The Way of the Clan 6: World of Valdira

by Dem Mikhaylov

  And then what? They catch the fish— and learn about the glove in its belly. The info spreads quickly. There’s another headache. If I call the Sleepless or the Albatrosses— the same thing will happen. Each clan is only thinking of themselves. To be honest, I didn’t want to ask anyone for help. But I couldn’t imagine killing the underwater monstrosity alone. If it could get out of the water and walk to the village…

  “O-o-oh…”

  The fisherman at my feet groaned and stirred. Another minute, another groan, and he stared up at me with bloodshot eyes.

  “How are you?” I asked quietly, bending down and stretching a pitcher to Afrosio. “Beer. It’s fresh. And cold.”

  “O-o-oh…” the fisher grabbed the pitcher and swallowed the foaming liquid.

  After a few moments, the air was filled with a very long burping. As if he were a croaking frog.

  “I’m alive,” said the fisherman hoarsely.

  “I see that,” I nodded. “My name is Rosgard.

  “I know!” Fervently nodded the fisherman. “I see it!”

  Wham!

  Afrosio slammed his forehead into the ground, getting it right into the protruding stone. And he froze there… from shock? Had he lost consciousness? And what did he mean, to “know” and “see?”

  “Good Rosgard! Kind Rosgard! Deliverer!” Stammered the fisherman. “So they tell me! So I have been told! They said that if I’m near the village he will find me himself! They call him Rosgard! He came himself! Stretching out his hand to me! Bestowing comfort and reassurance! By the way… any comfort left?” He placed the mug of beer before me.

  “Later,” I coughed. “Hm… and who told you that?”

  “SHE! She appeared in a dream and told me everything! Endure, Afros, she said! Wait, Afros! And he will come! And you did!”

  “Who is she?”

  “I can’t see that! But she is beautiful! Blinding white rays!”

  “And when was that? When you were in the church?”

  “In church? No! Not then! When, in exchange for two cases of fish I traded an infusion of herbs! There were strange worms in it… when I was removing them and draining the pot, then she appeared!”

  “Alright… got it… so, what is it you want, Afros?” I said, not having expected such a turn of events. And therefore I was thrown off, and trying to improvise.

  “Save me! Protect me, good Rosgard! Defend me against the monster! I’ll give you everything I have!”

  Attention! Unique job!

  You got the job “monster of the lake depths!”

  Protect the life of the fisherman Afrosio, pursued by the unknown monster.

  Minimum conditions for the job:

  Fisherman Afrosio must stay alive!

  Destroy the monster / avert the threat to the fisherman Afrosio.

  Reward:

  ???

  ???

  Experience: ???

  “I accept,” I nodded solemnly, and then added: “I’ll protect you, Afrosio.”

  “Thank you! I am so grateful!” The fisherman said, pressing his forehead to the stone again. “Savior! Kind Rosgard!”

  “Right… okay. Get up.”

  “Maybe some more tranquility, huh? Just a jug more…”

  “Here,” I said, and reached for another pitcher. “Don’t rush. As you drink, tell me everything. Answer everything. Okay?”

  “Yes! But protect me!”

  “Okay, okay. Drink…”

  The fisher began to drink. And I was lost in thought again.

  This was one of these rare occasions in which “the reward finds the hero.” In my case, it just happened. Perhaps by some divine intervention. And I think I knew who the hand of god belonged to…

  “Sir,” a servant quietly approached me.

  “Hm?” I asked with an exhausted satisfaction. “Something happened?”

  “Yes,” nodded the servant, glancing with hostility at the fisherman. “This person…”

  “Yes?”

  “He isn’t liked… this person is a thief and a parasite. He is a drunk. A binge drinker. That’s what they say about him in the village… and I’m inclined to believe their words, because even the mayor and the priest support these claims. The fisherman is a convict who served his sentence in a local salt mine. And on his shoulders is the stigma of multiple escape attempts. If there had been another— he would have been sent to the prison of Al Dra Das. He isn’t worthy of your attention, sir. Speaking with him casts a shadow on your reputation. If you would hear my honest opinion, I don’t believe you should rub shoulders with such scum…”

  “Well then,” I sighed. “Everything as usual…”

  “Everything as usual?” Repeated the servant, but I shook my head.

