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Dark herbalist. Save your wings

The tail of an old story

Amra, admit, in the end, that our searches are useless. There are no traces here! - a painfully thin girl in a light dress sitting on a fallen tree openly yawned, showing off her sharp, predatory teeth.

The forest nymph did not get enough sleep that night and was frankly out of sorts. Yes, I woke up my little sister before dawn, Valeria expressed her disapproval to me in harsh words and refused to enter the game for a long time. But the danger of numerous murderers appearing near the Cursed House looking for me was absolutely real, so Lerka eventually apologized and agreed to leave with everyone.

Max Soshne, whom I also called on his cell phone, promised to show up at work as soon as possible and catch up with us at Kamyshanka. And even Leon, after thinking for a minute, asked to wait and not leave without him. I perfectly understood the difficult choice of the former builder. On the one hand, the dilapidated goblin village of Tyshch was waiting for him, where his Ogre Fortifier character was provided with work, tasks, experience and new levels for the month ahead. On the other hand, he was offered to share the fate of the rest of our group - flight from hired killers, danger and uncertainty. Leon chose the option to stay with his friends, and I really appreciated this choice of our comrade. The former builder had already arrived by taxi to the building of the Boundless World corporation, had to load into the game any minute, and then rush as fast as he could to Kamyshanka.

Taisha, chilly, wrapped in a jacket she borrowed from me, came up in the company of the noticeably limping wolf Akella. At my questioning glance, the green-skinned goblin beauty only looked down and shook her head negatively.

Empty. We walked around the Kamyshanka stockade, checked the gate several times, but the girl we were looking for did not go there. Once again I looked for traces on the way from the barracks of hired workers to the forest and towards the fields. There are many footprints, but there are no female ones at all; the fugitive definitely did not go there in the last few days. I sent the children of Tamina the Fierce, along with Lobo and White Fang, to re-check the road from Kamyshanka to Tysh and in the opposite direction. Although, you understand, the chances are small, we have already looked there more than once...

I waved away the level 4 Mosquito that was annoyingly buzzing above my ear (our Naiad Merchant was not lying - there were indeed mosquitoes by the river the size of a fist) and wearily sat down on a fallen trunk next to my sister. Taisha carefully perched on the other side.

It was getting light. The sky in the east was noticeably turning pink. But today I was not afraid of the sun because of the dense rain clouds rushing across the sky in dark, torn rags. It was about to rain, and then all the searches for the missing dark-haired girl who knows where would become useless - the rain would wash away all traces, and the wolves of the Gray Pack would no longer be able to help in the search. The rare quest “The Past of the Gray Pack” threatened to remain unfulfilled. But I was counting on him so much - the opportunity to include ferocious and fast wolfhounds in the Gray Pack was very, very tempting!

I sighed heavily, took it out of my inventory and thoughtfully twirled in my hands a bright four-color ribbon found in the lair of the wolves. It looks like an ordinary decoration that village girls weave into their braids, but its discovery initiated the beginning of the next task in the chain about the Gray Flock. Is it all in vain and we missed the fugitive? It's bad if that's the case. And it’s really bad that as a result the entire chain of quests related to the Gray Pack will be “stuck.” Out of frustration, I hit the completely insolent mosquito that had landed on my forehead with my palm, swatting it away.

Damage dealt: 18 (Hand). Experience gained: 4 Exp.

Item received: Mosquito corpse (bait). Your character does not have the skill to use this item. Required skill: Fishing (VL) level 3.

Having thrown out the mosquito corpse, which was useless to me, I exclaimed in my heart, addressing someone unknown:

Well, a pregnant woman couldn’t disappear without a trace, and even with two young nephews! And for some reason, she left her place in the very last weeks of her term, when it’s difficult for a woman to even walk! Damn, the local mosquitoes are so annoying!

Indeed, a whole flock of insects flew in to replace the insect I had killed, and began to describe circles above us with a nasty buzzing sound. Valerianna Swift-footed waved her right hand, and a whole swarm of her hornet pets came to our aid, dealing with the annoying blood-sucking insects in a matter of seconds. Taisha cowered in fear at the sight of the dangerous overgrown wasps and tried to cover her head with her jacket. I whistled respectfully, counting at least a dozen black, yellow-brown and orange-red hornets, and also noting that some specimens had already reached the sixteenth level.

A little more pumping, and the hornets will be at level twenty, at which the Master of Beasts will choose useful perks for them. Knowing my sister, I had no doubt that Valerianna Swift had long ago thought out in great detail a development plan for her pets, taking into account the strengths and weaknesses of flying insects. Obviously, it was not without reason that the forest nymph recruited several different species of hornets into her swarm. My little sister, clearly flattered by the attention to her colorful hornets, sent the flying pets away and responded to my last words: Why the fugitive ran away is understandable - in recent days, eleven of her wolfhound friends were killed, and she rightly feared for her own life. Although, brother, we could be wrong, and the dark-haired girl would have absolutely nothing to do with it, and her departure from the farm simply coincided with the destruction of the wolfhounds. In any case, a decision on this fugitive must be made as soon as possible - we cannot linger near Kamyshanka, where killers may appear at dawn. My opinion is that you need to stop searching and leave immediately.

The sister suddenly fell silent and tensed when she saw a barefoot, gray-haired old man with a stick, dressed in a dark mantle, walking in our direction from the houses of the village. But from the way Valerianna immediately exhaled with relief, it became clear that this old man was well known to her and did not pose a threat. I quickly read the information about him:

Umar Chiropractor. Human. Witch doctor level 45.

Apparently, this was the same doctor from Kamyshanka, whom the forest nymph met on the second day of the game and about whom she repeatedly told me. Briefly nodding to my sister, as if she were an old friend, the gray-haired bearded man stopped next to me, took a closer look and grinned good-naturedly:

Apparently, you are that long-eared goblin herbalist who has settled in the Cursed House, from whom I have been waiting in vain for days now for supplies of medicinal herbs!

