Keira was ahead of me - her body up to the shoulders was sticking out of stirring gray mush. Turning my head around, I discovered that we were in a shallow pile which height was about three meters, not more. I was closer to the edge and slightly shifted to the side, easily felt kicking hard surface. And Keira continued to flounder inching closer to me.
'Give me your hand!’ I shouted and, clinging to the outstretched fingers, pulled her to me. ‘Shit! If somebody told me before that I would be diving in ash, I would...’
‘Refuse?’ Keira asked hoarsely, clutching me by the shoulders and pushing on.
'Hardly,’ I smiled. ‘Wait, let me stretch stronger and I'll push you out.’
'Uh-huh. But the condition of the armor became better and protection increased by a couple of points. Pull!’
'And... one, two...' my partner advanced another step in a particulate mass and almost climbed out due to my powerful.- How has the protection increased?’
'Ash here is very strange,’ Keira explained panting, waving shining chain mail glove in my face - Not like at the top. The armor has been polish to shine. Metal after all... But the effect is not entirely positive. Give me your hand. Here we go…’
In a couple of seconds we were both free. In a relative sense - a layer of ash reached the knees, and the additive continued pouring from the sky and steep slopes.
'Now there is no turning back,’ I voiced the already known fact. ‘Hmm... one mistake or something...’
'So, we try not to make mistakes,’ apparently indifferently replied Keira.
"We have already done, when rolled down with this fun coaster! '' I was about to say, but I resisted it and gave the widest smile of mine instead, then pointed at the icy peak that became much closer,
'Shall we go there?’
'Yes, let's do it. But change the jacket, and your pants... the diaper is shining.’
'What?’ I was surprised and glancing at my jacket, and gave another cry, ‘What?!’
I was wearing completely dud clothes. Trash, old stuff, rags! Almost brand new jacket was in tatters, kept together only by a miracle and rare strings. The pants were "decorated" with huge holes through which a dirty leg could be seen. With a plaintive moan, I pulled the leg out of the ash and saw that waders were "asked for porridge", even a crocodile could envy their toothy smirk. Protection dropped to almost zero, my outfit was worn out almost to the limit. Even the scarf was covered with small holes and did not give any bonuses to the characteristics - and I have not had time to study the gift. I was wearing all these things less than one day! What the hell…
As I stared sadly at the body pitifully dressed in rags, the jacket issued a nasty crash, abruptly slid off my shoulders, fell to ashes and instantly disappeared, leaving behind four scrolls, used to by lying in the pockets. The peaked cap falling apart followed it.
'What the hell is going on?!’ I yelled, quickly picking up the precious scrolls.
'That’s because of ash,’ explained Keira discreetly, watching the slide of my collapsing track pants. ‘You’re not very good at strip teasing, of course...’
'Keira! What the hell... oh damn!’ the pants disappeared and I was left standing in a scarf, knee-high boots and a white diaper.
Let alone my staff that was dangling behind and an indestructible bag.
'Oh... ho ho ho...’
'Keira! It’s not funny! Why am I naked and you're in shining armor?’ I exhaled with relief while checking frantically the contents of the bag, ‘everything is kept.’
'Well, but the boots are quite durable... oh, no... and no boots anymore. Ross, this is due to the ash. It’s like an abrasive here. It’s grinding metal slowly, but as for textile and leather, it instantly chews them leaving huge holes. Using scientific terms, we are in a hostile environment having a detrimental impact on...’
'Keira, you’d better shut up, otherwise I will have a detrimental impact on you right now! Staff against your head! Shit! Shit! I’ve bought everything today!’
'Am I to blame? And anyway, if we stay here longer, and it will destroy my armor as well – the protection has crept down. Thanks god we have a good supply. Get dressed and let’s go!’
'Oh no! There are some old items in my backpack, but now I'm not going to dress right now. First, let’s find a place where there is no this cursed ash.’
'Okey, let’s move on. By the way, have you noticed?’
'What?’
'Nobody is attacking me, and your nickname has turned into green again.’
