ã€ŠRealm of Noria [LitRPG series. Book 2. The Life]ã€‹


 Short summary of the first book

    After a motor racing accident, Kraven, the son of a creator of online full immersion games, finds himself on death¡¯s door. His father, a man of means, places Kraven in a virtual reality capsule to alleviate his suffering. However, the capsule is a prototype, so there is risk involved.

    Kraven regaines consciousness in the virtual world of Noria and does not immediately understand what is happening to him. When he eventually figures it out, he begins to look for ways to contact his father. He needs someone that he can trust. Soon the primary task fades into the background.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

    The protagonist falls into slavery, because unlike other players he doesn¡¯t have the option to leave the game or contact the management. What is more, his sensitivity is so strong that all feelings, including pain, are close to real. Now the game becomes his ¡®life¡¯, and it doesn¡¯t start well. A stroke of luck gives him a chance to return freedom. He gets a game class that is inaccessible to ordinary players. Kraven has only to complete the task and free the great wizard from captivity in a monastery on the edge of the mainland. That wizard is the only person who can make a dent in the divine barrier dividing the Cursed Lands from the big world.

 Chapter 1

    As soon as I stepped on the coast of Harith-Hodor island, a system message appeared in front of my eyes.

    Attention!

    You''re allowed inthe closed area of The Empire of Nazhar due to belonging to the human race. Don''t forget that if you don''t have a permissionletter signed by the King of Nazhar, the island''s guardians could send you to prison for an indefinite period or return you to the mainland.

    Be careful not to break the law.

    The system had a knack for stating the obvious. Well, as for the law...I planned to do my best and not to break the rules, at least not so obviously.

    As the boat sailed across the water, I sat by the water lost in thought.

    The most important part of the plan to liberate the mysterious wizard was over: I was on the island.My next move involved getting to the Ardal Monastery, One option was toenter the monastery under the cover of invisibility, cutting downeveryone who dared to block my way, but considering how weak I was, I had to abandon that idea.On the other hand, even if I were at the five hundredth level, I probably wouldn''thave risked breaking into the prison situated under the monastery. It was unlikely that the security would be as weak as in Siaren.

    I had to find a less risky way of getting into Ardal. As far as I could gather, the people who lived there needed food, wood for their stoves, as well as other goods. They were probably able to supply themselves with the most basic necessities of life. There were many mobs in the forest, as well as trees. Still,you can''tlive just on meat. They got their supplies from other nearby settlements, which helped decide on my next course of action.

    I had to explore the island onfoot. The map was useless for the moment since the area with the territory of the island was hidden by a black haze.I could''ve tried to buy information from strangers, or even buy a map from a player or a local NPC. However, it probably would have been a waste of time and money. I wasn''t exactly surrounded by respectable players,and I was in no hurry to reveal my identity to anyone. I knewexactly where the first village was located ¡ª a couple of miles to the right, along the coast. That was where I wouldtry to purchase a map.

    The ground gradually changed from warm wet sand to pebbles and shells. The trip was uneventful for the most part, except for the giant crabs, and a couple of unfamiliar creatures that crawled out of the water. However, I didn''t come there for the sake of the mobs, so in order to avoid them, I went farther inland. I walked along the soft path of grass that stretched near the forest that ended sharply near the coast, as if cut off by aninvisible border.

    The forest teemed with life and was rather dangerous for outsiders. Death lurked in its shadows, waiting for an unwittingtravelertoventure into its fold. There was too little information about Harith-Hodor, but I knewenough. The local mobs were all above level fifty, even seventy. In general, the deeper you went into the forest, the strongerthe wolves became. There were real wolves in there, and there were a lot of them on the island. They were the toppredators of the area.

    Finally, I caught a glimpse ofa part of the moat, and the fence just behind it. They surrounded the village, protecting it from predators. I walked across a wide bridge thrown over the moat and reached the gates, my high collar adjusted so that it covered up the slave collar completely. I knocked once, but only silence answered. I knocked again, but it was obvious no one was going to answer, so I was prepared to wait.

    Suddenly,someone cracked open one of the doors and called outrudely,

    "Come on, don''t just stand there, redneck!"

    I slipped inside and immediately bumped into something. At first, I thought I had hit a wall, and I wasn''t far off. The titan towering above me was a guard. He was wearing full armor, a sword resting in a sheath attached to his.

    The door closed with a creak behind me, and another guard appearedbeside me.

    "Who are you?" His voice was a little hoarse.

    "Uh, well¡­" I said thoughtfully, "I''m looking for a job. I''ve recently arrived on the island. So, I decided to come here."

    "I see that you''ve just arrived. Do you have the King''s permission?" He scrutinized me with his piercing eyes. It was clear that he''d have been glad to find a reason to send a newbie to prison, or most likely to a simple cage.

    "Oh, sure," I hurriedly got into the inventory bag and took out a scroll. "Here it is!"

    The guard grabbed it with his hefty paw, unfolded and read it carefully.

    "So you''re Kraven, right?"

    "Well, yes," I nodded eagerly.

    "You''ve come from Odour village, not far from Savmer...", the man let out a sound that sounded a lot like a donkey bray. "Odour... I was here wondering why it smacks of something shitty, and all the time it was you, skunk!"

    His companion grinned happily, showing his rotten teeth and drowningme with his foulbreath.

    I could hardly restrain myself, but I had no choice but to keep quietand smile in like a moron.

    "Well, let''s check the authenticity of the document." The second man immediately put his hand on his sword and stepped behind me.

    The guard took out an amulet and held it over the unfolded scroll for a while. It looked quite strange, like a clenched eye, emitting a slight golden glow.When he was done, he returned the paper to me,

    "The seal''s genuine. You can come in."

    That was all. Both guards immediately lost any interest in me, instantly forgetting about my existence.

    With ashrug, I moved deeper into the village. I was planningto find the headman of the settlement and ask for work. Getting a job from him personally was important. The headman was supposed to have various connections with people from the monastery. After all, it was unlikely that the head of the settlement would miss the opportunity to reap all the benefits of trading with the monks.

    Passing bythe forge, I got into a small market, where the local NPCs sold everything they managed to grow, mine or produce.

    "Young man, don''t pass by!" Asquat bearded man with a reddish nose and a bruise under his right eye tried to lure me to his forge.

    "You shouldn''t walk unarmed! Take a look at all the swords I have. The hauberk! It''s exactly your size. If you wantthe blade, I''ll give it to you for half the price!"

    "Hide your rubbish, Creel!" A tall stout man shook his head ruefully. "Did you manufacture your swords in a drunken stuporagain? Well, your sword wouldbreak after the first strike! Better look at my weapons, young man. Everybody knows me on this island for the quality of my swords! Even merchants from Fadlas come hereto buy my goods. I alsosell my goods onthe mainlandsometimes!"This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

    "Stop lying!" The bearded man was furious. "Even the widow Riala''s dogs don''t recognize you when you climb to her overthe fence at night. Despite the fact that you''ve been sharing her bed for a whole month!"

    A heatedaltercation for the attention of aclient ensued between the men, and I slippedaway quickly before they managed to drag me into their quarrel.

    The settlement was quite large. There was a market and several forges, as it turned out from the conversation. There were at least thirty different little houses.

    "Mister, hey, mister! Why are you looking around so carefully?" A tricky little boy of eight pulled meat my sleeve. "Are you looking for something specific? Give me a coin, I''ll help you."

    "Get lost," I pulled my hand away, "I can manage by myself."

    "What a greedy man you are!" The child snorted, slipped behind the nearest shop and disappeared from my sight.

    I went to some old woman, who was selling pies, bought one with jam and asked,

    "Ma''am,can you please tell me where I can find the headman?"

    The old woman narrowed her eyes, peering into my face: "Oh, why do you need him?"

    "Why?" I was surprised. "I''m looking for a job!"

    "You are looking for a job," the old woman repeated, examining me from top to bottom thoughtfully. "But we have no work ... And I don''t recognizeyou,so you must be new here. Go back to where you came from!" The woman waved her little hands fussily, driving me away from the counter. "Get out!"

    It looked like Ishould have asked the guards about the headman. Alas, I missed the opportunity!

    "What a horrible woman!" I grumbled irritably as I moved further along the market.

    "Hey, you!" Aguard appeared right in front of me.

    It was the same man who checked my permissionat the gate.

    "Get out of here," he said rudely. "You can''tjust go around annoying people and offending children here." The dirty boy quickly peaked from behind the guard and hid again.

    The little bratcomplained about me.

    "I''m just looking for the headman," I repliedcalmly.

    "Atthe market?" The guard''slooked genuinely surprised. "Why do you need him?"

    "I want to get a job."

    "You want to work for Toad?" The man grinned.

    I had no idea whether "toad" was a name or a nickname...

    "Well, good luck to you. The headman lives inthat street," the guard pointed out. "He has a two-story red-brick house at the very end. You won''t miss it!"

    "Thank you."

    I went towards the street he pointed me to.

    It was a big and massive house like a fortress in miniature. The yard around the house, overgrown with thick flowering shrubs and fruit trees, was surrounded by a high metal fence with the thick rods ending with sharp triangular tips at the top.

    Ironically, the gate was open wide as if inviting anyone to come inside.

    However, as soon as I entered the yard, two large dogs with wild bloodshot eyes and bared teeth jumped out from the nearest bushes, butthey didn''t make a single sound. I was completely dumbfounded and slowlystarted to retreatto the saving gates. The dogs followed me closely but didn''t attack. It was eerie.

    "Uh ... no! I''m not tasty!" I whispered.

    The dogs were like zombies. They neithergrowled nor barked, they just watched me with unblinking eyes. It became quite clear why the gate stoodso carelessly open. Very few people would risk entering the courtyard voluntarily.

    "Shoo, beasts!" A gruffvoice rang out, and, a short, crooked old man with a cane pushed through the bush with great difficulty. "Don''t just rush at everyone! Damned dogs!" The man swung at the dogs, and ... they humbly loweredtheir heads and ran off to the side but nevertooktheir horribleeyes off me.

    "What do you want?" He turned to me.