If the old man intended to embarrass me with these words, then he was mistaken. I saw him for the first time, I had no obligations to him regarding the supply of herbs and therefore did not feel guilty at all. Moreover, the herbs I collected were not enough for me to practice Alchemy, so the healer was completely in vain in relying on me in this matter. But the interlocutor did not wait for my answer and had already turned his attention to Taisha. Under his harsh gaze, my companion became embarrassed, shrank and wrapped herself tighter in her jacket, covering her thin thieves’ clothes, which were burnt in many places.

“In my time, girls would have been ashamed to go out into the street in such a shameful state,” the old man shook his head condemningly. - Go to the village, the gate guards know you and will let you through. My house is the second one to the right from the gate. Take a needle and thread in the hallway on the shelf by the window and sew this up.

Taisha turned to me and, having received consent, jumped up from the log and quickly walked away to Kamyshanka to repair her clothes. The medicine man immediately took her place, with an senile grunt and sank down next to me on a fallen log. He completely fearlessly patted the Level 17 Timber Wolf, who was dozing near Valerianna Swiftfoot's feet, behind the ear. Frankly, I was even taken aback at first by such recklessness of the old man, since the Pirate, although he was his sister’s pet, was a wild forest predator and it was completely unclear how he would react to an attempt to pet himself. But the wolf only lazily moved his ear, as if driving away a horsefly, and continued to doze.

A private message arrived from the Son of Shrek:

“Leon and I entered the game and are rushing to see you. Let's go as quickly as possible, but we still need an hour to get to Kamyshanka. Wait for us"

So, there is only an hour left to find traces of the fugitive. During this hour it will just dawn, and we will need to get as far as possible from Kamyshanka, since with every minute the likelihood of meeting high-level opponents will increase. And the awakened residents of the human village will be interested in our search and will not allow the wolves of the Gray Pack to work normally.

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Title: Dark Herbalist. Save your wings

About the book “Dark Herbalist. Save your wings" Mikhail Atamanov

A dream has come true, you got the job you have dreamed of all your life. You are a tester of a popular online MMORPG and get paid, quite good money at that, simply for doing what you love: playing a beautiful and realistic computer game. But you are not an ordinary run-of-the-mill player, like millions, you are truly skillful and talented. You stand out from the rest, you are too lucky and successful, according to the gray masses. Well, so much the worse for you...

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Current page: 1 (21 pages total) [available reading passage: 12 pages]

Annotation

A dream has come true, you got the job you have dreamed of all your life. You are a tester of a popular online MMORPG and you get money (and very good money at that) simply for doing what you love - playing a beautiful and realistic computer game. But you are not an ordinary run-of-the-mill player, like millions, you are truly skillful and talented. You stand out from the rest, you are too lucky and successful in the opinion of the gray masses. The crowd does not like such people and is ready to tear them to pieces simply out of envy or because they are not like the others. What to do if the whole world is up in arms against you, and all your allies are your own sister and several loyal friends? Resign yourself? Down to the general level? Or fly further on the wings of success? The choice is yours!

Mikhail Atamanov

Mikhail Atamanov

Prologue

The tail of an old story

– Amra, admit, in the end, that our searches are useless. There are no traces here! – a painfully thin girl in a light dress sitting on a fallen tree openly yawned, showing off her sharp, predatory teeth.

Max Soshne, whom I also called on his cell phone, promised to show up at work as soon as possible and catch up with us at Kamyshanka. And even Leon, after thinking for a minute, asked to wait and not leave without him. I perfectly understood the difficult choice of the former builder. On the one hand, the dilapidated goblin village of Tyshch was waiting for him, where his Ogre Fortifier character was provided with work, tasks, experience and new levels for the month ahead. On the other hand, he was offered to share the fate of the other members of our group - flight from hired killers, danger and uncertainty. Leon chose the option to stay with his friends, and I really appreciated this choice of our comrade. The former builder had already arrived by taxi to the building of the Boundless World corporation, had to load into the game any minute, and then rush as fast as he could to Kamyshanka.

- Empty. We walked around the Kamyshanka stockade, checked the gate several times, but the girl we were looking for did not go there. Once again I looked for traces on the way from the barracks of hired workers to the forest and towards the fields. There are many footprints, but there are no female ones at all; the fugitive definitely did not go there in the last few days. I sent the children of Tamina the Fierce, along with Lobo and White Fang, to re-check the road from Kamyshanka to Tysh and in the opposite direction. Although, you understand, the chances are small, we have already looked there more than once...

I waved away the level 4 Mosquito that was annoyingly buzzing above my ear (our Naiad Merchant was not lying - there were indeed mosquitoes the size of a fist near the river) and wearily sat down on a fallen trunk next to my sister. Taisha carefully perched on the other side.

Damage dealt: 18 (Hand). Experience gained: 4 Exp.

Item received: Mosquito corpse (bait). Your character does not have the skill to use this item. Required skill: Fishing (VL) level 3.

Having thrown out the mosquito corpse, which was useless to me, I exclaimed in my heart, addressing someone unknown:

“Well, a pregnant woman couldn’t evaporate without a trace, and even with two young nephews!” And for some reason, she left her place in the very last weeks of her term, when it’s difficult for a woman to even walk! Damn, the local mosquitoes are so annoying!

Umar Chiropractor. Human. Witch doctor level 45.

“Apparently, you are the long-eared goblin herbalist who has settled in the Cursed House, from whom I have been waiting in vain for supplies of medicinal herbs for days now!”

“In my time, girls would have been ashamed to go out into the street in such a shameful state,” the old man shook his head condemningly. – Go to the village, the gate guards know you and will let you through. My house is the second one to the right from the gate. Take a needle and thread in the hallway on the shelf by the window and sew this up.

