A "step" or "step height" implies an increase in the levels of monsters in Valdira, especially the linear arrangement of locations, such as raid dungeons. At the entrance there are the tenth-level monsters, on the floor below there are the twentieth, and so on. Size of the "step" depends on many factors. But it usually vaies from five to twenty levels. If we take the worst-case scenario, and consider that the greatest level of mobs on the shore of love and dreams was about the sixties, then we could expect to encounter with the eightieth and ninetieth-level monsters in the Madness. Bank strategist Gosh miscalculated somehow.
On the other hand it is difficult to assume anything. We haven’t observed any monsters in Fire, Water is empty, too, although I did not dive to the bottom. The shore of love is full of mobs, but all of them are absolutely non-aggressive and without self-preservation instinct. In Madness - I do not know yet and Keira even if she knows anything, she is silent like a partisan in the Gestapo.
'It’s up to you, boss. Shall we stand still and look around in the fog or return to leveling up?’
‘We’re going into the mist,’ she replied instantly, and setting an example, stepped forward.
I shrugged helplessly and followed her enjoying the fact that I had left the most valuable things in the private room.
Keira’s back disappears into the foggy haze, I immediately follow it. At the next step my leg up to the middle of the shin immerses in thick ash, gray clouds soar into the air. A deep furrow appears on the girl’s neck, a drop of blood runs from the back, leaving a dark trail. It has begun…
'You’re bleeding again,’ I told her casually, turning around and slowly scanning the surrounding countryside.
'So it means that you have turned into a vicious maniac again,’ Keira chuckled, but I felt tension in her voice. ‘I don’ want to look at your face you.’
'Oh thank you!’ I was sincerely pleased, not eager to see again a bloody mask with crazy sparkling icicles of her eyes. ‘Can you see anyone?’
'Ash and bones,’ Keira shook her head. ‘Nothing else. Why so much ash?’
'It is falling from clouds,’ I said. ‘Yes, it’s true. Have a look!’
'Oh-oh...’
I saw it a couple of minutes ago - the suspension filling the air was lowering very slowly, but still it was going down and settled on the ground. And nonstop "additive" was pouring from the gray clouds the overhanging over the ground, tight eddies were flying away and spilling into small grains that began their long and joyless way down.
Clouds brought the dead ashes instead of life-giving water. Well…
'I cannot see any, even a shabby monster,’ I muttered angrily, looking at the broken silhouettes of charred trees. ‘Say what I shall do.’
'Forward,’ Keira replied dully, without turning to me. ‘I'll take the right side.’
'Then I’ll take the left,’ I pulled my shoulder, dutifully turning the head slightly to the left, ‘and rear.’
'Move,’ Keira went forward at a slow pace hiding behind the shield, I was a little behind, nervously thumbing a scroll with "rain of fire" in my hand.
We made about twenty steps, looking hard at the sides and carefully scanning every tree and pile of ash. But the danger came from another side...
'A-ah...' Keira’s body jerked as if being stung she spun around the axis, and a split second later, I stared dumbfounded at the sword dancing near my face. ‘Why?! What's going on, Ros?!’
'What are you doing?!’ I snapped in response and stepped back awkwardly.
'I should ask you this question!’
Keira did not follow me. She threw her shield behind her back and pulled a tightly curled red scroll from the belt bag.
‘Hey! Keira!’ I shouted, knowing that if my crazy partner shouted a few words, I would turn into a fine air slurry and fly away to the respawn location.
'Why! Did! You! Do! It! Answer me!’ A hand with a scroll flew into the air, it was time to activate it. Crazy blue eyes were bloodshot, her mouth twisted into a tattered evil grin. What a shit…
'What did I do?!’ I yelled back, in turn, rising the scroll with "fiery stream" to the ashen sky. ‘Come on, tell me, before we both burn! Well!’
'You know!’ the girl sobbed loudly and tears flowed down her bruised and covered with ash cheeks, leaving a bright track. ‘Why, Ross? Tell me why? I trusted you! What a fool I am!’
'Ok, what do you mean?! You were walking properly, and then turned around and yelled at me! Are you crazy?!’