'Right... you've got a peaceful green light as well. And I have a full life scale. It seems that we have passed one test. But your face is still blooded and cut.’
'And you’re still smiling abominably. Okay, I will move forward as the most protected member of our party. Start moving in about ten steps. And hold your scroll with a higher healing ready!’
'Uh-huh. And I have "fiery stream” in another hand. So if someone gets out, we’ll be able to repel. I feel a cold breeze here – have a look at the waves on the surface of the ash. Certainly they are caused by the cold of the ice blocks. How long do you think it will take us to reach it?’
'A little - twenty to thirty minutes of quick steps and we are there. What is it? Ros! Have a look!’
Abruptly turning my head in that direction, I saw a small oblong swelling on a flat surface of ash. A fixed mound, through which waves were rippling ash, and where vaguely familiar silver sparkles occasionally flashed.
'I don’t understand,’ I said quietly, pulling out my hand with the scroll. ‘Is it a mob? Is it hiding and waiting until we come closer?’
'May be. Stay there, I'll check,’ keeping her weapons and shield at the ready, my partner cautiously moved forward, step by step closer to the strange swelling, that did not respond to her action. There were just three steps left, two steps, one step... maybe it's just a stone?’
'Ros... it’s a body! The body of s "flown away" gamer! The nick is... Myrna the Smashing. Ros! It’s…’
'Get out of there!’ I yelled hysterically, sliding my eyes over the gray gloomy area. There was nothing except ash. But it is so convenient to hide in this thick layer... ‘Get out!’
But it was too late!
The ash crust cracked behind Keira, bulged and burst, releasing a high figure of a man. In shining metal from head to toe .
A short rod – in his right hand and a broad tower shield with ragged, as if bitten edges – in his the left hand. The face was hidden under a helmet with a visor in the form of a grinning tiger, but his nickname was clearly visible Grume the Hammer...’
'Behind you! Keira, get down!’
Without saying a word, Grume moved his right hand with the rod shortly and a white hissing lightning broke dazzling, rushed to the girl and... stopped a few inches away from the protruded shield. Keira responded just like lightning, turning before my warnings and hid behind the shield. But it was not necessary: it wasn’t the shield that stopped the lightning. It just hung in the air, Grume was standing still like a stone statue.
'What the hell...' Grume gasped in shock exerting frantic efforts to escape from the invisible grip.
No one answered him – Keira, who was still hiding behind the shield, was stepping aside from the frozen lightning, and I was adjusting my hand with the scroll at the aggressor, wondering how to cover the bastard for sure but without beating my own companion. Nobody had time for chatting. Kill the monster, and then we will be able to sort out everything...
The voice that burst from the gray overcast sky was just deafening. A woman was hissing like an angry cat getting ready to grab its claws in the face,
'A man who raised his hand to a woman... is worthy only of death!’ the menacing hiss turned into a wild screech, ‘Painful death! Death!’
Hovering in the air, lightning abruptly suffused with light, twisted and abruptly went into the clouds stretching over our heads.
There was a clap of thunder, a zigzag storm lightning crossed the sky, ru
stled in the air and crashed into the helmet of furiously twitching Grume the Hammer. The ensuing flash blinded me for a moment, and when my eyesight returned, I saw a clot of silver mist slowly falling to the ground and gray clouds of ash hovering in the air.
'Fuck! What a bloody shit!’ I hissed, turning to stunned Keira. ‘And what if our recent quarrel turned into a fight? What if I, say, hit you by the staff... or kick...’
'Have you heard it? It’s forbidden to hurt women!’ Keira said didactically, but I heard great shock in her voice. ‘In general, it is quite logical: we are in her mind, inside her most powerful feelings.’
'Do you think it was Myrtle’s voice? Very unfriendly voice. And she does not like men attacking women,’ I concluded, walked up to the prostrate body of Grume's the Hammer. ‘We’ve almost got into trouble. I wonder how these guys got here... rather why? They lost the tournament... they went to reborn? It looks like that. They are maniacs, shit…’
Sitting at a bunch of fog, I let my hands run inside and began to "dig" in the existing things. And there were many of them. For a moment, I distracted and asked,
'Keira look at Myrna.’