A private message arrived from the Son of Shrek:

“Leon and I entered the game and are rushing to see you. Let's go as quickly as possible, but we still need an hour to get to Kamyshanka. Wait for us"

As if he had read my thoughts, the old healer said with an senile grumbling:

– Strange things happen, if you think about it. A whole group of goblins, and with them wolves and a dangerous mawka, have been climbing around the human village for the second day and persistently sniffing out something. No matter how they plan something bad against people. Maybe I should send a messenger to the garrison so that they can send us more guards?

I turned around in fear at the old man and found that he was smiling and barely holding back his laughter.

“I’m just kidding, big-eared one,” the healer hastened to reassure me. – Mavka explained to me yesterday who you are looking for. You’re just silent, Amra, so I’m trying to start a conversation with you this way.

– We are a runaway farmhand looking for a distant farm. A lot of farm laborers run away, the owner doesn’t understand where and why the worker is leaving,” I said, deliberately distorting the words.

But the old man only smiled even stronger in response and shook his head reproachfully:

- Eh, you don’t know how to lie, goblin... I don’t believe for the life of me that the greedy Kariz will start looking for his missing workers, especially at the end of the season, when the time for payment approaches. For him, the farm laborers have disappeared and it’s good - there are fewer expenses.

I looked thoughtfully at my long-life interlocutor... and decided to tell him the whole truth as it is, without hiding anything. And he even spoke normal human language without the tongue-tied “goblin accent.” Umar Chiropractor listened to my story about the destroyed wolfhounds and the discovered werewolf lair very carefully, without interrupting once. When I came to the moment of discovering the colored ribbon and my suspicions about the runaway dark-haired woman, the healer said thoughtfully:

“This runaway's name is Bella, and I always knew from day one that she was difficult. A short, short-haired girl appeared in our village about five months ago. The owner of the Kariz farm was just recruiting farm laborers for the sowing season in the spring and asked me to check on this worker - she looked too thin, downtrodden, somehow unhealthy, as if sick. And her short hair also aroused suspicion - what kind of girl would deliberately cut off her braids and spoil a woman’s beauty, unless she lost her hair after typhus or another illness.

The old man was silent for a while, as if remembering, then continued noticeably more quietly:

– Then Bella’s belly was not visible at all, no one had any idea that she was pregnant. But during the examination, she immediately told me everything about her pregnancy. She said that she had escaped from backbreaking labor, beatings and humiliation, and from the daily harassment of the owner, who did not give her any way at all. She told me that her previous owner cut off her hair so that she wouldn’t take the man away from her. And I felt sorry for the girl, I didn’t say anything to Kariz about her pregnancy, otherwise he wouldn’t have hired such a worker.

– What then was her strangeness? – the forest nymph became interested. – So far, according to the description, she appears to be an ordinary downtrodden village girl with a difficult fate.

For some reason the old man became embarrassed and coughed, then very barely audibly continued his story:

– Every woman carrying a child asks for help from a healer - there are medicinal elixirs, medicinal herbs, painkillers for childbirth. This list has been known from time immemorial, it is the same every time. A decoction of meadow heather so that the fetus develops and turns head down in the womb at the right time. A drink made from wild honey, white chamomile and St. John's wort, which gives strength to a woman in labor. Women need a lot of things, and I can prepare everything for them. But Bella asked me something completely different. Wolf parsley. Red Mandrake. A powerful sleepy elixir that will knock even a mountain giant off his feet. Where did the downtrodden poor village woman get the money for expensive elixirs? This doesn't fit with her story. And I don’t know why she needed the sleeping potion, but wolf parsley, in addition to its intoxicating effect, is known for preventing werewolves from changing their appearance. Even then I guessed and began to look after the young woman, but still did not give Bella away to the villagers, since she behaved quietly. And again, wolf parsley - the girl did not want to become a beast even in the midst of the full moon. But the due date was inevitably approaching, it would not have been possible to hide the truth from the midwives, and so Bella ran away with her nephews.

The old man spoke out and fell silent, staring with watery whitish eyes at the nearby forest protruding from the fog. I asked the healer when he last saw the fugitive.

Umar Kostoprav's attitude check failed.

“Look, he’s so quick,” the village healer grimaced with displeasure. “You don’t want to help me with collecting herbs, but you expect help from me.” It’s easy for you, young man, once you’ve collected everything you need for the job. And with my sore legs I have to climb through the swamps, collect sorrel and blackberries...

Received the task: Herbs for the healer 1/3. Class of assignment: Class, educational. Description: Collect five bunches of Swamp Oxalis, Swamp Blackberry and Swamp Horsetail for Umar Chiropractor. Reward: 160 Exp., Herbalism skill +1

So this is how, according to the plot, you were supposed to level up your Herbalism skill! Don’t crawl through a dangerous forest at night, trembling at every rustle and fearing encounters with bloodthirsty monsters, but simply come to the healer and improve Herbalism on training quests. On the other hand, how could my goblin come to a human village earlier when he would have been immediately sent for rebirth due to low Charisma and a -20 penalty on his relationship with people? Moreover, come during the day, since at night normal people sleep, and the gates of Kamyshanka are closed!

I looked at my inventory. I had the necessary herbs in sufficient quantities, so the first task of the healer could be completed immediately. However, before the seventh level of Herbalism, I did not have many collected plants, so it was stupid to get the seventh level by completing this simple task. There was still time before the ogre and the naiad appeared, so I learned from the old man the direction to the nearest swamp and headed off to collect herbs. It wasn't far to go, and the task turned out to be primitive - the quest plants grew heaped and in sufficient quantities, so within twenty minutes I returned, having previously raised the Herbalism skill to the seventh level.