    "Um¡­" I hesitated, unable to look away from the dogs, "I want to see the headman."

    "What for?" The old man raised his eyebrows, leaning on his cane.

    "I''m looking for work¡­" I was aboutto start explaining my motives for the umpteenthtime, but the old man cut me off.

    "Aha! Interesting," the old man said joyfully with a strange gleam in his eyes, "There''s always work to find... What can you do?" He looked to be appraising my appearance.

    Frankly speaking, I was unsettled by his gratuitousenthusiasm and the maniacal lookinhis eyes at the sight of a new employee. But I was resolute because I had to start my mission. I didn''t even care whether he was a toad or any other amphibian.

    "I can do everything," I lied unscrupulously.

    I wasn''t far off point though. You could hardly think of anything worse than cleaning the toilets in Noar-Rahor. I was a professional in cleaning and restoring order toany premises, so to speak.

    "Really?" The old man was both surprised and confused. He was probably the headman''s manager.

    "Of course!" I confirmed.

    "That''sgood. First,I''ll need to see it for myself. Come," the old man grunted. He turned and threatened the dogs with his finger. "Damn creatures! If you dare bite someone, I''ll punish you!"

    He was one crazy NPC. Hewasn''t at all afraid of those dogs. However, they, apparently, respected and feared him: their tails between their legs, they looked absolutely plaintive.

    "My name''s Cleto," the headman''s manager introduced himself whilewe rounded a heavily neglected and overgrown garden and stepped ona path leading to the house. "I''ve been doing all the work of our esteemed headman for forty years already. I used to manage his father''s house long ago."

    Suddenly, all his senile antics disappeared.He appeared to be just a normal, albeit old man, speaking to a new employee. He was confident, strict and responsible.

    "The manor''s decaying," Cletosighedsadly. "Our headman loves hunting and entertaining himself with women. His parents were different, the patron gods blesstheir souls. But they couldn''t educate him properly and he wasn''t well brought up. I myself have to deal with all the matters." The manager invited me into the house, stepping aside. "I hope you can cut trees and grass?" Without waiting for an answer, he waved his hand.

    "Well, what was I talking about? It''s evident that you''re from a village. Of course, you know how to handle tools. I''mgoing toshow you a part of the backyard garden. If you manage to put the garden in order inan hour, I''ll hire you. But if you don''t... then this job obviously won''t suit you." He spread his hands.

    I wisely didn''tinquireofthe headman whereabouts. It was clear that he had no say when it came to employment. The old man himself admitted that he was the head of everything there. In addition, if he hiredme, I''d soon get acquainted with the owner of the house anyway.

    In general, I wondered where the rest of the workers. Although, judging by the neglected state of the house and the layers of dust in every room Cleto led me through along the hallway, there were no workers at all, except the manager himself.

    "Here are the tools. Take the pruning shears, thesaw, thescythe and thecart," the old man pointed out, opening the lastdoor in the corridor, which revealed a storeroom with gardening tools.

    Taking the items pointed outby Cleto, I put them into the cart and went to the backyard. Several rows of trees, and berry and flower bushes grew there. Stone-paved paths were barely visible between them, and there werea few benches and a couple of gazebos peaking between the shrubs. In general, there waseverything a rich man''s yard had.

    "Do you see that path?" Cleto pointed to the central row of trees nearly fifty yards long. There were about a dozen trees. "Start there, time is ticking," the manager pulled out an ancient watch from his breast pocket. It was the first time I saw anNPC use awatch. He opened the lid and peered at the dial. Then he snorted, snapped the lid back on, and putthe watch back.

    "You can dump the garbage at the end of the alley. There''s also a ladder, use it.The upper branches must also be cut. I''ll go have a drink of tea with buns. Larona should have already brought a basket and left it at the entrance." He turned around and walked to the house too quickly for an old man with a cane.

    Available task: Clean the alley in 1 hour

    Reward: Getting a job

    Penalty (if you don''tfinish by a certain time): Relationship with the NPC, Cleto, will decrease to "Dislike"

    Ten minutes after cutting off dry branches and trimming the local lawn variety with an ancient work tool as the scythe, I began to curse the whole island, and the village, and the nameless headman, and especially his manager, Cleto! I only managed to trim one tree and process the grass belowit in those ten minutes.

    The time allotted for the task was ticking by, and I still had four trees left. If I failed to complete the task, I''d probably have to go to the city or the nextvillage. The city was preferable.

    Based on the position of the village I was in, Fadlas was located on the right side of the island. The Ardal monastery was on the left,high in the mountains and surrounded by the forest. The second village was exactly opposite to it, on the other side of Harith-Hodor.

    Apparently, there were more dogs in the backyard. I noticed a couple of scary dogs circling nearby.

    Soon the manager came out and walked over to me lazily. I assumed that he would start berating me for my sluggishness and fire me for my failure to complete the task. Hastily straightening my collar again, I put the instrument aside and leaned againstthe trunk of the tree, waiting for the old man. I planned to change my clothes to ones that are more comfortable, if possible.

    "You didn''t cope, did you?" Cletorumbledwith contrived irritation. "On the other hand, your work is meticulous," he slowly walked along the cleared part of the yard, which I''d trimmed with the pruner and the saw.

    "You know, I think I''ll take you on. You suit me. I''mgoing totalk to the owner about your salary when we discuss our matters. He should be back in the evening. Here''s your key," Cleto unbuckled one of the massive elaboratekeys from the bunch and handed it to me. "Your room''s next to the utility room."

 Chapter 2

    The game system immediately duplicated the decision of the old man.

    Task: Clean the alley in 1 hour is completed.

    Reward: You are hired.

    A sense of relief washed over me. The initial part of my personal plan was completed! I was hired. Now I was supposed to learn how to get to the monastery fromthe headman.

    "Don''t returnthose tools yet," Cleto hurried to stop me when I put the pruner and the saw in the cart to take everything back into the storage room. "Let''s have lunch, and then you''ll come back and finish trimming this path, and work on the second oneof your choice."

    "Is that all?" I asked delightedly.

    There wereless than one and a half pathways left. I could manage for two hours, maximum three, even with interruptions, and then I would rest. When the headman returned, I''d try to overhear what Cleto and hewere going to discuss business. It might be worth knowing.

    "Of course, not!" The old man looked at me in surprise, "You aren''t in your crappy little village,so don''t try to be lazy! When you are free, you come and find meimmediately, got it? You need to clean the house. There are layers of dust from a hundred years ago that needs to be taken care of."

    My hope of having some time to plan was dashed.However, his behaviorwas understandable. The workforce had to be used to the fullest while it was possible. I was used to it.

    "Well? Don''tjust stand therelike a lemon! Let''s have lunch." And without waiting for me, the old man turned around and went to the house.

    During lunch, I introduced myself Cleto, or rather, he asked for my name. In general, he wasn''t very much interested in my past life, so our conversation was rather simple. It was more like an interrogation. I answered all of his questions briefly and accurately. Afterlunch, I was allowed to rest forhalf an hour, and after my brief respite, I set to work.

    While working on what seemed to be the twentieth tree, I was interrupted by a notification alarm, and a message appeared before my eyes. I was quite unpleasantly surprised by its contents.

    Attention player!

    You''ve spent a lot of time workinghard and pursuing your chosen goal. You have perfectly mastered such items as a pruner and a scythe.

    You can choose the specialty ''Gardener''

    It was as if the system was mocking me. Ithrewthe pruner to the ground in frustration.

    I had no restrictions on the number of specialties. I could get as many professions as I wished. But to get thefirst specialty as a ''Gardener'' was infuriating! It was good that it wasn''t a ''Jeweler''; after all, the system could have offered me that profession earlier in Noar-Rahor. Thankfully, this profession wasn''tapparently provided for the players. I couldn''tbe sure, but there may have been strange people who preferred to spend time in their own garden there. Sculptors and artists weren''t exactly uncommon in the world of Noria.

    "Okay, I''m going to be a ''Shadow'' Killer with a Gardener specialty. That''s very original!"My words bled with irony. Ultimately, I acceptedmy first specialty in that world. Whining about it would do me no good. Picking up the pruner, I returned to cutting off dry tree branches.

    I decided to take my time. There was no need to hurry. If I had the time, I would clean the house, if not...

    The crisp sound of the pruner rang and the last tree branch fell down. I climbeddown the ladder, collected the dry wood and put it in the cart. I drove the branches and unloaded them at the end of the path. After storing thetoolsback into the storeroom,I returnedthe ladder to its place. After a short break, I decided to look for the old man.

    I found Cleto on the porch of the house, sitting in a rocking chair. One of the dogs was lying at his feet; it immediately jumped up at the sight of me.

    "Cleto, the backyard is finished!" I said hastily, eyeing the dogcautiously.

    I was curious to know what that creature was.I''d never seen such mobs before. Moreover, I hadn''t even heard about the existence of such strange animals. They looked similar to dogs, but I felt that the similarity only went skin deep.

    "Well done," the old man praised me. "Now clean the living room. Water''s in the well, the well''s in the yard to the right of the house. Take what you need in the storeroom¡­"

    It started getting dark soon, but I had already finished cleaning the room by that time. I had almost finished, being more precise. It remained for me to wipe a couple of cabinets and remove the cobwebs above them when suddenly the door opened, and the manager entered the room.

    "Wow," the old man nodded in satisfaction, glancing at the walls, which were almost shining with cleanliness, as well as the floor and furniture in the living room. "It''s good that I took you on! Well, I see you''re tired, Kraven. That will be all for today. You can have dinner and rest," Cletosaid. "Better put some food on your plate and go back to your room. Don''tset your foot out of the bedroom. The owner will come soon, he''ll be irritableand crossas always. Therefore,you betterstay out of his sight. By the way, his name is Garlon, but don''t even dare to call him by name when I introduce you to him tomorrow. Call him master.That''s all. Got it?"

    "Yes, Cleto."

    "That''s good," the old man nodded. "Now get some rest."

    Cleto left the living room, and Iwrung outa rag dry, covered a bucket with it, and went to the kitchen. I really needed a snack. Then, I planned not to miss the return of headman Garlon.