'I cannot - I'm a paladin. But... look...’
'Never mind. I'll take care of it.’
Keira was not finicky or capricious. Paladins mustn’t strip bodies, I mean loot. It’s one of the numerous rules, because of its complexity the paladin class was more in demand in clans than by singles. Actually they can remove the armor of a fallen enemy with their own hands. What is taken in a fight is sacred. But if they run into a "corpse" full of expensive loot, they are prohibited to rob, no, no! Once karma falls... or whatever they have instead of it.
So I’d better do it myself. I don’t have to take care about my own karma. But first I’d like to empty the carcass of Grume... once I could tighten my fallen down jaw lost in the ash.
Banks, jars, bottles of all shapes and colors. Healing and reinforcing alchemy. It was splendid alchemy, designed for the most high-level gamers. Fourteen scrolls... weird, only combat are available. "Poisonous Fog", "an avalanche", "fiery stream", "black tornado", "acid maelstrom", "call of the gromyhala", "blizzard"... suitable for any occasion.
Cool outfit for the seventieth level, it is a pity that it is the entirely from metal and with strength bonuses. But the helmet is very beautiful – I can get good money for at the auction. Opening my bag, I put there all looted items, praying that I would have enough strength to carry all the loot. Thanks god the scrolls were virtually weightless, and the alchemy did not weigh too much as well.
And most importantly... Wow, what sort of item is it?
Steel Rod ‘Thunder-bearer’.
Type: weapon one-handed.
Minimum level: 50.
Description: In this plain-looking piece of metal the destructive power of lightning heaven lies! One careless move and lightning will fly into your enemy crushing everything on its way!
Item Class: rare!
Number of charges: 36/100.
Creator: Master Zibte Vogel.
'The trouble is...’ I breathed standing up. ‘Well. It’s not good...’
'Myrna had weapons, a little bit of alchemy and three combat scrolls. I took everything, Keira said coming up, and looking at the rod in my hand without any curiosity. ‘And what kind of trouble are you speaking about?’
'Did you get into the body? Why did you decide to spoil your karma?..’
'So what kind of trouble?’
‘These guys were very thoroughly prepared for the onslaught. We cannot be compared with them. Alchemy of the upper class, scrolls, rods... by the way, did Myrna have a rod?’ after Keira’s negative answer I continued. ‘But the strange thing is that there only fourteen scrolls left and an unreasonably huge pile of empty bottles. And only thirty-six charges out of a hundred. Do you understand?’
'They must have fought against someone.’
'Right. And Myrna did not survive that combat game.’
'Maybe they were fighting against each other? We... were about attack each other too.’
'And wasted a whole bundle of scrolls and a lot of charges from the rod? I doubt it very much. They were not terminators, then one successful hit from the scroll of the highest rank would have been enough.’
‘We can guessing for a very long time, Ros. Let’s move on.’
'Move on? And you do not care... Ok! Let’s move on.’
He waited until Keira would make ten steps away, I followed her. The bag on my back, a diaper on my loins and one scroll in each hand. The rest was safely tucked away in the bag to avoid destroying abrasive ash.
The silver clots left after the fallen competitors could not be seen anymore, only snowy whiteness in front. The purpose of our trip looked like a carefully designed snow hill with gentle slopes and ugly icicles stuck at the top. The wind blowing in face brought cold.
There was a complete mess in my mind, but I did not try to tie it all together. I didn’t care. If at first it was interesting, but then I was simply tired.
I have my own goals, Keira has her own. And I was just hired employee, a quest boy to make a pair. It will finish soon. It will be over, and I’ll go to bed. And tomorrow... tomorrow is another day.
Without any trouble we covered more than half the distance separating us from the end point of the journey. At the prostrate under the feet ash white patches of frost began to appear, rare snowflakes flashed in the air. I was glad – I was getting bored of the greyness reigning all around.
