The Way of the Clan 2 (World of Valdira)

by Dem Mikhaylov

  'Go for the madness!’

  I could do nothing but obey.

  We didn’t have wade through hedges and go up the steep hill - we came across a wide winding path of two-colored square tiles. As for me, the choice of colors was strange - pale blue and bright yellow. In order to avoid dazzling, I had to look up higher and explore the surroundings. For no other reason. I didn’t believe in any possible attack. Neither of animal fives that fell under the impact of combat magic scrolls did not attempt to attack or even escape. They obediently burned to the ground.

  It’s a strange place. But if you don’t stare and think deeper, it's very nice to look at. There is lusciously sweet cheerful natural scenery at every step. We've already seen the golden tropical beach and bare rocky hills, on whose slopes a little goat family is happily jumping. No dark place, everything is permeated with sparkling golden rays. White clouds are floating across the sky, every second of them resembles a fluffy heart.

  The chess lane swerved sharply to the side, running around oval pond with gently sloping shores overgrown with water lilies. The water splashed slightly and a smeared gold line rapidly flashed in the air making an arc over the water and dived into the depths with a fountain of spray. But I managed to see the details – a little goldfish family lived in the tiny lake. Again, no darkness – the lake was deep enough, but the water was crystal clear, you could see the light through it... the sandy bottom with five multi-colored peacefully parted shells. Two big and three smaller ones...

  I'm starting to hate number five...

  Pausing for a moment, I went down to the lake, scooped up a handful of water and sipped cautiously. A piercing pink light flashed in front of my eyes, transforming into soft pulsating glow, I heard an incredibly languid female voice that sang, "Ah... love... love... '.

  ‘Oops!’ I exclaimed leaping away from the treacherous lake back to the path. ‘Oh!’

  You’ve got ninety-six hours of a positive effect of "Aura of love!"

  Your sex appeal has increased dramatically and virtually no girl will not be able to resist it!

  Additional information: does not affect other gamers.

  'What is there?’

  ‘As usual,’ I shrugged, taking my place at Keira’s shoulder. ‘Love...’

  Poor fish and mussels... they are to live in that water forever.

  The second time we stayed for a short time when the path leading us forward swerved to a clearing with a small cozy house. Nothing special. A gable peaked roof, some windows with carved architraves, a welcoming open door as if asking to go inside. And a vertical pillar of sparkling light falling from the sky into the clearing, so bright that is noticeable even on a sunny day.

  There was a clatter of steps from the house. Three children leaped out one by onem and instantly made leapfrog, whipping the dust by their bare feet. But they were playing in complete silence, no cheerful hubbub, which was not surprising. Once we looked at their faces, we understood the reason for that strange silence. They didn’t have faces at all. Absolutely smooth whitish ovals instead of faces without the slightest sign of a nose, eyes or mouth.

  We didn’t feel like waiting for the parents. And when moved away for about twenty steps aside, I found a combat scroll with "diamond studs" in my clenched hand. I did not remember how I pulled it out. And then briefly looking around, I saw a huge broad-shouldered figure of a man on the porch who occupied an entire doorway.

  'I don’t know who created this location, but clearly he had some psycho problems,’ I muttered, removing scroll back into one of the pockets of my jacket. ‘A crazy person… drew this horror.’

  'What’s wrong, Ross? It’s not scary. Have you been to the Eve of Darkness or Ghvannasea Sinkhole? And what about the dungeon Dandrog? These are horrible places!’

  'I’ve never been there. All of them are raid locations, it’s not a good idea to go there alone. And as for Dandrog you need a special key and I don’t where to get one.’

  ‘They are always at the auction. I took them there.’

  ‘Yes, I know,- I nodded and changed the subject, not wanting to remind the rich girl, that the key at the auction cost a few hundred bucks. ‘We’re approaching the fog. Is it the beginning madness location?’

  'It must be.’

  'By the way, that's what I am thinking about, Keira,’ I started up and concocted a surprised face. ‘Do you remember you said that the location is filled with the madness of the woman who became insane because her lover betrayed her? How is it possible? As in the Cradle you told me that Myrtle was killed in a battle, and Grim had failed to protect her. Did he retreat from the battlefield leaving his beloved?’