    After a quick dinner, I went to my room, threw all my work clothes on the bed, took out the slightly battered Shadows armor and quickly put iton. Then, after some consideration, I put on a belt with quick access cells just in case. I filled them with the potion of night vision and scrolls of disguise from the inventory, somebeingrelated to smells, sounds, and even tastes. I decided that I could use that disguise in case those dogs were let into the house, I knew absolutely nothing about those creatures. Invisibility wasn''t a panacea. Even mobs whose vision was like a thermal imager existed. I had no idea why they were created in the world of Noria, but they were dangerous and that had to be reckoned with.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

    I activated invisibility, left the room and quietly closed the door behind me. Besides, I took out the key and locked the door,S that it would seem as if I''d gone to bed and closed the room from the inside. Although, I was sure that Cleto had a spare key. However, at the same time, I hoped that it wouldn''t occur to him to check what his employee was doing in his bedroom.

    I sneaked towards the exit from the house. Two shadows flashed outside the window and I quicklyducked into a room nearby. I could hear someone''s steps as they approached the front door and their voices were clearly audible. One was familiar to me ¡ª it was Cleto. The second voice was low, young, in a tone of anger and discontent, and apparently, it belonged to Garlon.

    The door opened, and the old man entered first, followed bya tall man of thirty with a rather unpleasant, repulsive face. He was wearing a slightly crumpled, light brown jacket.

    "What happened? Did you get into a fight with someone again?" The old man asked, helping the headman remove hisouterwear and hanging it on the coat hanger.

    I made a couple of steps to the side and pressed myself against awall covered with a tapestry.

    "It''s all those damn... monastic loons!" The man swore. "Let''s go to the office, I need a drink! I''ll tell you everything on the way."

    Cleto and Garlon passed me by and went up the stairs to the second floor. I followed behind them slowly and cautiously, keeping adistance of fifteen yards.

    On the second floor, they went to the end of the left wing of the house. The manager unlocked the last door next tothe wall with a window and let the headman go in first, and then followed him inside and slammed the door behind him.

    I quickly approached the office and put my ear to a rough wooden surface...but I could hear nothing! I almost cursed aloud. That door wasn''t as simple as it looked. There might be some kind of a protective spell. It was quite possible.

    Then my eyes fell onthe window again, and a brilliant idea popped into my mind! If I couldn''t hear them, then I should try to see them. Of course, I didn''tknow how to read lips, but it was also possible that what I saw would be enough to help me develop a plan of entering the monastery.

    Without a squeak, I opened the window and slipped outside. On the left, through the window of the office, a yellow dim light penetrated the outside, slightly illuminating the courtyard and the trees near the house. I hoped that the dogs wouldn''tdetectme at the height of the second floor.

    There was nothing to clingto. With difficulty, I squeezed my fingers into the gap between the laying of stones and I shimmiedover the three-yard wall that led to the window of the office. I was holding onto the bottom of the frame so I pulled myself up and peered into the room.

    Apparently, my luck was running out. The window was draped;all I could see were the silhouettes of the people inside.

    Frustrated, I was about to go back when someone came up to the window, pulled the curtain aside and, throwing back the latch, opened it widely. And I was quite lucky that it opened inward, not outward. Otherwise, it would have made me lose my grip, and fall down from the height of the second floor. The invisibility would have stopped working from the damage caused, also.

    "So, are you alright?" Cleto''s voice rang out. "Is it not stuffy anymore?"

    The chime of glass echoed as if several bottles clinked against each other, and the headman''s sluggish answer was heard,

    "Nope! Now it''s good. What a nice breeze!"

    "Then, maybe, you''ll put down that twenty-year-old cognac and start telling me what''s happened?" The old man spoke impatiently. "Your father bought that ''Gavrtolsky rage'', and it was not for you, who drinks it like juice."

    "Wait a minute, old man, what''s the rush," Garlon answered,followed by a few hurried gulpingsounds.

    The conversation stopped for a while. In the room, someone pushed the furniture, then rustled some papers.

    "Well, who exactly did you meet with?" Cleto asked.

    "With one of the monks. I don''t know his name," the headman grunted. "But he certainly belongs to the elders. I saw his amulet."

    "So? What about the contract?" The manager clarified.

    "Nothing," the man said irritably. "I was sent to hell."

    "Why so? What did you discuss? What did he offer?" The old man continued questioning patiently. "Stop making me ask you what happened!Just tell meeverything in detail!"

    "They don''t like the prices!" Garlonslammedthe table with his fist. "They want lower prices! Moreover, we will have to deliver the goods to them! Insatiable beasts!" The sound of breaking glass rang out, then the sound of a chair being toppledand nervous, heavy steps of someone pacing around.

    "I warned you," Cleto noted quietly. "You should have reduced the prices to matchLanwan''s. But no. You''ve increased the price and decided to change the conditions of cooperating with the workersas soon as the terms of yourfather''s contract came out ... Don''t freak out! Sit down!" The manager shouted sharply. I never imagined that the old man could yell so loudly.

    "Fuck off!" Garlon snarled in response. "I don''t want to live in this hole!" He broke into a scream. "I want to get out of here. I want to¡­"

    "I want, I want," the old man mocked him. "Garlon, you''re a fool! A completefool! You were always too greedy. You started offending the locals. People are whispering, they are outraged. The guards have been calling you Toad for a month already. Beware, if the rumor about your deeds reaches Prince Fadlos, then your dream will come true. You will fly off the island like a cannonball, straight to the quarry."

    "But what should I do now?" Garlonsoundeda little calmer and, judging by the sounds, lifted the chair, put it back to its place and sat down on it.

    "For starters, you can stop whining!" Cletochastised him. "Go to the city tomorrow morning, find this monk and agree to all his conditions. It''s better to reduce the price by five percent than lose the contract completely."

    "But it''s cheaper than¡­"

    "Yes, you''ll sell cheaper than Lanwan. This means that you need to stop wastingmoney on women, drinks, and parties. Money doesn''t grow on trees. Did you manage to forget how your father lived?" The manager reminded. "He counted every coin, and he never cut corners,and he never had any problems. He respected his employees!"

    "Why should I respect them?" The headman seethed. "Who are they and who am I?"

    "That right there is why they run from you as if you''re a leper. Look! Don''t you dare try to mistreat the new laborer, or then¡­"

    "Have you found one?" Garlon interrupted the old man. "He must be fed now and paid salary."

    "Fed well, and paid money. Yes, you''re right!" The old man said sharply. "He''s a good worker, just what we need. The guy has recently arrived from the mainland, so he doesn''t know how you treat your people. Remember well, we''re going to take good care ofhim. Perhaps he''s your future supplier of goods to the monastery. The guy''s strong, he can handle it.

    "One is not enough."

    "So we''ll find more workers! When you''re in the city, don''t forget to talk tothe right person. Promise him you''llpay as much as he asks."

    "And the security?"

    "I''ll arrange itmyself, I still have some old connections from when your father was alive. That means that I''ll probably have to go with you to the city tomorrow."

    "Eh, waste of money again," the headman began to complain about the lack of his funds.

    "What exactly did you expect? Did you think that the hard workers coulddrag the goods and handleasword at the same time?" The manager asked. "Or maybe you think we don''t need any workers, and you yourself will do everything alone?"

    "Are you crazy, Cleto?" The headman was sincerely amazed. "I''d never think anything of the sort! That''s what workers are for."

    "Then tomorrow we''re traveling to the city. Go to bed. I''ll order horses and a cart. We are leaving early in the morning."

    "Maybe it would be better to take a carriage. It won''t be convenient for us to ride in a cart."Garlon tried to suggest,

    "A waste of money!We''re not going to a date with a woman or to your friends. Be sensible!"

    Garlon asked something else, but I was no longer listening. Realizing that they would soon come out of the office, I quickly returned to the open window and climbed back into the house.

    I had to try and get them to let me accompany them tomorrow. My mind was occupied with that thought as I went back to the room.

    The reason I wanted to get into the city was that city traders offered better goodsand scrolls than the villagers. Moreover, I had to see that very monk from the monastery, especially since he was anelder. According to the information I''dfound in the Noar-Rahor books, the elders were representatives of the highest rank. They were like the masters from the guild ''Elghinn Dal Veldrin''. It was a pity that the Shadows knew very little about them. Their ranks, basic skills, and capabilities were the only information they had on them. The identity of the head of the monastery, their learning process, the procedure for the selection of novices and much more remained behind aveil of secrecy.

    With the armor back in the inventory and my clothes in the dresser, I went to bed.

 Chapter 3

    In the morning, I got up before everyone else. Cleto and Garlon were still asleep. I thought it was dangerous to go out into the yard because I had no way of knowing how the guarddogs would react to seeing me without the presence of the old man. I needed to ingratiate myself with the authorities in the residence, therefore, I picked up a rag and a broom, finished cleaning the living room, and then moved to the corridor and continued to work.

    It was nine in the morning when the shuffling steps of the old man accompanying the thumpingsound of his cane rang out on the second floor.

    "Oh, well done!" Cletosaid as he came down the stairs and sawhow hard I was rubbing one of the numerous walls. "Why didn''t you change the water?" He glanced at the dirty liquid in the bucket.

    "Because of the dogs. I don''t want them to attack me," I honestly stated the reason. "I''m afraid of them."

    "Eh, my memory is gettingworse and worse," the old man shook his head sadly, "I forgot to tell you yesterday that they pose nodanger toyou now. Unless, of course, you try to leave the territory of the manor. So, do what you want in the yard."

    "Then I''ll go for the water," Iput down the rag, and took the handle of the bucket.

    "Yes, hurry up. We''reheadingto town soon. I''ll need to give you your assignments for the time we''re gone."

    "Maybe you need my help on the road? I can carry your things and purchases." I decided to take achance and get into the town. "You won''t be able to lift heavy things, and the master''sunlikely to do this. What if someone attacks you on the way? I am very handy withanax as I used to go hunting with my father in my native village." I lied shamelessly.