'You are..! Gosha was right when he said that you couldn’t be trusted! You’re a bastard! Are you a double agent?! Burn in hell!’
‘Wow...’ I whispered, slowly lowering my hand. I dropped the scroll on the ground, sat down beside it and defiantly crossed my arms, then laughed, filling the madness location with a half-mad laugh. ‘Well, well... I'm a bastard. And Gosha, then said that you shouldn’t trust me? Thanks for the info, girl. Come on. Well! Come on!’
'What?’ the bloody figure unlike Keira gasped.
'Burn. You want to burn me. So come on, what are you waiting for?’
'And I will burn you! Wait... Wait... I got it! You want me to kill you, and thus I will fail the task?’ Keira hissed. ‘Then you will tell Gosha that I screwed up everything without finding out the truth. And then you will demand money? Yes? It won’t work! Got it? It won’t work!’
'Keira! Paladin, wake up! Do you want to burn me? So go ahead! If you want to talk first - then be so kind to explain what the hell is going on. Ok?’
"Wh-what?...
'Explain me what's going on,’ I repeated, wearily leaning over the pillow of ash and throwing my hands behind my head. ‘Damn... honestly speaking I'm so exhausted.’
'Are you kidding, Ros?’ Keira started, whose determination was flawed.
'I'm not mocking you, Keira. I do not understand. I repeat – I was just following you, looking around, and then you started yelling, pointed at me by the sword and grabbed the combat scroll.’
‘It was the other way round! The same end, actually. But first you hit me in the back!’
'What?!’ I shivered as if I got the electric shock. ‘Did I hurt you? Was it me?’
'It was you! First you wanted to know the details asked me about the books, and when I said no, you decided to kill me and pick up the book from the backpack! Ros, what are you doing?’ Keira sobbed again, making a few steps back. ‘I believed you're so... I thought...’
'Hey! I did not do it! I did not hit you in the back! Why the hell would I do that?’
'Are you from another clan? Right?’
‘I don’t care about your freaking clan’s play with secrets, your strange assignments, fighting in real life and other crap! I stop talking nonsense, Keira! I repeat - I did not touch you. And turn on your brain, girl! I had the scroll of higher rank in my hand. Two words, and you're on the respawn location. Why should I hit you in the back, although you have a lot of life hits, and there is a powerful armor over your back? Would you like to consider me a traitor? For God's sake! But don’t call me a fool as I am not a fool!’
'I did not call you a fool... Ros... but...’
'What do you mean "but"? Am I wrong? So, I hit you in the back by my staff or by my hand, and when you turned back, I made an innocent look and pretended to know nothing? I even didn’t need to pull out the scroll. I had it in the hand all the time.’
'Ros! Stop, please, stop lying... have you seen the color of your nickname? You were colored when you attacked me. You’ve got the color of an aggr.
'Just a moment...' I muttered, quickly displaying the information on the status of the character. And seeing blinking calming green icon growled in puzzlement, ‘Are you color blind? I have a green status. As green as a cucumber!’
'Are you kidding? I do not see...’
'Shut up!’ I growled, pressing some other pictograms to make the virtual interface visible for others.
A luminous rectangle hung up in the air and pointing to the right place,
I asked, 'Can you see? Or do you still need glasses?’
'Yes... oh... green...’
'Oh, green!’ I teased, slowly folding the screen. ‘Keira, you know that if I wanted to kill you, I would have done it a long time ago. Tell me what the hell is going on. Quietly, and without emotions.’
'I was walking…’
"We were walking,’ I corrected her, and earned an evil look. I hastily closed my eyes not to see those eyes in a frame of fresh blood.
'We were walking. Then, a short flash of crimson, I left one hundred of life points. Based on the signaling - blow was in the back under the left shoulder blade. When I turned, I saw you... vile and smiling with a red nick of an aggr. That’s all...’
'Do you want me to display my status once again?’ I asked politely.
I waited until the contemptuous snort, then exhaled a sigh and stood up, grunted and, looking up into the sky, shook my fist.
'What are you doing, Ros?’
