced the elf solemnly. "And now, please excuse me—I have work to do."
The rain had stopped, but there was still no one out in the street. Talyan seemed more like a village to Max. Three streets, a dozen watchtowers, and an unprepossessing shrub hedge around the perimeter. But what can you expect from a town located away from caravan routes?
"I wonder if you can do anything to change your name now?" said Bonbon pensively as they headed toward the inn.
"You just cannot come to terms with the fact that some people have such sweet-sounding names filled with deep wisdom, while you're just a regular run-of-the-mill Bonbon?" the mage mocked the tank, stepping around a particularly deep puddle.
"You're absolutely right," the bald warrior sighed sadly. "How do I go on..."
"It's the man that makes the name, and not the other way round," Max decided to cheer up his friend.
"That'
s right," the huntress agreed with the warrior. "You, Bonbon, are one of a kind—I don't think there's another one like you in this whole realm. Why would you want to advertise that further than necessary?"
"Thanks, Masyanya," replied Bonbon gratefully. "You know, I could practically learn to love you by this point. All we need to do is dye your hair and grow your brain three times its current size, and you'll be my ideal! Like Leonardo's Mona Lisa. Or, at the very least, like Bonnie was for Clyde, or like Clyde was for Bonnie. I keep forgetting which of them was the woman."
"Oh, why did I have to say anything..." muttered the huntress in a glum voice. "The only way this leopard will change his spots is they up and flee his hide in horror. What a bummer," she announced sadly.
The inn was of the standard design, and less than half-full. Talyan's remoteness apparently prevented the majority of the players from reaching it. The dining hall smelled of ale, fresh pastries and cinnamon. An elderly level 70 elf flashed a welcoming smile to the newcomers, put away the cloth he had been wiping the bar with, and arched his right eyebrow quizzically.
"Dark ale and some nosh," Bonbon spoke for everyone, wiping drops of water from his bald skull with his hand. If you have roast suckling pig, we'll take that; if not, anything you recommend. And we'll take a two-gallon barrel of ale at once," he looked at Max and chuckled. "I have a feeling we'll be stuck here for awhile."
But the warrior could no longer hear Bonbon, or the innkeeper's reply.
A red-haired elf female sat in the corner of the hall, her back to the wall. Clad in leather armor with strange angular designs embroidered on it, her hands were crossed on her chest as she studied the carved wooden cup on the table before her.
The girl was breathtakingly beautiful. Her bangs fell on her forehead, giving her a mischievously tomboyish look. She had fine, regular features, a well-defined mouth, and a slightly elongated face—just as Max remembered her from the last few years. The only difference was that now her dark skin hid the merry freckles that had been scattered across her nose, and her ears were shaped differently, but that only made her look more exquisite. She was even more beautiful and dearer to him now—so much more so that Max's breath caught in his throat.