  “It’s a saying. I have no choice. I have to help him.”

  “I understand, sir. Sometimes the way to the light leads to the darkness,” said the servant to my surprise. “Any instructions?”

  “None as of right now. Eat, relax. I think we will linger here a while.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  And once again I was left in isolation, pouring Afrosio beer. To the fisherman, I was no more than part of the scenery. But he would notice me soon, I deduced… very soon, judging by the emptying jug.

  “Savior…” Timid hope and faith burned in the eyes of Afrosio. And greed. Unhealthy feverish greed. The longing look was no longer directed at me, but at the bag at my feet, made of durable blue fabric. He was trying to find the alcohol.

  Lord… Valdira, Valdira… sometimes you are just scary… why do you have to include this in your bright magical world…

  Shaking my head, I evaluated the state of the fisherman. His hands shaking as though he had just performed a Beethoven concerto on the piano. But he seemed more steady. And his eyes sparkled. His stomach rumbled, coming out of the coma.

  It was clear that now, it was necessary to give him more beer, give him food at the nearest tavern, to warm him up… tell him that all is well… and only then move on to the case.

  That is, if you go by the laws of the game.

  But what if I try something else?

  “What have you done, Afros?” I looked fixedly at the fisherman. “What did you do? Hm? Why is the monster chasing you? And why hasn’t it killed you yet? Answer me1”

  “Huh?” The local reacted with a look sincere and childlike. “Who has done, savior? I am clean! I am the victim!”

  “Victim,” I winced. “Answer me! Now! Or I will leave!”

  “You gave your word!” Afrosio instantly grabbed my leg, reaching his other hand to my bag. “The word is law!”

  “Answer,” I said slowly and clearly. “What. Have. You. Done? Otherwise, I really will go— right now!”

  “I’m an innocent sufferer, I am…”

  “False!” Rang an incredibly melodious voice, which seemed to be a mix of murmuring water and rustling leaves. At that moment, I turned on the video— and started to turn my head. The sensationalism of Kaylen was contagious. I was hooked. Such an unusual voice could not belong to a common inhabitant of Valdira.

  I turned my head, looked over, and could hardly keep from swearing.

  Over the edge of the coastal cliff towered a wooden column. Rather, a kind of tower of wood made of a bunch of finer branches. A moment ago, there had been nothing there— it all appeared in a second. At the top of the column was a girlish figure— all of her proportions indicated this. The body of the girl was woven from twigs, and her eyes were like nests of fireflies. Her legs grew into the column, and instead of clothes she had a tunic of green foliage studded with white buds. Her hands, made of vine, rested on her hips angrily, and her long hair was made of hundreds of thin branches which rustled in the wind.

  “Hello, one of the Good Sisters,” I smiled, easily identifying the visitor.

  I didn’t recognize her in particular, but rather that she belonged to a particular family. One very divine family, beloved by all in Valdira.

  Will
ow Sisters. Daughters of the light goddess Iwawa.

  The goddess has a large family. All daughters, except for one son. The daughters were named accordingly: Birch, Spruce…

  And the son was called Willow.

  Who the daddy was, I wasn’t sure… but I wasn’t particularly interested in the details of someone else’s private life. I didn’t know much about the son except that he existed somewhere.

  But the daughters of Iwawa were talked about by everyone. There were not goddesses, but far above ordinary mortals. And their very essence got rid of ailments, their very presence healed and cleansed. If in the presence of one of the sisters, all spells aimed at healing, cleansing and so on will be several times stronger. All this was given free of charge.

  Even now, as she was near me, I was notified that I was being given accelerated regeneration, and a few special auras. My fatigued slow and my resistance to natural plant and animal poisons was increase.

  Afrosio changed before my eyes— he began to hiccup and his gray skin turned pinkish. His eyes acquired a normal shine, his back straightened, and his lips were no longer bluish. In short, the alcoholic became a sober man after a minute of silence, as the sister and I looked at each other. As the fisherman flushed, I paled from fear. But it wasn’t like the girl was the river monster…

  “Hello to you too, friend,” she smiled, having given me time to observe her. “I am Spruce.”