  'Yes, I said it,’ Keira’s voice sounded mechanical. ‘Ros, do not start it again. You promised not to ask!’

  'Another taboo subject,’ I complained bitterly. ‘Okay, let’s forget about it. Let me tell you a good joke! A newcomer was hanging about the Cradle when he heard an ominous voice from a dark alley, "Hey, kid, come closer..."

  'There are no dark alleys in the Cradle!’

  'Just listen! It’s a joke! Well, the newcomer thought a bit and decided to move slowly...’

  Were we walking along the flower field...? I doubted that it was possible to find a suitable name for a floral orgy stretching over a huge area. Flowers of all possible colors and shapes covered the surrounding area as far as the eye could see. Almost flat terrain with rare and low earthen mounds, thickly overgrown with all the same colors, which was already flickering before the eyes. It was not a location rather the gardener's dream. The only consolation for my wandering eyes was a gray-white wall of fog slowly approaching.

  The conversation gradually died, turning into a rare dialogue, then in short phrases, words and finally completely stopped. Keira completely shrank into herself, looking only forward, and occasionally pulling the pearly stone hanging around her neck, but without taking it from the mail. No matter how hard I tried to stir up the girl I failed, and after a while I shrugged, acknowledging my utter defeat. In my humble opinion, their clan was too serious about such things. If there is no place for fun, then why bother to go into the game?

  In any case, we covered the last kilometers and meters in complete silence among the shimmering clouds of pollen. Whatever it was, soon our silent marathon ended at the clearly visible border, that joyfully leaped towards us and reluctantly stepped back, forcing me to swallow nervously.

  Because the border was not really standing still. Rubicon between love and madness was uniformly a vile and pulsating wall of whitish mist, disappearing into the sky, and as though saying – you won’t jump, you won’t get around me. To crown it all up I could hear the distinct sound of a beating heart. No, not my heart, the sound was coming from the wall of fog. And this rhythm... not smooth and clear sound of immersing into the tranquility of the heart, but a sharp, ragged and choking knock instead, as if the owner of the heart was running somewhere or fighting with someone, or dying because of a large dose of adrenaline... living out the last moments of his life.

  Somewhere in every tenth pulsating beat, the wall of fog rapidly fell forward, wedging into the territory of the flowery field, and again rolled back, leaving a broad gray band at the site of the recent magnificent wild vegetation. Shriveled flower stalks bent to the ground, withered buds, leaves twisted in agony and dust slowly falling to the ground reminding a fine ash. In a tiny moment, gusty wind blew and plants that seemed irretrievably dead began to turn green and fill color, straightened stems, buds unfolded again to the sun and come out...

  'Wow, ah...' charmed Keira blurted out, looking at plants "coming alive" after a rollback of misty waves.

  'Don’t you want to tell me anything?’ I asked hopefully, looking at the swirling haze. ‘What kind of crap is that?’

  'I don’t know, Ros,’ said Keira, and after looking into her eyes, I believed her, she was telling the truth. ‘All the books, that mention this quest zone, there is a simple list: rage, sorrow, love and madness. And sho
rt poems. Would you like me to recite them again?’

  'No, thank you,’ I refused. ‘I’ll remember them for my lifetime. You know, Keira...’

  'What?

  'I feel like turning around and, damn Gosha, pressing "exit",’ I confessed. ‘And I don’t care about the rest of the money. I’m tired and exhausted like a dog, and now some nasty phenomena of nature…’

  'So, then you won’t go?’ Keira asked, and I involuntarily stepped back - and where waved fists, a reminder of this pledge and calls not to give up?

  'Oh no... I’ll go anyway,’ I sighed - Wait here and I'll make a sortie to have a look how to live in madness.’

  Stepping forward, I found out myself two steps away from the wall filled with murky twists and stopped. I waited a few echoing beats of the invisible heart and barely kept my eyes open when the started wall swayed gently in my direction. The tentacles of the mist eagerly grabbed me in their hug, I heard barely audible muttering unintelligible, which slipped into a whining tone. The opaque haze was swirling in front of my eyes no longer than a moment, then disappeared abruptly, as if dissolved, and I could clearly see the next area.