Umar the Chiropractor was still sitting there on the log, peacefully talking about something with the forest nymph. I walked up and silently handed the old man the ordered herbs.

Completed quest: Herbs for the healer 1/3. Gained 160 Exp.

The Herbalism skill has been increased to level 8!

- Well, it was necessary right away! – the old man rejoiced, hiding the bundles of herbs in his shabby and dirty knapsack. - Well, I’ll answer your question, since I promised. The last time I saw Bella was exactly when the undying people poured into our village in a whole crowd. It was somewhere in the middle of the day, I can’t say more precisely. She stood at the boat pier and collected water from the river into birch bark containers.

It was like a light bulb went on over my head. Exactly! River. Boats. How did we not realize this right away?! Judging by the forest nymph who turned to me and her eyes that lit up with enthusiasm, my little sister also thought about it. But then the forest nymph froze, became sad and wrote me a private message.

“Something doesn’t add up in time. It turns out that Bella escaped from Kamyshanka even BEFORE we destroyed the first wolfhounds. The death of werewolves could not scare her away; she left earlier."

I also replied to my sister in a private message:

“It turns out that she did not yet know about the death of eleven wolfhounds, but nevertheless she escaped. Apparently, the due date was approaching, and she was afraid of exposure. Or she left later, the old man simply did not see her in the following days. But the path down the river really suggests itself - that’s why we didn’t find any traces of her, and for a pregnant woman, a boat is the easiest way to get away from the village.”

– Have any boats disappeared in Kamyshanka recently? – I asked a direct question to Umar Kostoprav, to which I again received a dissatisfied expression on the old man’s face and the second part of the quest about collecting herbs for the healer:

Received the task: Herbs for the healer 2/3. Class of assignment: Class, educational. Description: Collect ten bunches of Mountain Lily of the Valley, Common Holly, St. John's Wort and Fire Poppy for Umar the Chiropractor. Reward: 320 Exp, Herbalism skill +1

I read the description and was a little stuck. I have seen all the plants described more than once in recent days, except for the Fire Poppy - I have never seen these flowers before. Naturally, I asked the old healer where such flowers grow. I didn’t like the old man’s answer at all:

- So you, as a goblin, should know better. As far as I heard, a whole field of such poppies grows near your village of Tyshch, somewhere behind the cemetery of burning skeletons.

This was absolutely unacceptable, since even on the wolves of the Gray Pack, the journey beyond the village of Tyshch and back would have taken much more time than we could afford. Eh, it was not! I decided to offer the old healer another option:

– Listen, Umar Chiropractor, the herbs you ordered, although they don’t grow right under your feet, are still the most common. There are many of them in the surrounding forests, and you can easily find them yourself or send someone else for them. I want to offer the real wealth of the Herbalist - on the second floor of the Cursed House I have hundreds of rare plants drying - White Lily, Shaggy Sorrel, Goblin Berries, Wolf Parsley, Variegated Mandrake. And near the stairs there is a descent into a cave washed out by a stream, where mushrooms grow: Red Xibalci, Cave Morels, Black Moss and much more that you will never find on the surface. Let's exchange - you will take all this wealth for yourself, and you will save me from the need to stomp along the muddy road to Tysh in the approaching rain and collect herbs for your order.

By the way the old man’s fingers trembled, one could immediately guess that the healer was extremely interested in my proposal. But he still hesitated:

- Yeah, I’ll go to the Cursed House, of course... You’re the undying one, Amra, you don’t care where you live. What if I get eaten by the monster that lives there?!

- Don't worry about it, old man. Tonight I destroyed the Midnight Wight, which was killing the inhabitants of the Cursed House. Now it's safe there.

Successful attitude check of Umar Kostoprav. Gained 40 Exp.

Trade skill increased to level 12!

“I hope you’re not lying, big-eared one...” the old man muttered displeasedly, trying his best to hide his joy and impatience. - Okay, I agree to the exchange you proposed.

Completed quest: Herbs for the healer 2/3. Gained 320 Exp

Completed quest: Herbs for the healer 3/3. Gained 480 Exp

Herbalism skill increased to level 9!

Herbalism skill increased to level 10!

The healer considered the goods I offered to be valuable enough to complete two stages of his quest at once?! A pleasant surprise, whatever you say. I smiled contentedly from ear to ear, but my joy was short-lived:

– No, not one of the boats disappeared in Kamyshanka. All three existing ones are standing at the pier, you can see for yourself.

Was it just me, or was the old man really happy that he managed to confuse me with his answer and exchange such information for a whole cart of valuable herbs? No, I was not mistaken, Umar the Chiropractor was indeed quite pleased with himself. He even explained the reason for his joy:

“Understand, goblin, I liked the fugitive very much, and therefore I don’t want anyone to find her, harass her, and even more so threaten her.” And if you have no more questions for me, then I’ll go - I need to collect a cart for your goods.

The healer stood up with a grunt and slowly walked towards his house, leaning on his stick. He had already walked about seven steps when my sister called out to the old man:

– Umar, can you tell us about Bella’s nephews? Or will you again demand that you do something for a truthful answer?

The doctor slowly turned around and frowned. I decided that we would not get an answer, but I was wrong:

– I’ll tell you about my nephews, what’s there to hide? The boy's name is Dar, the girl's name is Dara, both are twelve or thirteen years old. Thieves, flayers and hooligans are the most accurate characteristics for these young bandits. If something was missing in our village, or one of the children was offended, you can point them out without hesitation. Outright criminals for whom hard labor is crying or even the scaffold. No education, no discipline, no respect for elders. Moreover, the girl is no better than her brother, she’s just as lost. The villagers flogged them so many times with rods, locked them up in the cold, and even tied them to a pillory in the center of Kamyshanka... All to no avail. When their aunt was not so pot-bellied, Bella kept them at least a little in check - she beat them with a batog or reins so much that screams could be heard right at the other end of the village, the brats were afraid of her and obeyed her. And as she became overweight, there was no control over them at all. Honestly, I can’t be happier that these hooligans have finally left our village. This is exactly who no one will grieve about.