    "I don''t know¡­" the old man spoke thoughtfully. "I''ll think it over at breakfast. Don''t go to the second floor, continue to clean down here. The master''s still sleeping." With those words, Cleto headed towards the kitchen.

    An hour later, Garlon got up. Dressed in a bathrobe, he silently went down to the first floor, threw me a sidelong glance and went towards the kitchen, where the old man had already begun to cook something.

    "Have you seen our new worker?" The voice of the old man rang out.

    "Yeah. So-so, to be honest," the headman answered. "He''s too thin as if he has come from a poor house. That means he eats too much."

    As for food, listening to the quiet rumbling of mystomach, I really wouldn''t refuse breakfast.

    "Don''t judge him by his appearance," Cleto replied. "He''s better than many other workers we''ve had. He''sas hardy as the Nemean lion''s nerve! And besides, he''s not lazy!"

    "Really?" Garlon asked briefly, then smacking sounds were heard, he apparently ate the meal the manager had cookedwith great pleasure. The headman continued, "If you are so sure of him, can we take him to town with us today? There''s no guarantee we''ll find suitable workers in the town first-time around, but we have a lot of things to carry."

    "Why not?" Cleto spoke thoughtfully. "I think this is the smartest idea you''ve had for the last month."

    "Not the only one," Garlo retorted with a fullmouth. "One more thing, put a collar on one of your dogs and on ¡­"

    "I know!" The old man interrupted the headman. "We''ll take Cher and Mika with us, Liv and Nata will remain on guard. They aren''t dogs, I have already told you a hundred times, they are called Huo-kaur. It''s an orcishhybridof half-orchalf-dog."

    Now I knew what those creatureswere,though it was quite useless information. I still couldn''t figure out what they were capable of.

    "Even if they''re goblins''," the headman murmured. "Dogs are dogs."

    "Have it your way," Cleto said. "I''ll take the food to our employee,and then I''m going to Nyarken for the cart. Get a change of clothes after you finish breakfast."

    "OK, OK. Come on."

    Cleto came out of the kitchen, and I began to rub the floor with even greater diligence, pretending to work and not eavesdropping.

    "So, Kraven, you can rest for a couple of minutes," he put a large plate of fresh hot soup and a big piece of bread on the nearest table. "I decided you''re coming with us. After breakfast, choose an ax of a suitable size. By the way, do you know how to use a bow or a crossbow?"

    "Nope," I shook my head.

    "Oh, I was hopingyou did," the old man sighed in disappointment. "Then I''ll take an extra crossbow and try to teach you how to shoot. It''snot toocomplicated. After all, sometimes a sharp bolt ismore important in a battle than a good blade and skill."

    Iwasn''treally against it. Honestly, I didn''t care much about crossbows or bows at all, butthe skill could turn out to be useful.Every now and again, I was surprised by how strange and interesting the old man was, first his strange dogs, nowcrossbows.

    "When you hear noise in the yard, you''ll know to get ready for the journey,"the manager warned me. "I''m going for the cart."

    The old man returned pretty quickly. I only managed to eat the soup and find a small but strong and sharpax from the back room when the neighing of horses and the creak of wooden wheels sounded from the yard.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    "What are you waiting for?" The headman complainedfrom behind me when I stopped at the doorstep before leaving the house, wondering if I had taken everything I needed.

    Garlon lightly pushed me on the shoulder and I, cursing him mentally, walkedover to the covered cart or wagon, to be precise. The headman himself sat on the bench next to the old man who held the reins. I movedthe coarse clothto the sideand climbed onto the wagon. I almost tripped over one of the crossbows lying on the floor when I saw two cageswith the Huo-kaurinside. That name was difficult to pronounce. They didn''t even bother to notice me. Their sad and disgruntled faces restedon their paws; their eyes were covered. I wasn''t eager to travel near them.

    "Be careful there!" Cleto shouted. "Don''t break anything!"

    The cart started moving slowlyand I, trying to stay away from the cages, sat down onthe side through which I climbed inside. I pulled the corner of the fabric open and looked at the street. It was more interesting than staring at those creatures or studying the wagonfrom the inside.

    "Don''t disturb the dogs," the old man spokeagain after a while.

    That was doubtful.

    "As we drive out on the road, I''ll let them go for a walk." The headman informedme.

    Delightful. I was overjoyed with the prospect. Absolutely wonderful.

    As soon as our wagonleft the village and was about half a mile away, Cleto stopped and asked me to comeoutside, what I was happy to do.

    The old man climbed inside the wagon, fiddled there for a while, talked to the dogs, and then, pleased, leaned out of the wagon and handed me one of the crossbows.

    "Cher, Mika, forward!" Both dogs flewover the board and spun around us, as if they had been locked in the cages for all their lives.

    A wide leather collar with short spikes was put on the neck of each of the dogs. When the old man, rather quickly for his age and limpness, jumped off the wagon, he was holding short leashes made of a thick chain. By the way, that very awkward canehe usedhad disappeared. I never saw it again.

    "Let''s get out of the road, I''ll show you how to use a crossbow," the old man nodded towardsthe wood nearby.

    Cleto offered to use a tall stump ofa broken tree as a targetthat reached to my chest.

    "Look," the manager began to explain, taking thecrossbow from my hands. "Pull the string with this mechanism, then put a bolt here, aim and press the trigger."

    I heard a twang and the bolt thrust into the stump.

    "I''ll show it to you one more time," Cleto repeated the steps again. "Got it? Try to hit the target."

    It looked like it was nothing difficult. I aimed, pulled the trigger and... the bolt flew higher than the stump somewhere into the woods.

    I hoped I didn''t hurt anything. Neither abear nor awolf or any another animal would be very happy about it.

    Cleto shook his head in amazement, marveling at my inability to handle what he believed to be a simple weapon.

    He handed me a new bolt, "Load it. Just don''t point it in my direction. Imight be old, but I still want to live."

    that the whole time I was learning to shoot and load a crossbow, the headman was sitting on thebench in the front part of the cart.

    I noticed a couple of times after abolt flew away in an unknown direction, that he was murmuring something to himself.Apparently,Garlon had deducted the loss of ammunition from my salary.

    "In general, it''s not bad," the old man smiled satisfied when I lost five out of ten bolts.Two didn''t reach the target, plunging into the ground somewhere halfway through, and three hit the target. "We''ll make one more stop and practice again."

    We went back to the wagon and continued on our journey.

    The dogs were leftto run alongside, moving away and approaching the cart periodically. The old man whistled some merry tune as I watchedour surroundings and the clouds of dust that rose after us.

    Then another stop followed, and Cleto''s lesson on handling a crossbow continued. I had improved my new skill. I actually managed to hit the target five times.

    The system had offered me to learn the skill ''Crossbow''. Of course, I agreed without hesitating.

    We encountered only a few other travelers on our way to the city. We saw somehorse guards and a caravan of three carts and numerous guards. As far as I could gather, they were heading to the monastery.

    Tallwooden gates and part of astone wall appeared in the distance, beyond the forest. It was a city; the only city on the whole island.

    Of course, it wasn''t as big as the cities on the mainland, but thatwas understandable because far fewer people lived on Harith-Hodor. In addition, they weremostly human, mainly from the kingdom of Nazhar. I didn''t know the situation with the players, but according to Master Zorkhan, there were few immortals. Although, considering how I looked at that moment, hardly anyof them would have paid attention to me.

    Hefty strong guards were standing at the gate. They examined our appearance carefully once our wagonapproached.

    "We cannot let you go inside with these¡­" one of the guards thought for a moment, "...dogs without a leash. Either put a leash on them or drive them in your wagon."

    I was glad to see I was not the only one who was unsettled by their creepy appearance.

    "Very well," Cleto nodded in agreement and, coming down from the cart, called Cher and Mika to fasten the leashes to their collars. "Kraven, come here!" The old man called me over. "Take the leashes!"

    I could only imagine the expression on my face."Don''t worry, I told you that they won''t touch you now," the manager said, noting my displeasure. "Hold tight, they''re certainly obedient, but you never know¡­" The last phrase made me cringe.

    Garlon paid thefee for entering the city on a wagonand parked it ina special shed, then he gave a few coins to the groom. He had to unhitch the horses, feed and water them in our absence.

    Aswe walked on, the headman and the manager went ahead, and I followed behind them, holding two wilddogs with red eyes on a leash.

    Fadlas was different from all the cities I had been to. It was majestic and beautiful. It charmed with its elegance and style. The elongated arches, favored by dark elves, were in perfect harmony with the statues of mythical creatures, which were undoubtedly crafted by gnomes. Buildings with reliefs ofpeople and orcs perfectly complemented the general view, fitting into the overall architecture of the city surprisingly well.

    I had afeeling that all the races inhabiting the world of Noriacontributed to buildingFadlas in the olden days!

    "Keep up, Kraven," Cleto called out to me as I stopped to stare at another marvelous structure.

    First, the old man led us to a large three-story house, a flag with crossed swords hoistedon its roof.Cleto went inside without knocking,leaving me and the headman waiting on the street. Dissatisfied with such a manifestation of disrespect for his person, Garlon left after a couple of minutes, informing me that he would be in the ''Three Boars'' tavern. He asked me to tell Cleto that he would wait for him there.

    I was left alone, with two beasts on a leash. They behaved surprisingly well, sitting quietly on their hindquartersand watching passers-by. They, in turn, looked at me and the dogs with caution and tried to vacatethe dangerous place quickly.

    Then the door opened, and theold man appeared on the threshold.

    "Everything''s fine, I''ve made¡­" he stopped abruptly when he noticed that the headman wasn''t on the street. "Where''s Garlon?"

    "He went to the ''Three Boars'' tavern," I said.

    "Clear. Let''s go there too."

 Chapter 4

    The tavern was quiet and peaceful. The owner of the institution and the headman were sitting at a secludedtable nearest to the entrance. There were no other people in the room.

    I had to leave the dogs on the street, after attaching their leashes to some hooks onthe wall.

    Garlon waved his hand eagerly, inviting Cleto to the table with food and some sortof drinks. I remained standing next to the table. It was clear that there was no place for an employee at the same table with the owners. Cleto could eat with me from the same cauldron, but Garlon ... he was the headman! That meant he was above all farm laborers and other hired hands there.