  Externally, the madness location resembled an extinct hell. Or woodland after a recent fire. But during that fire not only plants burned, but also the earth and the heavens. The clear blue sky disappeared without trace, replaced by endless gray clouds with black markings on the shaggy flanks. The black ground with rare ulcers was peeping through the thick pillow of ash covering everything, from which broken matches of charred trees and a kind of giant bones densely covered with black soot were protruding. The air was filled with flickering grains of ash swirling in an endless dance. And like a dysfunctional church organ wild cacophony of sounds was torturing my ears. I distinctly heard different whining murmur, hysterical sobs, thin cries, breathy moans and frequent short sighs of agony. And over all those sounds there were damped and again intensifying plaintive sounds of a disordered violin or a similar musical instrument.

  Frozen like a statue, I gasped, stunned, at the same time the tidal wave of mist rolled back and I found myself in the flowery field, standing among blackened and drooping stems.

  There was a startled cry behind, it forced me to turn around sharply. The cry repeated. Pressed her hands to her mouth Keira jumped back, staring at me, with her eyes wide with fright.

  'Keira, what’s wrong?!,’ I snapped, turning around on the spot. ‘Say something!’

  'Ros?..’

  'Who else?’ I growled bewildered, spreading my hands and examining myself from head to toe. ‘It’s me.’

  'Right...' she whispered, slowly lowering your hands. ‘I'm sorry, Ros.’

  'Why did you scream and jump as the devil from holy water?’

  'You should have seen yourself, Ros,’ Keira said quietly, shivering and stepped forward to touch my shoulder. ‘Phew... it’s really you.’

  'No! I have changed! Keira, please answer the question! What the hell were you screaming? Who did you see? Another gamer?’

  'Oh no... now that you asked, I knew it was you. But it was another you... a bad one...’

  'Say it once again,’ I asked, shaking my head because of misunderstanding. ‘What kind of me?’

  'Bad... evil or something,’ Keira mused. ‘When the fog covered you, you were standing straight, head up, but when it all subsided back... you have become quite different. Crouched, back-humped, hair on end, and your neck was in a spasm or something and...’

  'And?’

  'And you were mumbling. Quiet, almost without moving your lips, but I could hear every word - hit back with one hit......... surprise, sink fangs...’

  'I did not say that!’ I replied instantly, throwing the astonished look at the fog. ‘I was not mumbling!’

  'Yes, I understood it,’ Keira dismissed angrily. ‘When you turned around... if you only knew how terrible it was! Your face wasn’t the face, but... no, it was a face, but...’

  'Not my face? Feral snout instead of my face? No face at all? Were my eyes glowing? Any fangs?’ I gave her a few options, but she was shaking her head.

  'No. It was your face, but with such a look... you know, like in an old painting or movie... do you know how they usually show bad people. Murderers, crazy freaks, trai…

  'Traitors,’ I finished for her, and she nodded.

  'This wry smile, wrinkles around the eyes. And the eyes themselves - prickly, and suspicious at the same time dead eyes! In short, if you came out with such a straight face on the street, you would be immediately taken to the police or elsewhere. Maniac Strangler and Ripper with a face of Cain! That’s it!’

  'Well, thank you,’ I performed a foolish bow and then added seriously, ‘it’s grimly there. Black earth, gray skies, the burned forest and the sea of ash. The visibility is low, but what is strange - there is no fog. Just fine suspension in the air. I haven’t seen any monsters. There is something shining white far ahead. I suppose that’s the same icy peak with Myrtle’s body. Ok, Hedgehog, it's your turn.’

  'Hedgehog? My turn?’

  'It is necessary to check what you see there. And I'll look at you from the side. Just let the fog overwhelm you. But stay on the spot. No move. Wait until it goes away,’ I said. ‘And ignore the sounds.’

  ‘What sounds?’

  'Well, someone is mumbling there. And crying pitifully,’ I shrugged. ‘The developers of the location did their best. The main thing is not to try to go anywhere!’

  'Oh, I know! Stop patronizing!’ Keira snorted indignantly. ‘I’ve been to worse locations.’

  'It's true,’ I nodded. ‘But in those locations you were a cool Paladin tank with a three-digit level, good armor and friends around you. As they say - feel the difference. So stop showing off and just be careful. I'll see what kind of Cain’s face appears.’