After these words, the old man spat on the ground in anger and went to Kamyshanka. And it was at that very moment that the heavens opened up and a real downpour poured down. The healer, showing unexpected agility for such a gray-haired old man, put his stick under his arm and rushed like a hare to the village. My sister and I were forced to urgently run under the nearest spreading tree so as not to get wet. There I voiced my thought:

– Frankly speaking, this was not the best description of these teenagers. Perhaps you can try to find this trio by asking around the neighboring villages about two teenage hooligans. Apparently, it won’t work out any other way - this rain will wash away all traces.

My sister looked at me somehow strangely - with condemnation or even regret.

- Brother, you are really bad today. It seems that the “right girl” doesn’t distract you with her forms, but you’re having a hard time thinking. The old man, albeit unwillingly, gave you a frank hint with his answers. Don't you understand?

I thought about it, but had to admit that I absolutely did not understand what my sister was talking about. The forest nymph had to chew on the facts described so that it finally dawned on me:

– Bella was spotted at the boat pier on the very day when players arrived en masse in Kamyshanka to kill the unique flying snake Kaervina. All three boats of local residents remained at the pier; the fugitive did not use them. But there was another boat, remember! It was on that very day that a well-known Naiad Merchant named Max Soshne brought his boat full of fresh and dried fish to Kamyshanka! But the naiad was forced to abandon the boat with the goods and escape under water, since he was attacked by PC-shares near Kamyshanka itself! So, this fourth boat then disappeared somewhere!

- Lerka, you are smart! I’ve had ice cream,” I smiled, admitting that my little sister was right. “They’re unlikely to push the boat against the current—it’s hard for a pregnant woman and two weak teenagers to constantly row with oars.” This means we need to look for them down the river. But we won’t be able to catch up with the fugitives on foot - the banks here are marshy, overgrown with bushes and reeds, and also full of all sorts of aggressive creatures. Need a boat. And even several boats, since our whole company will not fit in one. “You’re being stupid again, big-eared one,” Mavka shook her head sadly. “Not a single ordinary river punt can withstand our giant ogre.” And you forget that we ourselves are also forced to hide. Therefore, we should not leave our pursuers such a blatant clue as the boats taken in Kamyshanka.

Again Valeria was right, as always. I opened a map of the area. The Naiad Merchant had previously given me the territories he had discovered, so I knew the entire route along the river to the ocean. A couple of kilometers downstream from the village, an unnamed river made a sharp turn, skirting a narrow cape overgrown with dense forest. I brought the area I was interested in as close as possible and noticed icons of coniferous trees. Perhaps this is exactly what I needed. I sent private messages to the ogre and the naiad, sending them the coordinates for the meeting. At the same time, I asked the Ogre Fortifier how long it would take him to build a strong raft capable of supporting our entire company along with the wolves. The answer came almost immediately:

“I have the tools with me. If there is a really good coniferous forest with tall straight trunks, then with my current skills, building a raft will take an hour and a half to two. Maybe less, especially if you help me"

“We will definitely help, because it is in our common interests,”– I promised.

* * *

I had never seen an Ogre Fortifier at work before. Without any exaggeration, I will say, a fantastic and exciting spectacle. Half-century-old pines fell from his ax, bark and branches flew like a fountain, the giant carried thick logs like reeds. Within an hour, Shrek's Son_Illegitimate pushed the finished, tightly tied raft out of the shallow water and was the last to climb onto it.

The rain, although it had noticeably subsided, still did not stop for a second. The wet wolves of the Gray Pack nervously huddled close to each other, uncertainly moving their paws on slippery swaying logs and looking longingly at such a close shore, but still not a single wolf dared to disobey my order. Taisha and Valeriann, sheltered from the rain and cold wind under a black wolf skin, chattered their teeth together. The children of Tamina the Fierce, wolf riders Irek and Yunna, despite their light clothing that was unsuitable for the weather, were surprisingly cheerful and cheerful. The goblins laughed and joked, not even trying to hide their joy and overexcited state from the upcoming journey.

The ogre didn’t care about the weather, and I, too, tolerated the cold rain quite well, only occasionally yawning from fatigue after a sleepless night. But the naiad Max Soschne felt best of all. The fish-man finally found himself in comfortable conditions and, sitting on the bow of our raft, excitedly speared river fish and occasionally gave commands to the giant to steer in one direction or another.

In the very first minutes of our voyage, I was somewhat worried about the reliability and controllability of the raft, but after half an hour I completely calmed down - we walked smoothly, easily avoided obstacles and shoals, and confidently fit into all the bends of the river. According to the naiad, the journey to the ocean should have taken about six hours, so I expected to take a quiet nap during this time, sheltering from the rain under wolf skins. But before I had time to arrange a comfortable bed for myself at the stern of the raft, I heard the excited cry of Max Soshne:

- Look to the right! Over there in the reeds!

I perked up and, throwing back the skin of the wolfhound, looked in the indicated direction. A large, half-submerged boat was stuck in the coastal reeds.

- This is my own boat, I recognize it! – the naiad continued to cry, his bright red dorsal fins bristling with excitement.

The fish-man jumped from the raft and, working quickly with his webbed hands and tail, rowed towards the submerged rowboat.

– We need to moor to the right and examine the entire shore there! – I ordered, and the Ogre Fortifier sharply turned the steering oar.

We barely made our way through the dense coastal strip of reeds; I even had to cut a passage through them, and the ogre had to jump overboard and push our raft. Finally there was solid ground under our feet. Before I even had time to give the wolves the task of looking for any traces of people, Irek, who had walked along the bank upstream, was already calling everyone, showing his find.