    "Cleto," I turned to the manager, "Can I run to the nearest shop to buy new clothes? My own are already¡­" I pointed to my clothes. "Well, you cansee for yourself in what condition they are."

    "Do you have money? Or do I need to give you some coins in advance?" The old man asked.

    "No, I have some coins in my pocket. My parents gave me a little. I paid for my seat on the ship, and still have some of it left."

    "OK, but be quick!" Cleto said. "We''ll stay here for half an hour more."

    I quickly left the tavern and ran to the center of the city, since it wasn''t far away.

    "Excuse me, can you please tell me," I turned to the first guard Icame across, "where I can find a good," I emphasizedtheword, "seller of light armor?"

    The guard looked at me very suspiciously, although it was understandable; I looked far from well off. Therefore, I took out a dozen coins and handed them to him with a smile: "My master sent me to buy the armor, but I don''t know the city very well."

    "Well," the guard checked around before accepting the coins, "There''s Elkhran''s shop nearby. Go straight, then turn left at the small yellow house, and then go straight again. You''ll see a large sign with a bright gold inscription ''Elkhran''s Armor and Weapons''... Although¡­" he hesitated for a moment, "you probably don''t know how to read. Well, there''s still a shield and a sword painted abovethe inscription, they''re just like real ones. You can''t miss it."

    "Thank you," I said to the guard and ran in the indicated direction.

    When I located the sign, I went to the door and knocked.

    "Come in," someone''s voice invited me in.

    A short, heavysetman was standingnext to the entrance and tryingto fix a large, shining sword tothe wall. The placecould easily be called a shop, as it was big enough.

    "Can I help¡­" and then he, having noticed how I was dressed, immediately changed his tone. "What do you want? I don''t sell knives and shovels. You''ve come to the wrong place."

    "No, I wasn''t mistaken," I grinned, pulling out a bag of local currency from my inventory.

    "Oh!" A greedy little light flashed in the man''s eyes. "How may I help you... sir?"

    "I need light leather armor, preferably by dark elven production," I said.

    "Hmm, giveme some more details. You know, the drowmakea lot of things, it will be difficult to knowfrom what you''ve indicated."

    I decided to pull out my damaged jacket from the set in the inventory. "Is there something similar?"

    "Wow!" the seller''s eyes widened in surprise, and he tookit from my hands and examined itcarefully. "If I''m not mistaken ... it ... was created in the Guild ''Elghinn Dal Veldrin.''"

    "I don''t know," I shrugged. "It''s just that I was lucky to get it on the mainland from one of the second-hand dealers, but, alas, in one of the clashes with the beasts in the forest, it was severely damaged." That was as close to the truth as possible, and the meeting with the beasts was true!

    "I sympathize with you, young man." The seller sighed. "If you decide to sell it, I''ll give you a very good price for it. Do you have any other parts of the kit?"

    "No!" Having taken the jacket, I replied.

    I had no intention of letting him know that I had a complete set, and, of course, I wasn''tplanning on selling it.

    "A pity. Such armor, alas, is unlikely to befound, especially of such a quality ¡­" the trader wondered, "I can offer you the armor of light elven work. Its protective properties, of course, aren''t so good, and it''s less convenient. However,you''re unlikely to find anything better in Fadlas. Would you like to take a look?"

    "Sure," I agreed with the proposal.

    The man left the front store, opening the door to some additional room and soon returned with a small chest.

    "Here it is," he opened the lid. "Would you like to try it on?"

    Of course, the parameters were lower than those of the Shadows'' student armor, but it wasn''t toobad either. Though I didn''t really like the dark brown color, I decided to buy the armor.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

    "I''ll take it! How much is it?"

    "Six hundred irens." The merchant namedthe price, and, judging by the cunning spark in his eyes, he overestimated it by an order of magnitude when compared with the market.

    However, I didn''t know the real prices on the market, and even if he had said a thousand, I would have paid a thousand. I didn''t have time to haggle.

    While the owner silently counted the amount, I took the armor with the strange name ''Foggy Leaf'' and hid it in an inventory bag.

    "By the way, do you sell regularclothes, something like this?" I pointed towhat I was wearing at that moment. "With a high collar, made of strong fabric, but one that is not a pity to get dirty and discard."

    "I do."

    "I need two sets," I said tothe back ofthe retreating seller.

    Having handed me two bundles, the man told methe price waseighty irens, and it seemed that he hadraised the price once more, without batting an eye.

    Without saying goodbye, I left the shop and ran back to the tavern.

    "Have you bought everything you need?" Cleto asked me right away, standing at the entrance to the tavern and feeding his dogs with large chunks of fresh raw meat.

    "Yes," I replied.

    "There''s still a little food left," he nodded at the tavern door, "Have a quick bite and go and hire some workers."

    The old man, despite all the persuasion and controversy he employed when speaking with Garlon, didn''t waste time on trifles. Almost without bargaining, he rented (if one could call it that way) six burly men in a certain office for cargo transfers (yes, that was exactly what their line of workwas called!) for a period of four days. He promised complete safety for the workers or full reparation in the event of their death.

    Hmm, I would never agree to such a job.

    Cleto gave clear instructions to the six cargo carriers to wait near the wagon, which we''d left at the city gates.

    "Well, where''s that monk staying?" The old man turned to Garlon.

    "In the ''Entiar'' hotel."

    "Then you will show the way, because I don''t remember such an institution in this city."

    "It''s been recently opened," the headman began to explain on our way to the hotel. "Mostly young people from the mainland stay there."

    "Everything''s clear," Cletodismissed him with a wave of his hand. "Please, do not continue. But do you know what we''ve forgotten?"

    "No."

    "We only have about fifty bolts for the crossbows, it seems. Maybe even less. We need to buy more on the way back."

    Garlon grimaced as if he was spat in the face and hissed something through clenched teeth.

    "So what? Those workers that I''ve hired for protection have swords, we ourselves will use ranged weapons. Therefore, we need to buy a pair of crossbows and more bolts. We just have towait until we start making a profit!"

    The headman didn''t answer, he turned right and went between two houses into the courtyard; he decided, apparently, to take a shortcut.

    "We''ve arrived," Garlon pointed to a completely new four-story building in the shape of the letter ''n'', it was built in the style of the buildings of the Nazhar Kingdom.

    It was a really nice hotel.

    Garlon and Cleto went inside together, leaving me outside. I had no place in such a decent, stylish institution. I''dhaveliked to have taken a look at that monk.

    Butlady luck was smiling on meand my hopes came true. In less than an hour, three people left the hotel. They were my current owner, his manager and ... someone dressed in a simple, gold-trimmed scarlet robe. He moved like a snake, gliding across the sidewalk, despite hisapparent excess weight and bulging belly. These were the movements of a professional killer, similar to the Masters of Shadows and their senior students. However, I didn''t notice any weapons on him, including the hidden ones. He was a formidableadversary. I wished I could know his approximate level. I assumed it was above three hundred.

    "Goodbye," Garlon said.

    "No need to say goodbye. I''ll comewith you," the monk said. "How much time do you need?"

    "One day, not counting today," Cleto responded instead of the headman, throwing a short cautionary look at Garlon. He''d just opened his mouth to say something, probably thoughtlessly, as always. "We''ll be ready in a day."

    "Very good," the monk nodded. Then I''ll come to you the morningafter tomorrow. Let''s sign a contract upon arrival at the monastery." Without saying goodbye he turned around and went back to the hotel.

    "We don''t have enough time to organize everything," the headman said distractedly.

    "We''ve got plenty of time!" The old man said with satisfaction, almost rubbing his hands joyfully. "Unlike you, I think about everything in advance. In addition, before we left the village, I met with Tarkal and arrangedwith him an urgent purchase of all free grain, hides and frozen fish. Moreover, I rented a warehouse."

    "But why does he want to comewith us?!" Garlon asked crossly. "I don''t like this!"

    "Does it matter? If he wants to, then let him come. The main thing is that now everything suits them. We''ll sign a contract, approve monthly deliveries and overshadow Lanwan."

    On the way back to the city gates, Cleto and Garlon entered one of the weaponshops and bought two crossbows and three bundles of bolts, totaling about a hundred. They carried the crossbows themselves, but I had to drag the sack with bolts. The good news was that the old man took the dogs, reasonably thinking that I couldn''t be a porter and a dog keeper at the same time. I completely agreed with him.

    I wondered why I haven''t seen any hired warriors when we reached the cart, where the six hired workers had already been waiting for us.

    I threw the bolts inside the wagon while the old man harnessed the horses himself. He didn''t forget to thank the stable boy and give him a couple more coins.

    "Climb inside," Cleto ordered me and the workers when I''d closed the dogs back in their cages. Then he climbed onto the bench with the headman and picked up the reins.

    The trip to the village passed without a stop, as the old man was in a hurry. Of course, we had time, since the whole day was in reserve, but the rush was not without reason. The faster we got back, the faster the shipments would begin. After all, one wagon couldn''t fit all the goods. Garlon had to rent another one; I gathered as much from the quiet conversation between the headman and the manager. I was able to hear some of it since I had overpowered my fear and, making my way between the cages, sat closer to the front part of the cart. I also learned that the warriors hired by the old man were going to arrive by tomorrow evening.

    "Kraven, watch the workers, but don''t be lazy yourself, too," Cleto warned me when we arrived at the village, and instead of returning to the house, stopped near a huge barn.

    The headman left somewhere, and Cleto, after giving us instructions for the proper loading of goods, took the dogs and went to negotiate renting the second wagon.

    First, we pulled the cages off the wagonand dragged them into the barn, and then we began to carefully load the goodsinto the wagon. The employed workers implicitly obeyed my commands, and the work was donepretty quickly. But we did not have time to loadeverything. It was dark and the old man, who had arrived withanother wagon in the meantime, allowed the workers to rest. At the same time, he brought food and mattresses stuffed with rags. We had to sleep in that very barn.

 Chapter 5

    We had been loading the goods into the wagonsuntil lunchtime the next day. Cleto arrived with the hired detachment of ten warriors around one o¡¯clock in the afternoon.