'Don’t you understand? It’s madness location. You’re a bloody... a victim, I guess. I am, judging by your colorful description, an evil maniac with a vile smile and a traitor.
'Oh... I mean...
'Right. I did not touch you, Keira. The system cheated you. Caused a little damage, lit a flare, the vector showed the impact indicating straight at me and hung the red sign of an aggr over me. That’s all. It was enough for you. If you didn’t stop at the last moment, I would have flown straight to the respawn location. As a result, a failed mission, unless you're not lying, that it is required to come together to the end point.’
'I am not lying!’
'But did you realize your stu... ahem... your mistake?’
Keira didn’t say anything. But the plain filled with ash burst into crazy bubbling laughter abruptly changed into choking cry of pain. Judging by the sound a woman was crying.
‘Keira, did you understand...’
‘Yes, I did,’ the girl blurted out grimly. ‘I'm sorry. You could easily make me "fly away". I didn’t even think about the scrolls. Sorry, Ros. I'm sorry for all this nonsense that I told you.’
'Never mind,’ I sighed and stepped closer to push the girl forward. ‘Go ahead! And remember - and I'm behind you and there is a very, very powerful scroll in my hand. Two words, and you’ll turn into a charming bunch of fog. You won’t feel anything, so if you don’t like it to happen again - do not believe your eyes, they are cheating you!’
'It’s really stupid!’ Keira laughed, shaking her head. Thick drops of blood flew away from the hair tha had become much lighter, and I instinctively ducked, not to get such a "gift" in the eye.
'Hmm... Oh! And do you want me to go ahead? If I lost the party’s trust.’
'No. I’ll do it myself. The path should be shown by the decent. And once again, Ros, I'm awfully sorry, Keira said activating a "small healing". ‘But you're to blame a little. Because of such an angry look on your face and this wry grin...’
'Ok, let’s forget about it. And, by the way, I don’t fancy being the first. For any price. No, thank you.’
'Why?
'Well, as you described it: kick back, a flash…’ I threw up my hands, forgetting that Keira couldn’t see my body language.
'So what?’
'What do you mean? Have you heard about the most terrible danger for men?’
‘Nope... What is it?’
'It is when you’re walking quietly, not bothering anyone, and suddenly you feel the hot breath on the back of your head and a sharp pain in the...’
'Ros!...’
'I’m silent...’
'Now I don’t want to go ahead! Let it be you!’
‘No way… you're a paladin, you are to be the first. God warrior must be patient with adversity...’
‘Shit!’
'What?’
'Again!’ Keira furiously stomped her foot. ‘Flash, I lost a part of health, and the vector indicates on you.
'A lot of health?’
'No, almost nothing, but it gets on my nerves! Ros, please...’
'I see,’ I muttered, a few steps ahead of his partner and leaving her behind. ‘Let’s move on!’
As soon as I took a dozen of steps red flashed in front of my eyes. A quick glance at the interface has confirmed that a tenth of health had disappeared. Turning my head, I glanced at Keira and smiled – her nickname was happily blazing red aggr.
'Strike?’
'Yup. The vector points at you, bad girl,’ I replied nonchalantly, without reducing the pitch. ‘Don’ look at me, look at sides. I doubt that this is the only problem that is waiting for us. Ah shit! I lost a bit of health.
'You're so calm about it, Ros!’
'Well, yes,’ I shrugged, pouring a healing spell into my left hand. ‘What shall I do? Shall I accuse you?’
'Well…’
'I believe you, Keira. So I can leave you behind me. Besides... have you ever been to the forest? In the real forest, and even better - in the Siberian taiga?’
'I’ve been to the forest, but not to taiga.’
'Oh you don’t know life then,’ I sighed, and earned an indignant snort from Keira, ‘but have you seen mosquitoes?’
'Of course!’
'Then imagine that we are in the Siberian taiga... hmm... in the Siberian taiga after a fire, and mosquitoes are biting us. It’s useless to fight against these small parasites, but we can’t get rid of them. So we just have to endure their small bites and move on. Got it?
'Yeeesssss...’
'What?’
'Yes, I say! I got it.’