  'Yeah,’ Keira replied, having advanced forward, she stopped on the same spot where I was recently waiting for the "rolling" wall of fog. Now I stepped back a little and just in case, prepared, a scroll with a killer spell, started waiting, listening to the echoing beat of the metronome hiding behind a misty curtain.

  A beat and a smoky and very tall wall is coming forward dramatically, in an instant, "swallowing" a tiny figure of Keira standing on its way. Slowly twisting clouds of mist stop literally one step away from me and fall helplessly to the ground, where flowers become instantly withered and die.

  I forced myself to stay on the spot not to rush in search of Keira disappeared in the mist. I began counting. One, two, three, four, five... I didn’t have time to say "six", when the fog began to withdraw reluctantly.

  "Madness is gone for a while... '' quiet rustle flashed through my head.

  Some tatters of mist did manage to keep up with the bulk - or would not like to do it - and started melting quickly, exposing the land, which already started wiggling with reviving plants. An especially large tatter got separated into translucent lumps opening a part of the site where Keira was standing. Sighing with relief, I took a step forward and stopped abruptly when the mist thinned and disappeared, revealing my eyes the details invisible before.

  The first thing that caught my eye was blood. Blood was everywhere. The entire body of Keira was covered by the sea of bright red, not yet dried blood. Rare trickles of blood were running down from her armor, and poured on the ground.

  There is no blood in Valdira! No! Just as a part of the gloomy decoration for special locations - smeared blood stains on the torture table, walls or ceiling, puddles of blood or even a swimming pool filled with steaming blood, where, in the best traditions of the genre, the most beautiful and naked vampire girls are taking bath...

  But there is no blood neither on gamers... nor on "locals"! Even mobs "die" bloodless death, leaving the loot ready for taking and no bloody carcass! The game has no blood!

  'Oh my god...' I croaked, making a wrong step forward. ‘Keira! Are you... are you okay?’

  'Ros, there's just a nightmare going on! Exactly like the pictures
on the consequences of a nuclear explosion...’ something having Keira’s voice turned to me.

  I swallowed loudly, when I saw a bloody mask with a fierce fire burning bright blue wild-eyed and five deep parallel diagonal cuts from the forehead to the chin looking at me. Like someone casually waved a clawed paw over her skin.

  ‘Ros, what’s wrong? Huh! Are you looking at the face of Cain?’ brutally torn lips curled into a merry smile, a trickle of blood dropped out of the corner of her mouth. ‘And do you like it?’

  'No,’ I could hardly blurt out, staring at the scary picture that was unbelievably realistic, a picture of mutilated smiling Keira. ‘Not Cain’s... oh shit...’

  ‘Ros, what's wrong? Now you're not yourself...’ the bloody nightmare said in surprise and did not finish the last word, as the blood began to fade, as if it was erased with a moistened sponge. A moment later terrible claw marks vanished without a trace, the eyes returned to their original color and lost their mad fire.

  'Fuf,’ I automatically wiped my forehead with the existing only in my imagination sweat. ‘You were bleeding. Your face was deeply cut. Living Dead.’

  ‘Gamers do not bleed,’ Keira repeated my recent thoughts running her hand over her face and looked at it, just in case.

  Aesthetic law in action. No blood, no pain. The first rule has just been violated.

  'Have you seen monsters crawling out of the cracks?’ I asked, and grimaced with displeasure when I saw a negative gesture of my partner. ‘Damn... okay, then let’s come back.’

  'Back?! Ros! Where?!’

  'Why are you shouting?’ I was amazed. ‘Keira, we came here just for the sake of exploration. To stand at the border, to admire the local livestock. To find out what bastards live here, to estimate their strengths and weaknesses, if there is resistance to the elements, what level they are, to level up respectively and to contribute points correctly...’

  ‘Stop patronizing me!’

  'And then what the hell are you shouting? That shore of love of yours is rather eerie, but madness location makes me feel like being scraped by rough abrasive cloth. We have looked inside and haven’t seen anything but for embers and ash! Shall we risk and move on? But... well, you're right. Let's go into the mist again and stay longer. Go further for a couple of meters. Let's check what and how, maybe we’ll be lucky to see a couple of monsters. If there is some danger, we’ll come back and draw thoughtful conclusions. I wish I knew the "step"...’