    The senior of the detachment, a man of about forty, dressed in armor consisting of leather and metal plates, examined the wagons carefully. He recommended the manager to strengthen the axles and boards and to replace the fabric awning with something stronger and of higher quality.

    ¡°I would advise you to buy armor for horses, at least the cheapest one,¡± the senior warrior continued.

    Cleto rolled his eyes and shook his head dismissively.

    ¡°This¡¯s a big waste, Kuner,¡± he whispered quietly. ¡°Garlon will be very angry.¡±

    ¡°How many crossbows do you have?¡± Coming up to his commander, a short, broad-shouldered guy, who looked more like a dwarf, asked Cleto.

    ¡°Five,¡± the old man answered. ¡°We have a hundred and fifty bolts.¡±

    ¡°Good! Where are the weapons?¡±

    ¡°There,¡± Cleto pointed to the barn.

    ¡°Clator, Barlock, Grenkor, Sarvul,¡± he called the names and at the same moment four men approached him, having separated from the group of warriors standing a little distance away.

    ¡°Follow me,¡± the man commanded, and they headed inside the barn.

    ¡°What are you waiting for? We have a lot to do!¡± Cleto struck the stone pavement with his cane, pushing workers away from loading. ¡°Kraven! Buy what Kuner said,¡± he put a heavy bag of coins in my hands.

    The commander of the detachment, the three workers, whom he asked for from the headman, and I went to the market.

    Kuner chose new parts for the wagon with great care, wide and long pieces of strong fabric, and rectangular shields. Of course, we had to carry everything he bought. The workers dragged the axles, new wheels and eight shields, four for each wagon. And I was carrying tightly twisted bales of cloth.

    After returning to the barn, Kuner immediately asked Cleto¡¯s permission to engage in the modernization of the wagons personally, since he completely distrusted what he thought were incompetent workers. I completely agreed with him! I wasn¡¯t experienced enough, and in general, I wanted to have some time to relax, or even better to eat and sleep.

    Cleto agreed with the commander, ordered food for workers from the nearest tavern, and allowed us to eat quietly and laze around.

    By late evening, both wagons were completely transformed. It looked like they were equipped to tackle impassable roads and withhold massive attacks by small arms.

    Of course, I couldn¡¯thelp myself, so I had to ask one of the warriors who was holding a crossbow in his hands.

    ¡°Why do we need such heavy armor?¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± The man looked at me in surprise. ¡°What if a beldier attacks us?¡±

    I had no idea what or who this ¡®beldier¡¯ was. I couldn¡¯t recall such creatures in the bestiary of the Realm of Noria.

    ¡°Well, you were lucky.¡± The crossbowman sighed. ¡°You¡¯ve probably come from the mainland. Such creatures aren¡¯t found there. They¡¯re the size of an adult wolf. They have six feet, a scorpion-like tail with a sting at the end that shoots poisoned needles. And their mouths!¡± He exclaimed excitedly. ¡°Crocodiles would envy them.¡±

    ¡°Beldiers aren¡¯t the most dangerous beasts!¡± I didn¡¯t notice when the other warrior approached us; the man looked like a gnome. ¡°Kratar, the beast that lives near the mountains, is who I wouldn¡¯t like to meet! This creature loves to jump out of the ground and throw its damned needles out of the growths on its back. And the needles are the size of my thumb,¡± at those words he showed me his huge fist with a bulging thumb.

    ¡°Wow!¡± I estimated the size and mentally calculated how long those needles were, which was almost four inches long. It was a bloody ¡®cheerful¡¯ forest.

    ¡°You¡¯re lying, that¡¯s not possible.¡± I was doubtful; for some reason, I couldn¡¯t fathom the presence of such mobs on Harith-Hodor.

    ¡°No, alas, they aren¡¯tlying, Kraven.¡± Cleto¡¯s voice rang out behind my back. ¡°That¡¯s why any delivery of goods to the monastery is so expensive for both the supplier and the one who bought them.¡±

    It was strange that the old man decided to share such information with me; I was just a simple worker. After all, no one deigned to tell me about the existence of such monsters on the island. They were not even mentioned in the Noar-Rahor Library. I couldn¡¯t imagine that Master Zorkhan didn¡¯t know who inhabited the forests and mountains of Harith-Hodor.

    ¡°But we have no choice. We¡¯ve already decided to conclude an agreement on the delivery of goods to the monastery. Otherwise, Garlon and I will just go broke!¡±

    I already knew that; I heard, or rather overheard, that information.

    ¡°I think it¡¯s time to go to bed,¡± the old man looked at the stars appearing in the sky. ¡°Today I¡¯m staying with you in the barn.¡±

    We woke up early in the morning. That monk and Garlon arrived together.

    The headman and the manager stepped aside, discussing something, and I circled around, pretending to work. In reality, I was trying to eavesdropto what they were saying. They were arguing vehemently and waving hands emotionally, obviously dissatisfied with something.

    ¡°I repeat once again!¡± Garlon said through his teeth. ¡°I¡¯m not going to the monastery with you!¡±

    ¡°But who will sign the document? Me? Are you crazy?¡±

    ¡°Here¡¯s the seal,¡± the headman took out a small box and thrust it into the old man¡¯s hands. ¡°Now you can sign anything!¡±

    ¡°But¡­¡± surprised,Cleto still held the box in his hands.

    ¡°I am not going. I don¡¯twant to!¡± Garlon interrupted his manager in a sad voice. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t squander away the remaining money in your absence. I understand that we need to be frugal! I¡¯ll have a few drinks to ease the stress. But we have plenty of our own booze, so I don¡¯t need to buy it.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d like to believe it.¡± Cleto hid the box in one of the pockets of his jacket carefully.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

    ¡°That¡¯s all, I¡¯ll be going now. They¡¯re watching us,¡± the headman said.

    Garlon left the barn and went to his house.

    ¡°Kraven,¡± the old man called out loudly, and I immediately found myself beside him.

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°Find Kuner, the captain of the squad, and warn the workers that we are leaving soon. Tell them to sit by three in each wagon.¡±

    I ran to look for Kuner, and, glancing back, saw that Cleto went up to the monk, pointing to one of the wagons. He was apparently suggestingthat he do an inspection of the goods.

    Kuner, along with most of his squad, was behind the barn. They divided the large area into two parts and createdsomething like a small training arena on the first one. There, his men were training in pairs, changing their opponents from time to time. The crossbowmen were completely destroying the barrels and the wooden boards on the second one, which was obviously an archery range.

    I wouldn¡¯tsay no to getting some training myself, either,but, unfortunately, I was pretending to be a simple worker.

    ¡°Kuner,¡± I turned to the squad leader. ¡°Cleto is asking for you.¡±

    ¡°OK,¡± the man nodded. ¡°Angoral!¡± He called the gnome-like warrior. ¡°You¡¯re in charge now, I need to talk to Cleto.¡±

    We returned to the wagons, the manager was standing near the entrance of the barn, but the monk was nowhere in sight.

    ¡°Thank you, Kraven,¡± the old man praised me. ¡°Kuner, let¡¯s go inside, we need to discuss something with the Ardaler, face to face. We leave in half an hour. Inform your warriors.¡±

    ¡°Kraven?¡± The squad commander turned to me questioningly.

    ¡°Got it, got it. Go back, and relay the message to your deputy.¡±

    ¡°Well done, yes,¡± the man praised me.

    So, I ran back. I felt like an errand boy. I was already sick of it. I wanted to get to the monastery fast and free the wizard. My patience'' was at an end and I could barely stop myself from sending someone to hell.

    Having informedAngoral about our imminent departure, I sat down on a box to watch acouple of training sessions of the warriors.

    In my opinion, they were not very good warriors, to be honest. In comparison with the Shadows and their skillswith the sword, those people were rather bad. I could see the difference easily, even though I wasn¡¯t much better myself.Still, almost half of those warriors wouldn¡¯t be able to rival me. Perhaps they were just new to that business, but the fact still remained. I could best half of them.

    ¡°Squad, line up!¡± Kuner¡¯sbellow, as he appeared from behind the corner, caught me off guard and made me jump up. Cursing, I sat back down. ¡°You have ten minutes for personal affairs, then we move forward. Is that clear?¡±

    ¡°Yes, commander!¡± A simultaneous response came from the warriors stretched into one line.

    Kunerdismissed them with his hand and sat down next to me.

    ¡°Are you new to the island?¡± The man asked me.

    ¡°Is it thatobvious?¡± I asked in response.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Kuner grinned. ¡°If I were you, I would encourage Cleto to let you stay in the village with the owner. The trip to the monastery isn¡¯tshort, and the forest and mountains are full of danger. You wouldn¡¯t last long!¡±

    I knew that, of course, and if it weren¡¯t for a wizardimprisoned in Ardal, I would never have come to the island.

    ¡°But what about you and those workers? Does the amount you received cover the risk of losing your life?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Yes,¡± the man answered shortly. ¡°And we aren¡¯t accompanying small caravans with goods for the first time, so we have plenty of experience. Not all of us, of course, because some people in our squad arenew. I would hire a wizard just in case, if I could.¡±

    ¡°Well, I hope that everything will be fine and that we will get to the monastery without a problem. But, unfortunately, I can¡¯t stay here in the village.¡±

    ¡°Trips like this don¡¯tgowithout trouble, my boy, they never do¡­¡± Having realized that I couldn¡¯t be easily dissuaded, Kuner waved his hand dismissively and got up from the box.

    When the warrior disappeared behind the wall of the barn, I decided that it was the time for me to head back to the wagons, too.¡°Whydoes he insist that I shouldn¡¯t go,¡± I mumbled to myself as I went.

    ¡°You look like his son,¡± a voice came from behind me and I turned around.

    Angoral was following me.

    ¡°He died on his first trip to the monastery when Kuner took him along in support of one of the major caravans from Fadlas. It was a stupid and ugly death. The commander didn¡¯t want to take him, but ... his son pushed him into coming.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± I sighed.