  “I’m Rosgard. Can I help you, good soul?” I said, trying not to show my feeling of doom. Things weren’t looking good, if such an entity had decided to show up without being called.

  “I heard your conversation, Rosgard. I see you have a good soul. Ready to help at any cost. That is admirable… but do not help, Rosgard! Do not help Afrosio!”

  That’s it… my ship has sailed…

  I would not quarrel with any of the Willow Sisters. Never! Not for love or money! Not in exchange for the Silver Legend! I wouldn’t even whisper something bad behind my back, much less go into conflict with them.

  The sisters were loved by all. They were kindness itself They are always ready to help, and are adored by players and honored by locals. Some revere them as deities.

  Their mother is Iwawa… she is good, but can be a real bitch if need be.

  But maybe I can somehow fix this?

  “I always listen to the opinion of the good sisters,” I bowed my head. And thus, I made the mistake,

  “I encourage it, Rosgard,” briefly replied Spruce, and the pillar sank down, taking the girl back down into the surface of Naykal.

  Attention!

  Are you sure you want to give up the job “Monster of the Lake Depths”?!

  Afros quietly whined, for a moment reminding me of a frightened bog-creature.

  “Not so fast,” I muttered, pressing “no.”

  And the plant column gently rose up again and looked at me, her eyes a little angrier.

  “I would like to know the reason,” I smiled sincerely. “It’s no good to leave the victim with no explanation, sister.”

  “It’s true… but the matter concerns only us,” she snapped. “Not you! Take my word for it— Afrosio is a thief and a cheater! Not worthy of your help!”

  If Afrosio is chased by the willow sister— that means, she will not kill me. The thought flashed through my head. If the fisherman were to die, it would only be out of the failure of his digital liver.

  Spruce was serious… oh, how did I manage to fuck up like this in the search for the legendary pike?! I have so much time and money, and it looked like I was going to come home empty-handed. Damn it! I won’t fight her, but I can still talk!

  “Yes,” I nodded eagerly. “But still… I wonder what makes him such a terrible fisherman. What did he do to offend you, Spruce?”

  “I will say it again,” the sister leaned in for a moment, and her glowing eyes flew out of their plant orbits and stared straight into my eyes. Damn it… “I only ask— do not help him! Afrosio is worthy of punishment, but not help! Our affairs do not concern…”

  “What about me?” Came a gentle hissing from the lake.

  Then up rose a thick snake body with scarlet and golden scales, ending with the body of a woman with a beautiful face. On her shoulders lay her red hair and her eyes were vertical yellow pupils. She looked at Spruce with a carnivorous look.

  Hello, Snessa.

  “What about me?” Repeated Snessa, momentarily looking at me and then staring back at Spruce.

  I heard a swallow at my feet. The fisherman had taken a beer jug right out of my bag! A shameless thief. But he swallowed as though he was drinking water… dying of thirst… well, let him. He is clearly in a state of shock.

  “This concerns me, right?” Smiled Snessa. With a hiss, her snake body wove around the branches of the tree column. “Right? My bog-creatures whine by the river bank… they are afraid to fish. They are afraid to conduct water rituals dedicated to me!” A thick crunch, and the body of the snake squeezed sharply around the pillar of vegetation. Spruce swayed and shouted.

  My jaw had dropped so far that it was almost by the feet of Afrosio.

  “They do not carry out water rituals… they do not pray to me as they should… and NOW of all times, in these days!” The roar of the goddess shook the air, and a third of my life slipped, immediately replenished by the aura of Spruce. “NOW! When every bit of strength is so important!”

  The pole of vegetation was ruthlessly crushed by the serpent’s body, and the willow sister’s body sprayed green juice. Spruce cried, her body swinging at the top of the column, but she couldn’t escape— comparing their strength, Spruce was like a little pug and Snessa— a rabid dinosaur.