It was a small hut, and built relatively recently, just a couple of days ago - the leaves on the cut branches had not even had time to wither. Nearby there was a trace of a fire and numerous completely gnawed bones of some large ruminant scattered across the clearing. The wolves that approached the campsite sniffed, and then ruffled their fur, fearfully tucked their tails and hurried to move away from the place of the feast. I took a closer look at our finds.

Successful Perception check. Gained 80 Exp.

On most of the lying bones one could see traces of someone's sharp teeth and fibers of raw meat. I picked up a few bones to confirm my suspicions. Yes, the predators, whoever they were, simply tore into pieces and devoured the prey they killed. But I also noticed something else - some of the bones had clearly been boiled in a cauldron or some other vessel. When I told my companions about this, the reaction was somewhat unexpected:

“By the way, it wouldn’t hurt for us to eat ourselves,” the ogre grumbled. – I had a yellow fork and knife icon looming in the corner of the screen since this morning, but now it has turned completely red...

For some reason, those gathered turned in my direction, as if I was supposed to have their food supplies. But from where? My eared troglodyte was hungry himself, which I immediately reported.

“I can catch fish, I have the gear,” suggested the naiad. “But it will take some time, and I need some kind of bait.”

© Atamanov M., 2017

© Design. LLC Publishing House E, 2017

The tail of a long history

– Amra, admit, in the end, that our searches are useless. There are no traces here! – Sitting on a fallen tree, a painfully thin girl in a light dress yawned openly, showing off her sharp, predatory teeth.

The forest nymph did not get enough sleep that night and was frankly out of sorts. Yes, I woke up my little sister at the crack of dawn, Valeria expressed her disapproval to me in harsh words and refused to enter the game for a long time. But the danger of numerous murderers appearing near the Cursed House looking for me was absolutely real, so Lerka eventually apologized and agreed to leave with everyone.

Max Soshne, whom I also called on his cell phone, promised to show up at work as soon as possible and catch up with us at Kamyshanka. And even Leon, after thinking for a minute, asked to wait and not leave without him. I perfectly understood the difficult choice of the former builder. On the one hand, the dilapidated goblin village of Tyshch was waiting for him, where his Ogre Fortifier character was provided with work, tasks, experience and new levels for the month ahead. On the other hand, he was offered to share the fate of the other members of our group - flight from hired killers, danger and uncertainty. Leon chose the option to stay with his friends, and I really appreciated this choice of our comrade. The former builder had already arrived by taxi to the building of the Boundless World corporation, had to load into the game any minute, and then rush as fast as he could to Kamyshanka.

I sighed heavily, took out from my inventory and thoughtfully twirled in my hands a bright four-color ribbon found in the lair of the wolves. It looks like an ordinary decoration that village girls weave into their braids, but its discovery initiated the beginning of the next task in the chain about the Gray Flock. Was it all in vain and we missed the fugitive? It's bad if that's the case. And it’s really bad that as a result the entire chain of quests related to the Gray Pack will be “stuck.” Out of frustration, I hit the completely insolent mosquito that had landed on my forehead with my palm, swatting it away.

Damage dealt: 18 (Hand). Experience gained: 4 Exp

Item received: Mosquito corpse (bait). Your character does not have the skill to use this item. Required skill: Fishing (VL) level 3.

Having thrown out the mosquito corpse, which was useless to me, I exclaimed in my heart, addressing someone unknown:

“Well, a pregnant woman couldn’t evaporate without a trace, and with two young nephews at that!” And for some reason, she left her place in the very last weeks of her term, when it’s difficult for a woman to even walk! Damn, the local mosquitoes are so annoying!

“It’s clear why the fugitive ran away - in recent days, eleven of her wolfdog friends were killed, and she rightly feared for her own life. Although, brother, we could be wrong, and the dark-haired girl would have absolutely nothing to do with it, and her departure from the farm simply coincided with the destruction of the wolfhounds. In any case, a decision on this fugitive must be made as soon as possible - we cannot linger near Kamyshanka, where killers may appear at dawn. My opinion is that you need to stop searching and leave immediately.

Umar Chiropractor. Human. Witch Doctor level 45

“Apparently, you are the long-eared goblin herbalist who has settled in the Cursed House, from whom I have been waiting in vain for supplies of medicinal herbs for days now!”

Taisha turned to me and, having received consent, jumped up from the log and quickly walked away to Kamyshanka to repair her clothes. The medicine man immediately took her place, with an senile groan and sank down next to me on a fallen log. He completely fearlessly patted the Level 17 Timber Wolf, who was dozing near Valerianna Swiftfoot's feet, behind the ear. Frankly, I was even taken aback at first by such recklessness of the old man, since Pirate, although he was his sister’s pet, was a wild forest predator and it was completely unclear how he would react to an attempt to pet himself. But the wolf only lazily moved his ear, as if driving away a horsefly, and continued to doze.

A private message arrived from the Son of Shrek:

“Leon and I entered the game and are rushing to see you. Let's go as soon as possible, but we still need an hour to get to Kamyshanka. Wait for us"

So, there is only an hour left to find traces of the fugitive. During this hour it will just be dawn, and we will need to get as far as possible from Kamyshanka, since with every minute the likelihood of meeting high-level opponents will increase. And the awakened residents of the human village will be interested in our search and will not allow the wolves of the Gray Pack to work normally.

As if he had read my thoughts, the old healer said with an senile grumbling:

– Strange things happen, if you think about it. A whole group of goblins, and with them wolves and the dangerous Mavka, have been climbing around the human village for the second day and persistently sniffing out something. No matter how they plan something bad against people. Maybe I should send a messenger to the garrison so that they can send us more guards?