    ¡°So just try not to pay any attention to his attempts to save you and protect you from any danger.¡±

    I said that I¡¯d try to do so, and quickened my step.

    We left the village without much pomp. The wagons left the gates accompanied by a heavily armed detachment, and on the main road leading to Fadlas turned to the right at the intersection, towards the forest.

    I was sitting on a bench next to Cleto, who was driving the second wagon. Kunerdrove the first one with one of his shooters, Grenkor, a thin, short man of about thirty. According to the commander¡¯s orders, Angoral handed me a crossbow, thereby, in my opinion, reducing the combat capability of the detachment. I was far from a master at shooting with that weapon. The monk and the workers were also traveling in our wagon.

    ¡°Galtor, Fiartkakh, watch the external circle,¡± the instructions of the commander were heard, as soon as we got closer to the forest. ¡°Clator, Barlock, get into the last wagon, keep the crossbows at the ready. Angoral, go between the wagons in the center. Nerkayil, cover him. Tikar, Sarvul, go from behind.

    I also cocked the bow and put the bolt in the barrel. I had to be prepared to shot on sight.

    The forest looked scary. The trees next to the road looked very old and twisted, as if after a large-scale war. Although, that was probably the case. The island had changed one ruler to anothera lot of timesIt was probably after or during the war that all those monsters missing in the Standard World Bestiary of Noria appeared, like kratars and beldiers. And who knew what else was hidden in the forests and mountains of Harith-Hodor.

    In the dead, dark forest,the dry trees creaked, the dead fallen leaves rustled and the strange, crying sounds of unknown animals resounded. When I walked along the coast of the island, the forest didn¡¯t look half as scary. On the contrary, it seemed to be young and full of life.

    ¡°Commander! I don¡¯t like these sounds! It looks like a thor-k-ron,¡± Angoral increased the speed of his pace and came up to Kuner.

    ¡°It sure sounds like it!¡± The man agreed. ¡°But judging by its call, it is far too big to be on the outskirts of the forest. The environment doesn¡¯t suit it. Its main food source doesn¡¯t reside here. What will it eat? Cones and grass? All the smallprey would have fled the momentthey smelled it. It''s too slow to be able to hunt small critters.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps it was wounded and is hiding now from its attackers,¡± Angoral suggested.

    ¡°Do you want to say that garbols appeared on the island? The commander was slightly surprised. ¡°They were all exterminated a hundred years ago. No animal except them can be a threat to this hulk. It¡¯s good that they multiply very slowly, otherwise they would have ousted us from the island long ago.¡±

    ¡°I just assumed,¡± Angoral began to make excuses.

    ¡°I don¡¯t like your assumptions,¡± Kuner stretched out thoughtfully. ¡°Sometimes you¡¯re right, though... Check it with Nerkayil. But be careful!¡±

    ¡°Yes, commander!¡± The man called to Nerkayil and they went off in the direction from which the strange sounds were coming.

    Ten minutes later, Angoral returned excited, his eyes alight. What had he found there?

    ¡°Commander! It¡¯s¡­¡±

    ¡°Did you guess right?¡± Kuner grinned.

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    ¡°Tell me what you¡¯ve seen.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a real thor-k-ron. Wounded, I would even say torn to pieces by someone. Nerkayil remained nearby. If scavengers appear, he¡¯ll inform us. The beast¡¯s about to die. Maybe ¡­¡± the guy hesitated, ¡°We should wait until it dies and cut it up for its meat... We¡¯ll be well paid for it in Fadlas.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, I don¡¯t mind, but what does Cleto say? He¡¯s the owner now, and without his permission, I won¡¯t give the order.¡±

    ¡°Want to share what you¡¯ve learned, Kuner?¡± The old man asked suddenly; he was attentively listening to the conversation of the warriors.

    ¡°Of course! You¡¯ve known me for so many years, Cleto, you know I would never deceive you,¡± the commander of the detachment replied. ¡°Let them go, yes?¡±

    ¡°Of course!¡±

    ¡°Ten minutes halt,¡± the man ordered immediately. ¡°Angoral, take who you need and go.We¡¯ll take a break. Is that enough time for you?¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± the man was ecstatic.He took another warrior with him and hid in the woods.

    The wagons stopped, the commander set up an additional guard watch with a pair of warriors, and we began to wait for the small squad to cut up the monster and return.

    ¡°Cleto,¡± I leaned toward the old man who had closed his eyes, ¡°What is this thor-k-ron?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a reptile, large and armored,¡± Cleto responded. ¡°It looks like a dragon, only slightly smaller and without wings. This is a predator, but at least it¡¯s slow and clumsy. Wizards locked them in this forest about a thousand years ago, as well as garbols. But if the reptiles practically don¡¯t go out of the forest, only when the spell fails sometimes, then the garbols¡­¡±

    Cletodidn¡¯t have time to finish his thought. There was a sharp, hoarse scream somewhere to the right and Kuner immediately ordered us to prepare for an attack.

 Chapter 6

    ¡°Give me a crossbow,¡± the old man demanded and, without waiting for my answer, snatched the weapon out of my hands.

    Someone shot at the crown of one of the trees;Cleto instantly leaned the butt against his shoulder and put the bolt in its place.

    ¡°What¡¯s that, Kuner?¡± The old man called out demandingly.

    ¡°Sarkans!¡± he responded.

    ¡°What the hell are they doing here?¡± Cleto hissed.

    Ok, I¡¯m just a worker. My job¡¯s to get to the monastery and not to participate in fights! I thought, jumping to the ground and crawling under the wagon, which wasn¡¯t difficult for my slighter build.

    It might have been a cowardly move, but I didn¡¯t really care for anyone¡¯s opinion. As a last resort, I¡¯d be able to stand up for myself, and the opinion of others was the least of my worries.

    Shots rang out again, except that time they seemed to be coming from the other side.

    ¡°I got it,¡± Someone exclaimed happily.

    To my surprise, it was over quickly. The attack of the invisible opponents was repelled smoothly and easily.

    I didn¡¯t hear anything besides that first scream and the twang of the crossbows strings. There were no more sounds. Who were they shooting at so insistently?

    Suddenly, the answer to that question appeared to me in the literal sense of the word. It was a rather large, dog-sized creature that looked like a cross between a flying squirrel and a bat without wings. As far as I could see,a skin flap stretched between its front and hind legs, which allowed them to levitate in a jump between tree branches. Their long upper canines with suspicious-looking cavities on their tips could pierce deeply into the unprotected flesh of the victim and inject poison.

    Soon everything went quiet, andKunerstarted a head count. I got out from under the wagon and, as if nothing had happened, sat back on the bench next to Cleto.

    ¡°Angoral, where¡¯s Nerkayil?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s¡­¡± the guy sighed sadly, ¡°dead. We cut up the monster and started back. Suddenly these creatures attacked us, there were a dozen of them at once and ... you know... It was impossible to save him without a wizard.¡±

    ¡°So we¡¯ve got the meat,¡± Kuner said callously. ¡°We¡¯re too relaxed. We thought there would be no surprises on the outskirts of the forest. My father didn¡¯t say for nothing that the forest of Harith-Hodor was one of the most dangerous places in the world. We need to be on high-alert every step of the way.¡±

    ¡°Commander, it¡¯s my fault,¡± Angoral said softly.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter now. We can¡¯tbringNerkayil back... Take your positions, we¡¯re moving on,¡± Kuner barked. ¡°Angoral, put the large pieces of the animal in the last wagon. You can take small parts for yourself, put them in personal bags. Collect the used bolts. Just don¡¯t go deep into the forest.¡±

    Our little caravan moved on. Until the evening, we traveled quietly, except for a skirmish with a huge beast similar to a bear. Being shot with three bolts, the predator sensibly estimated the outcome of his attack on the evil people, and hastily hid in the forest, breaking thin and dilapidated trees as it ran.

    When the road became difficult to distinguish, Kuner ordered a halt. The wagons were pushed together, and we got food for our few horsesfrom one of the bags.

    ¡°Angoral, put up posts, choose the location yourself,¡± the commander ordered. We leave at dawn.

    Some began to prepare a camp boiler, others warrior went to gather dry branches and brushwood for fires to scare away uninvited guests during the night. I immediately fell asleep.

    I had a poor night¡¯s sleep, riddled with bad dreams, w. As it turned out, one of them was prophetic. If only I had known¡­

    Nothing foreshadowed trouble the next day. Kuner and Cleto were very surprised by the silent, as if dead forest, remembering various gods with unkind words. The rest of the squad looked around cautiously, expecting an attack at any moment. It was close to noon, and soon Kuner commanded a short halt, giving the opportunity to his warriors to rest and relieve tension.

    It all happened in a flash. In an instant, a dozen and a half sarkans swooped down on the workers who had gotten out of the wagons, unmistakably identifying the weakest victims. How the guards hadn¡¯t noticed them sooner was a mystery.

    The crossbowmen reacted too late. We lost six people. Two more warriors were wounded by four beldier who appeared out of nowhere. They managed to kill just one of them; the other three left without a single scratch.

    ¡°Damn it!¡± Kuner cursed, inspecting the wounded people and helping them drink the regeneration potion.

    ¡°What are we going to do now?¡± Cleto asked. Standing next to him, he was holding up a crossbow aimed at the forest.

    ¡°The monastery¡¯s almost a day¡¯s journey away, there¡¯s no point in moving on,¡± The man said through clenched teeth. ¡°I suggest we return.¡±

    ¡°I agree with you,¡± coming out of the wagon and jumping on the road, the monk expressed his opinion. He decided to come out for the first time for the entire time of the trip. The monk preferred to spend nights and days in that doubtful traveling shelter.

    ¡°Similar mass attacks of local beasts are rare at this time of year, but I¡¯m afraid we won¡¯t be able to reach the monastery if it goes on like this.¡±

    Cleto nodded in agreement, knowing well that money was important, but life was more precious.

    ¡°Put the wounded men inside this wagon, they need time to recover. Throw out less valuable items out of the wagons, Cleto¡¯ll show you which one. We¡¯re going back!¡± Kunerdidn¡¯t waste time and made a decision instantly.