  After a moment I realized that Spruce was not as wise as I had thought:

  “In these days…” Quietly, but pointedly said the willow sister. “Oh yeah… because the oracle mentioned your name in his dire predictions… Goddess…”

  She is a fool down and out— I thought, and smiled, knowing that it was going down now. It wasn’t wise to sass the snake or try to poison her with words… she is quick tempered, and has an evil brother… the whole family is messed up…

  And a second later Spruce was soaring, because Snessa had delivered a blow so hard that she was sent flying up into the air. In the river I saw the drifting remnants of the log column…

  As Spruce climbed higher, the aura given by her diminished. Afrosio began to swallow beer with more freedom and zeal.

  The tail of the snake shot up and easily caught the flying missile, and pulled her down. For a moment the aura surrounded me again, and then it disappeared as the maiden passed the edge of the cliff and was imprinted into the surface of the water with the impact of a missile. And it wasn’t a figure of speech— I could see many stunned fish surface belly up in the war zone. A huge wave formed and spread outwards.

  Continuing to hold the plant nymph, Snessa dragged her through the shallow water and deposited her on the cliff where we stood. At my feet lay the unhappy willow sister, gasping for air and whispering something hoarsely. A few fish twitched in her hair. The green tunic was torn, revealing parts of her slender body. But I didn’t care about the details… nor about anything else, after witnessing such a brutal flogging.

  “Did you say something?” Said Snessa with a beaming smile. Receiving nothing in response, Snessa turned to me:

  “Glad to see you again, Rosgard.”

  “Likewise,” I nodded.

  “The monster that lives in the once peaceful waters of Naykal must be destroyed,” declared the goddess. “Seven of the eight sanctuaries on the lake are empty! No one has spoken my name for a while on the lake Naykal! There is trouble! That isn’t your fault, but the fact is, that you are involved, Rosgard. Do you agree?”

  “The pike,” I nodded. “It swallowed the armor.”

  “Right! And I saw the power of the pike! He imagines himself the master of the local waters! And she!” Snessa pointed to the beaten Spruce. “She has long since lost he
r power over that fish! It was like a dog on a chain, but the dog broke loose and no longer has a master. Yes, Spruce? Right, you stupid little child? And instead of trying to fix it she didn’t do anything! But she learned to talk back!”

  “Oo-oo-oo-oo…” Spruce moaned, sitting up. “Wa-t-t-ter…”

  She was already dried up… these beings shouldn’t be away from the water. Maybe their powers of regeneration had to do with water.

  I had water— it was lying in my bag, next to the beer. It was cold. From the well. Uncorking the bottle, I began to pour it on the body of the trembling nymph. But she was propelled up into the sky again, and then down… and again…

  “Water you say! Water!” Angrily hissed Snessa. “Right, of course!”

  “Um… maybe that’s enough?” I timidly uttered.

  “You shut up!”

  “Shutting up,” I nodded, looking at the bulging eyes of Afros.

  “S…sedative,” wheezed the local. “D-don’t feel my legs…”

  Plop!

  Something more reminiscent of a scarecrow flopped on the grass— something terrible, disheveled, otherworldly. The fireflies of her eyes were hovering in the air, puzzled and looking at me piteously. And what could I do?

  “Here’s your water,” growled Snessa, having softened a little bit.

  A half ton of water fell from the sky. It washed over the ground up to my knee. Afrosio was overwhelmed up to his head for a moment. The water immediately squelched, soaked up by the dry broken twigs and leaves.

  “Rosgard!” The goddess set her eyes on me. “Get rid of the pike! This girl has caused me enough trouble!”

  At this, the remnants of the willow sister trembled, but her eyes flew a few meters away, staring at us from afar.

  Snessa didn’t notice this maneuver and continued to speak:

  “The cursed pike is under the protection of the goddess Iwawa! I will not have a quarrel with her on my hands. But who do you think you’re talking to, Spruce? Damn willow trunk! While I’m still here, know your place, you rotten piece of wood! Rosgard, you already know yourself— there is a great battle coming soon. I need my sanctuaries to be full. I need rituals. This is very necessary! And the bog creatures are crying! Day and night they call for me… a little more and I’ll go crazy from their whining!!!” Furiously hissed Snessa, her scream heard over the land.