'Stand still,’ I commanded, stopping abruptly. ‘We have arrived. I feel that we have reached the final point.’
'I don’t even have to feel it,’ Keira came closer to me. ‘Definitely.’
Looking around the surrounding countryside, I clicked my tongue thoughtfully. Automatically activated the spell "small healing", put my hand on my chest, waited until the level of health restored to the maximum, then moved my hand onto Keira's shoulder, not stopping looking around the location.
'A strange feeling,’ the girl said, glancing over her shoulder, ‘I’ve just got a hit from you and now you’re healing me.’
'As long as we were get to this place, I got three hits, one after another from you. The system is mocking at us. But it’s nonsense. What shall we do now?’
'Hmm...
'Yes, that’s what I mean...’
The conversation was interrupted briefly, and we once again stared down at his feet, trying to figure out what to do next. There was much less ash soaring through the air, and nothing prevented me see the smallest details.
If you look at the Madness location from a bird's-eye view, it turns out that it is similar to a deep soup bowl with broad flat edges. In the center of this piece of crockery there is white ice, everything else is richly sprinkled with ashes. And at the moment we were standing at the start of a gentle slope, that runs a few dozen steps and turns into a steep descent leading to the "bottom" area of the location. If my eyes are not deceiving me, the last five to six meters and represents a sheer wall of thick rammed and burnt ground. And for some reason I firmly believe that it will be impossible to get back, and no matter what the spell or ability is available. It’s a one-end road.
'Like a bowl,’ she voiced my thoughts out loud, ‘and who knows that soup is poured into it...’
'And I thought about antlions... oh! Again a blow! It is not scary, but I’m getting bored with it! And that damn babbling in the ears! Heal me!
'And indeed, it’s like a funnel of an ant lion,’ I agreed, healing Keira. ‘But there is ash instead of sand. Well? Keira, it’s up to you. If we go any further, it is no turning back. We have not seen any monsters, but the location is full of surprises.’
'What do you think, Ros?’
'No, don’t ask me for advice in such questions. Besides, you know more than me.’
And heavy silence hung again – I mean my partner and I were keeping silence, but the locati
on was noisy trying to justify its name. Strained creaking, dull murmur, screams and joyful giggles - all mixed up in a mash-up sound and seriously began to put pressure on the brain. The overall impression was that I was making a tour around a mental hospital.
'Ros...' Keira broke the silence. ‘Say! What do you think - forwards or backwards?’
"Keira, are you joking? I told you - I do not want to make decisions. I'm just a mercenary.’
'Ros!’
‘Oh shit! Okay. Then here's my advice - heading back to the shore of love and begin leveling up. Exploration was not successful, we haven’t seen mobs, we have not received any information about local dangers - well, if only some minor details. We must level up, a good location to explore love location, walk through a few houses, a mill: we may find useful scrolls or items of equipment. Can we find some "locals" and will be able to find out about ash. Yes, it will take a lot time, but there is nothing to do about it. Is my idea clear?’
'It is clear,’ Keira nodded after listening carefully while I was trying not to look at this bloodied face.
'And?’
'Let’s go forward to the icy peak!’
Before I could protest, Keira stubbornly bowed her head and moved forward cautiously down the hill with crumbling ash.
Well... she is the boss.
Shrugging, I followed her, placing my staff behind and pulling out another scroll of my pocket.
Chapter 7
Death of Competitor. Power of Love. Friend Betrays. Angry Werewolf howls.
There were no problems connected with the descent. Rather with the fall – there was a long distance to the sheer wall when the feet slid irresistibly and led us forward, together with the formation of compact solid ash. For a moment, I even tried to resist the flow, then it span me around the axis, knocked down, washed to Keira and threw both of us over the edge of a cliff with a popping sound that reminded contemptuous spittle. Short flight, and we suddenly landed gently, without losing a drop of health. Ubiquitous cushion from the ashes arranged a soft landing and the grave – we were absolutely covered and for a moment I saw nothing, until after fiercely working by my arms and legs, "popped up" to the surface.
The Way of the Clan 2 (World of Valdira) Page 25