I turned around in fear at the old man and found that he was smiling and barely holding back his laughter.

But the old man only smiled even stronger in response and shook his head reproachfully:

The old man was silent for a while, as if remembering, then continued noticeably more quietly:

– What then was her strangeness? – the forest nymph became interested. – So far, according to the description, she appears to be an ordinary downtrodden village girl with a difficult fate.

For some reason the old man became embarrassed and coughed, then very barely audibly continued his story:

- Every woman carrying a child asks for help from a healer - there are medicinal elixirs, medicinal herbs, painkillers for childbirth. This list has been known from time immemorial, it is the same every time. A decoction of meadow heather so that the fetus develops and turns head down in the womb at the right time. A drink made from wild honey, white chamomile and St. John's wort, which gives strength to a woman in labor. Women need a lot of things, and I can prepare everything for them. But Bella asked me something completely different. Wolf parsley. Red Mandrake. A powerful sleepy elixir that will knock even a mountain giant off his feet. Where did the downtrodden poor village woman get the money for expensive elixirs? This doesn't fit with her story. And I don’t know why she needed the sleeping potion, but wolf parsley, in addition to its intoxicating effect, is known for preventing werewolves from changing their appearance. Even then I guessed and began to keep an eye on the young woman, but still did not hand Bella over to the villagers, since she behaved quietly. And again, wolf parsley - the girl did not want to become a beast even in the midst of the full moon. But the due date was inevitably approaching, it would not have been possible to hide the truth from the midwives, and so Bella ran away with her nephews.

The old man spoke out and fell silent, staring with watery whitish eyes at the nearby forest protruding from the fog. I asked the healer when he last saw the fugitive.

Umar Kostoprav's attitude check failed

“Look, he’s so quick,” the village healer grimaced with displeasure. “You don’t want to help me with collecting herbs, but you expect help from me.” It’s easy for you, young man, once you’ve gathered everything you need for your business. And with my sore legs I have to climb through the swamps, collect sorrel and blackberries...

So this is how, according to the plot, you were supposed to level up your Herbalism skill! Don’t crawl through a dangerous forest at night, trembling at every rustle and fearing encounters with bloodthirsty monsters, but simply come to the healer and improve Herbalism on training quests. On the other hand, how could my goblin come to a human village earlier when he would have been immediately sent for rebirth due to low Charisma and a -20 penalty on relations with people? Moreover, come during the day, since at night normal people sleep and the gates of Kamyshanka are closed!

I looked at my inventory. I had the necessary herbs in sufficient quantities, so the first task of the healer could be completed immediately. However, before the seventh level of Herbalism, I did not have many collected plants, so it was stupid to get the seventh level by completing this simple task. There was still time before the appearance of the ogre and the naiad, so I learned from the old man the direction to the nearest swamp and headed off to collect herbs. It wasn't far to go, and the task turned out to be primitive - the quest plants grew heaped and in sufficient quantities, so within twenty minutes I returned, having previously raised the Herbalism skill to the seventh level.

Umar the Chiropractor was still sitting there on the log, peacefully talking about something with the forest nymph. I walked up and silently handed the old man the ordered herbs.

Completed quest: Herbs for the healer 1/3. Gained 160 Exp

The Herbalism skill has been increased to level 8!

- Well, it was necessary right away! – the old man rejoiced, hiding the bundles of herbs in his shabby and dirty knapsack. - Well, I’ll answer your question, since I promised. I saw Bella for the last time, right when the undying people poured into our village in a whole crowd. It was somewhere in the middle of the day, I can’t say more precisely. She stood at the boat pier and collected water from the river into birch bark containers.

It was like a light bulb went on over my head. Exactly! River. Boats. How did we not realize this right away?! Judging by the forest nymph who turned to me and her eyes that lit up with enthusiasm, my sister also thought about it. But then the forest nymph froze, became sad and wrote me a private message.

I also replied to my sister in a private message:

“It turns out that she did not yet know about the death of eleven wolfhounds, but nevertheless ran away. Apparently, the due date was approaching, and she was afraid of exposure. Or she left later, the old man simply did not see her in the following days. But the path down the river really suggests itself - that’s why we didn’t find any traces of her, and for a pregnant woman, a boat is the easiest way to get away from the village.”

- So you, as a goblin, should know better. As far as I heard, a whole field of such poppies grows near your village of Tyshch, somewhere behind the cemetery of burning skeletons.

– Listen, Umar Chiropractor, the herbs you ordered, although they don’t grow right under your feet, are still the most common. There are many of them in the surrounding forests, and you can easily find them yourself or send someone else for them. I want to offer the real wealth of the Herbalist - I have hundreds of rare plants drying on the second floor of the Cursed House - White Lily, Shaggy Sorrel, Goblin Berries, Wolf Parsley, Variegated Mandrake. And near the stairs there is a descent into a cave washed out by a stream, where mushrooms grow: Red Shibaltsy, Cave Morels, Black Moss and much more that you will never find on the surface. Let's exchange - you will take all this wealth for yourself, and you will save me from the need to stomp along the muddy road to Tysh in the approaching rain and collect herbs for your order.

By the way the old man’s fingers trembled, one could immediately guess that the healer was extremely interested in my proposal. But he still hesitated:

- Yeah, I’ll go to the Cursed House, of course... You’re the undying one, Amra, you don’t care where you live. What if I get eaten by the monster that lives there?!

- Don't worry about it, old man. Tonight I destroyed the Midnight Wight, which was killing the inhabitants of the Cursed House. Now it's safe there.

Successful attitude check of Umar Kostoprav. Gained 40 Exp

Trade skill increased to level 12!

“I hope you’re not lying, big-eared one...” the old man muttered displeasedly, trying his best to hide his joy and impatience. - Okay, I agree to the exchange you proposed.