And then the ash stirred. No, it had moved before as well, small waves were walking over it, ripples appeared, a whirlwind of tiny tornadoes, but when I looked down again, I noticed a small pulsating point, like fountains as big as my little finger. Pausing, I looked around and with growing anxiety stated that strange phenomena surrounded us from all the sides.
'Keira! Slow down a minute!’
'A little bit is left, Ros. Quite a bit!’ Keira’s hoarse and tired voice could not be an advertisement for Valdira. It would rather bring bad publicity about harmful effect of modern games on the human brain.
'Stop!’ I repeated, dropping to one knee. ‘There's something strange going on. Look at your feet.’
'I don’t want,’ this time I was afraid throwing a quick glance at the hunched figure of the girl. Wow…
Somehow I missed the moment when Keira, a proud Paladin had evolved into this doomed creature with a broken voice. Was it a harmful effect of the location? Or was she just tired of all the recent adventures? Shit…
'Then just stop,’ I told her, and anxiously glancing at obediently frozen Keira, looked back at the strange pulsating point, which obviously grown up a bit. ‘Well, let me see...’
Carefully lifting my hand, I scooped up a handful of ash and brought it close to my eyes. Yes. A fountain was spitting out tiny particles of ash, against the gray background it was clearly visible. One second, please... nope, it is not spitting, vice versa, it is drawing in very small pieces of ash like a tiny vacuum cleaner.
As I was stared in amazement at this miracle of nature, the fountain became considerably thicker, taking a quarter of my open palm, absorbing a little more ash and having grown... something like four legs. Shaking my head, I looked again at the overgrown limbs of the ash fountain and read the inscription appeared over it : Hope Eater. Zero level.
'Keira!’
'Hey... Ross, come on, eh?’
"Keira, I began hallucinating! I have a Hope Eater sitting in my palm! Zero level!’
'So throw it away or crush! It's just background scenery, a piece of decoration. And we must go further! It's time to finish this story. I am so tired...’
'Well,’ I muttered, dramatically clutching fingers and crushing the ash with the tiny mob. How could they develop living scenery with such an ugly name. ‘What the hell! I gained some experience! It is not the background! It’s a mob!’
I fell closer to the ground and immediately saw another fountain and quickly scooped it into
my hand. What’s that? Dark gray writhing clot without the slightest sign of legs, but with a clear name Dust Offshoot. Second level!
Once again, clenching my fingers, I waited for the message of the experience gained, ad cursing, I dropped to all fours and stared at the gray wiggling mass.
The fountain warped a steep arc and fell on the just emerged legs and raised the emerging face with dips instead of eyes. It was as big as my fist. Hope Eater of the fourth level.
'Ros?’
‘They are growing!’ I shouted, ‘both in size and levels! Shit!’
A very long centipede cobbled from ash and snow rustled over my bare foot. It moved its still growing mandibles greedily and crimson flashed in front of my eyes. I lost a couple of health points scale and saw the centipede’s name Destiny Crusher of the fourth level At that moment Destiny Crusher waved its head for the next blow, but I managed to jump aside, landing on the back of slowly hobbling Hope Eater and crushed it into a shit.
'Let's go away!’ I span around and was about to yell but shut my mouth instead and walked toward my partner. No need to shout. It was obvious. Within sight, the ash around us was boiling, generating more and more tiny monsters, growing with each passing second. We couldn’t run away. They were biting taking no more than a few health points, but there were thousands of them. Maybe more, there is so much ash here. A lot of material for construction and growth. As if to prove my words, a kind of thick worm rustled blindly moving its head around. A worm nicknamed... Loneliness, the twelfth level. It seemed we were going to have some fun soon.
'We must have arrived,’ I grinned at Keira spreading my arms to the sides, pointing to the mess around. ‘Our final stop! A few minutes later we’ll be eaten and send to sleep. To be honest, I'm glad.’
The Way of the Clan 2 (World of Valdira) Page 26