    Having turned around the wagons, the caravan hurried back to the village as quickly as the road would allow us to move. Kuner was leading again and I was sitting next to him;Cleto and the monk were sitting in the second wagon. Some warriors ran side by side, some were inside the wagons.

    My plan to reach the monastery this way was thwarted. I couldn¡¯t go there alone; I would have to leave the village and move to the city, waiting for a new opportunity to get to Ardalanother way.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

    We drove about a mile, then three distantly mole-like creatures appeared right on the road in front of the first wagon. Their skin was covered with black scales, and on their back,there were three small protrusions. There was some rustling, and the ground rose to reveal several more creatures from different sides. The horses reared up, the wagon stopped, and the horses neighed wildly. The cries of people who''d noticed the danger sounded behind us.

    I took a closer look at the back of a mob and immediately remembered the words of one of the warriors about kratars, but I didn¡¯t have time to react.

    There were several popping sounds, as if someone had pulled corks from at least ten bottles of champagne. I closed my eyes tightly in fright. When I did not feel any pain in the next few seconds, I opened my eyes in surprise. I was alive.

    Then I saw that Kuner was falling slowly right in front of me, with his hands on the sides of the bench. He had saved me from seemingly inevitable death. Oh, it was a foolish, frankly stupid act! I was an immortal. Death meant practically nothing to me.

    I put the commander carefully on his back and, in the hope of a better outcome, took out the best life-giving potion of those that I had. But it was too late. He was dead.

    The claps came again, and without thinking twice, I jumped up the wagon, having taken Kuner''s sword with me. I was able to see the result of an unexpected attack from above.

    The horses were dead,Cleto and the monk pressed their backs to the side of the wagon, closing themselves with a shield. Not far from them, three warriors were holding a shield, covering a couple of their comrades while they were shooting at the monsters. One warrior from the detachment climbed up a wagon and shot one bolt after another precisely at one of the kratars. It seemed that our weapons didn''t harm them much. Bolts bounced off its natural armor like off a stonewall. The other members of the squad were killed. Their bodies lay in the place where death found them.

    ¡°Get down from there!¡± Cleto shouted when he saw me. ¡°You¡¯ll get killed!¡±

    I waved him off, and with a long jump, I found myself next to one of the kratars who was trying hard to pierce the old man¡¯s shield.

    I struck a strong direct blow across its back but the blade only scratched the black scales of the creature. The mob shook its head in shock and instantly dug into the ground. I did not hurt it, but apparently, I was able to scare it, I noticed with satisfaction.

    ¡°Kraven, be careful! He¡¯ll be back soon!¡± Cleto¡¯s warning was a second late.

    A hole suddenly formed right under my feet, and I fell through a small pitup to my chest, but I didn¡¯t lose my sword. That was the last straw. I realized that if I didn¡¯t use my skills right away, I¡¯d soon go to the point of rebirth. I activated the ¡®shift¡¯ and instantly found myself next to Cleto.

    ¡°But how?¡± The old man asked in surprise. Well, I didn¡¯t have time to answer him or rather come up with an explanationfor him.

    At that moment, a loud, fierce roar rang out and a bear-like monster came out of the forest right in front of us. Huge, strong and for some reason very angry! With one swing of its paw, it broke a tree that was in its way, as if it was a sapling. The kratarhad all disappeared from sight, small relief that it was.

    ¡°It¡¯s a mol-dur!¡± The monk cried out and jumped into hiding rather quickly for his body size.

    I followed him without further thought, pulling the old man with me.

    The body of the monster crashed into the wagon, breaking it into pieces. Splinters, wheels, bags, and planks flew in all directions.

    ¡°It¡¯s useless to shoot it! Run!¡± One of the warriors cried, lowering his crossbow that was useless against such an enemy, and rushed along the road.The other warriors hesitated for a moment, and then followed him.

    The mol-dorwas distracted from us and rushed in pursuit of the fleeing prey.

    ¡°They are running in vain, itwill catch up with them,¡± the monk commented. ¡°Let¡¯s run into the forest, it¡¯s too dangerous to remain on the road.¡±

    I didn¡¯t object; he knew what to do better than me. Cletodidn¡¯t ask too many questions either. Although, where we died was of no consequence. I didn¡¯t doubt that we were going to die.

    Plodding through the bushes and tree branches, we went deeper and deeper into the forest. On the way, we killed a couple of mobs who did not expect tasty victims to wander along into their midst. We came to a clearing and stumbled upon none other than wolves! It was a small pack of eight beasts. I was actually very happy to see a normal animal. It was at least something familiar.

    Every mob we¡¯d met so far was some kind of hybrid beast. I wondered if the players were aware of the huge diversity of mobs of the Harith-Hodor forest. Probably some people knew. After all, there were a lot of rarities wherever I turned. As for the wolves, they hadto be immobilized and killed.

    The surprise from the sudden meeting passedpretty quickly. The closest wolf to us, grinning predatorily, jumped at me. I made a somersault ahead, to meet it, and sharply thrust the sword upwards. It sliced the belly of the animal and ripped open its stomach, because its body was moving by inertia, cutting itself.

    I noticed movement on the left, pulled my sword out of the mob¡¯s corpse and turned to the new target. I made a quick strike to the wolf¡¯s chest and, turning around, struck the head of another animal, who jumped me from behind.

    A crossbow bolt flew past me; the old man finished off the wounded mob. I turned and killed a stunned beast with a series of slices, turning it into a dead piece of meat.

    Four were left.

    The monk finished off the wolf who considered him an easy preywith his bare hands. He simply tore his mouth open, breaking its lower jaw. The monk was strong!

    The four remaining wolves, with their tails between their legs, fled from the clearing.

    ¡°Well done, boy,¡± the Ardalerpraised me, and I nodded, accepting the flattering feedback.

    ¡°There,¡± Cleto shouted, pointing to a part of the forest from which we''dwalked into the clearing, ¡°Sarkans!¡± He immediately fired a crossbow into the crown of one of the trees.

    I looked up, looking for the nimble little animals, and there they were, I noticed several sarkans, who jumped like lightning from branch to branch. A couple of the predators ahead of the rest of their wild brethren decided to attack a target that was immobile and closest to the edge of the clearing, i.e. me. They attacked from two sidesat once. The fluffy gliders rushed in my direction with great speed. I cut one of them in half and kicked the second one to hell. If it were bigger, I would definitely have got a sprained or at worst a broken leg.

    I heard the monk grunting behind me; he was also engaged in battle with someone. I had no time to look, the other flying creature was barreling towards me.

    I spun around in a deadly dance, striking down the attacking mobs with steel blades. Soon a whole heap of corpses formed around me.

    All of a sudden,the commotion had stopped. Having dismissed the system messages, I looked around. The forest glade had become a cemetery of forest animals. Cleto was laying a few feet away from me. He showed no signs of life. The monk was slowly crawling across the ground a little further.

    The old man was dead, I saw it in his glassy eyes, which fixed his last look into the sky hidden under the tree crowns. The damn sarkans got him. The old man didn¡¯t have a sword. But, even dying, he gripped his crossbow tightly. The stiffened palm firmly squeezed the bolts that didn¡¯t hit the target.

    ¡°Kraven,¡± the monk said in a low hoarse voice, ¡°Help me.¡±

    I carefully lifted the Ardaler and leaned him against a tree. Then I took out a special potion that enhanced regeneration and improved his health.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± the monk whispered after I helped him drink the potion and stand up. ¡°We have to go.¡±

    ¡°Where?¡± I hissed. ¡°All the animals seemed to have gone crazy and set themselves to only one goal ¡ª to destroy us!¡±

    ¡°But you¡¯ve coped with them. It was amazing.¡±

    ¡°What if we meet a beldier, kratars or, even worse, a mol-dor?¡± I retorted. ¡°Or a monster I have never met before?!¡±

    ¡°We can walk to the monastery in a day. We can take a chance if you have a few potions of stamina,¡± the monk suggested. ¡°You¡¯re not a simple country boy you want to seem, right?¡±

    I listened intently, waiting for the Ardalerto pull some trick at any second. But he just stood there silently and looked at me expectantly.

    ¡°Yes,¡± I replied shortly.

    ¡°Yes, there are potions, or yes, you aren''t a country boy?¡± The monk narrowed his eyes.

    ¡°Both,¡± I said quickly.

    ¡°Well, who would have thought,¡± the Ardaler smiled amiably. ¡°And if we get to the monastery, and I think we will, then you can stay,¡± he continued, ¡°as an apprentice. What do you think of that? We need people like you! Believe me! I''m one of the elders and a member of the first board of the Ardal monastery.¡±

    I was looking for any sign of deception in the monk¡¯s appearance. I had learned my lesson about naivety after meeting with master Zorkhan.

    ¡°Take your time¡±, the monk said, looking behind my back.

    ¡°Now get ready,¡± with these words, he took the crossbow out of the dead Cleto''s hands and a quiver of bolts from his belt, ¡°There¡¯s someone there.¡±

    A rustle of branches rang out behind me at the edge of the clearing, and several shadows flickered among the trees.

 Note from the author

    Hello, friends!!!)))

    My name is Paul, I''m from Russia. And this story is the translation the second book of the popular Russian series LitRPG novel - "Realm of Noria".

    So it happened that me have an agreement with Amazon on this book, and i can''t publish here the whole story. But if you enjoyed first book and the opening chapters in second book, i''ll really appreciate if you support me and buy my book on Amazon - https://www.royalroad.com/amazon/B07P8JD6KX</a> (Realm of Noria [LitRPG series. Book 2. The Life)This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

    Here are the Links for those who missed:

    Realm of Noria [LitRPG series. Book 1. The Birth] Amazon. Kindle Unlimited

    https://www.royalroad.com/amazon/B07L43CBC9

    Facebook

    https://www.facebook.com/paul.kite.pk

    Goodreads

    Book 1. The Birth - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43126914-the-birth</a>

    Book 2. The Life - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44310439-the-life</a>

    I hope you will find a couple of minutes and leave a short review on Amazon or Goodreads after the reading. It''s very very important for me!!!)))