Completed quest: Herbs for the healer 2/3. Gained 320 Exp

Completed quest: Herbs for the healer 3/3. Gained 480 Exp

Herbalism skill increased to level 9!

Herbalism skill increased to level 10!

– No, not one of the boats disappeared in Kamyshanka. All three existing ones are standing at the pier, you can see for yourself.

“Understand, goblin, the fugitive was very attractive to me, and therefore I don’t want anyone to find her, annoy her, and even more so threaten her.” And if you have no more questions for me, then I’ll go - I need to collect a cart for your goods.

The healer stood up with a grunt and slowly walked towards his house, leaning on his stick. He had already gone about seven steps when my sister called out to the old man:

– Umar, can you tell us about Bella’s nephews? Or will you again demand that you do something for a truthful answer?

The doctor slowly turned around and frowned. I decided that we would not get an answer, but I was wrong:

– I’ll tell you about my nephews, what’s there to hide? The boy's name is Dar, the girl's name is Dara, both are twelve or thirteen years old. Thieves, flayers and hooligans are the most accurate characteristics for these young bandits. If something was missing in our village or one of the children was offended, you can point them out without hesitation. Outright criminals for whom hard labor is crying or even the scaffold. No education, no discipline, no respect for elders. Moreover, the girl is no better than her brother, just as lost. The villagers flogged them so many times with rods, locked them up in the cold, and even tied them to a pillory in the center of Kamyshanka... All to no avail. When their aunt was not so pot-bellied, Bella kept them at least a little in check - she beat them with a batog or reins so much that screams could be heard right at the other end of the village, the brats were afraid of her and obeyed her. And as she became overweight, there was no control over them at all. Honestly, I can’t be happier that these hooligans have finally left our village. This is exactly who no one will grieve about.

After these words, the old man spat on the ground in anger and went to Kamyshanka. And it was at that very moment that the heavens opened up and a real downpour poured down. The healer, showing agility unexpected for such a gray-haired old man, put his stick under his arm and rushed like a hare to the village. My sister and I were forced to urgently run under the nearest spreading tree so as not to get wet. There I voiced my thought:

My sister looked at me somehow strangely - with condemnation or even regret.

I thought about it, but had to admit that I absolutely did not understand what my sister was talking about. The forest nymph had to chew on the facts described so that it finally dawned on me:

- Lerka, you are smart! “I’ve got ice cream,” I smiled, admitting that my little sister was right. “They are unlikely to push the boat against the current: it is difficult to constantly row the oars for a pregnant woman and two weak teenagers.” This means we need to look for them down the river. But we won’t be able to catch up with the fugitives on foot - the banks here are marshy, overgrown with bushes and reeds, and also full of all sorts of aggressive creatures. Need a boat. And even several boats, since our whole company will not fit in one.

“You’re being stupid again, big-eared one,” Mavka sadly shook her head. “Not a single ordinary river punt can withstand our giant ogre.” And you forget that we ourselves are also forced to hide. Therefore, we should not leave our pursuers such a blatant clue as the boats taken in Kamyshanka.

“We will definitely help, because it is in our common interests,” I promised.

* * *

The rain, although it had noticeably subsided, still did not stop for a second. The wet wolves of the Gray Pack nervously huddled together, uncertainly moving their paws on the slippery swaying logs and looking longingly at such a close shore, but still not a single wolf dared to disobey my order. Taisha and Valeriann, sheltered from the rain and cold wind under a black wolf skin, chattered their teeth together. The children of Tamina the Fierce, the wolf riders Irek and Yunna, despite their light clothing that was unsuitable for the weather, were surprisingly cheerful and cheerful. The goblins laughed and joked, not even trying to hide their joy and overexcited state from the upcoming journey.

- Look to the right! Over there in the reeds!

I perked up and, throwing back the skin of the wolfhound, looked in the indicated direction. A large, half-submerged boat was stuck in the coastal reeds.

- This is my own boat, I recognize it! – the naiad continued to cry, his bright red dorsal fins bristling with excitement.

The fish-man jumped from the raft and, working quickly with his webbed hands and tail, rowed toward the submerged rowboat.

– We need to moor to the right and examine the entire shore there! – I ordered, and the Ogre Fortifier sharply turned the steering oar.

It was a small hut, and built relatively recently, just a couple of days ago - the leaves on the cut branches had not even had time to wither. Nearby there were traces of a fire and numerous completely gnawed bones of some large ruminant scattered across the clearing. The wolves that approached the campsite sniffed, and then ruffled their fur, fearfully tucked their tails and hurried to move away from the place of the feast. I took a closer look at our finds.

Successful Perception check. Gained 80 Exp

“By the way, it wouldn’t hurt for us to eat ourselves,” the ogre grumbled. – Since this morning, I had a yellow fork and knife icon looming in the corner of the screen, but now it has turned completely red...

For some reason, those gathered turned in my direction, as if I was supposed to have their food supplies. But from where? My eared troglodyte was hungry himself, which I immediately reported.

“I can catch fish, I have the gear,” suggested the naiad. “But it will take some time, and I need some kind of bait.”

“There’s plenty of bait here by the river!” - I answered, swatting another annoying red mosquito on myself and generously donating the corpse to a good cause. – But to feed our entire large company, one fisherman is still not enough. You need to go hunting and work together to catch something big. Now I’ll call my wyvern to look for prey for us in the surrounding forests from the air.

I didn’t take the BITCH to Kamyshanka for obvious reasons - a crowd of goblins on wolves in itself could arouse unhealthy interest among the residents. And if along with her there is also a tame three-meter flying snake, then such an event will become the subject of lively discussion for many days to come, and this story will be heard by the undying who are pursuing me. Now the level 16 Royal Forest Wyvern flew to my call in just a minute, the flying snake’s muzzle was stained with fresh blood.

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