Chapter 2. The first trials, betrayal and dungeon.

[Vanilla]

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Today the dwarf village was busier than usual. The reason for the pandemonium was the invasion of not only new players, but also one of the most important tests for every gnome - passing and getting the first profession!
For gnomes, this is a particularly exciting moment. Each player can get not only new skills, but also finally continue their adventures on the mainland, having moved to the stone and the first city of beginners - Gludin.

 

 

— Where to deliver?, — KupuJIJL clarified to the little NPC trader in the store of all sorts of useful consumables in the dwarf village.
— Not where, but to whom! Deliver this bundle to Master Toma.
— And where to look for it?
— Mmm… let me think… I don’t know for sure, but somewhere in one of these three places, — the dwarf girl put three marks on our hero’s map, handing it over with a parcel. — You see, he is a traveler with us, and an elusive one at that. Good luck searching.

 

Before meeting the orc again and going on a raid, KupuJIJL promised to master the profession and dress up. He is, by the way, a future spoiler!
But first, he needed to find Master Toma. But, as they say, the language will bring to Kiev - the easiest way is to ask the players swarming around. This can be done by shouting around the neighborhood or directly into the world chat. This option is only available to Battle Pass holders who have joined the Elite Secret Club. But, there is another option: if you become a hero, you can shout to the whole world when and how much you want. KupuJIJL considered that he was still far from heroism, so he decided not to limit himself in the game and first of all joined the club. And immediately shouted to the whole world of Elmoraden.
— Tell me, where is Master Toma? — the dwarf quickly wrote in the chat.
— It seems that he was on the island, — a PM came to him from someone with the nickname "CantLie".

Free teleport to The Northern Coast and the gnome in place. Indeed, "CantLie" did not deceive him - in the distance he could see the figure of a well-dressed rich dwarf with a monocle.
After talking with Toma, he sent our gnome to get 5 jars of fresh honey, which can be taken from ferocious bears in the thick of the forests of the island of gnomes. The quest says that a jar of honey can be obtained for every tenth bear killed. What could be easier?

 

***

 

Half an hour passed.
— God, this is impossible! Get out of here, all of you, — one of the dwarfs begged and fell dying in the snow. The poor fellow had just been attacked by other gnomes and beaten with wooden clubs. On the flag, but what else.
The beauty of the world of lineage is that everyone can kill any character, any profession, any race. Flagged (hit first), it means that you are not averse to getting cuffs in response and even, maybe, “fly to the city”.

 

Snow plain. Rare trees. Gnomes. Lots of gnomes. And only a few respawned bears. The bears do not have time to respawn normally, as the gnomes pounce on them. 5-10 players per bear. Everyone needs them for a quest. And there is a bunch of flagged gnomes running after each other. Someone clearly can not stand the nerves.

 

 

But our KupuJIJL does not retreat. For himself, he chose a sophisticated tactic - to stand in one place where two bears appear. Try to run less, wait longer. KupuJIJL was not ready to fight, but not now. A handful of dwarfs tried to adopt his tactics, but not everyone could stand it. Many simply ran up to other players, waited for the final blow and took the trophy.

But, less than an hour later, the dwarf filled 5 jars, brought honey to Tom, which, by some luck, remained standing on the island.
— Phew... Well, the excitement. Gnome server, it turns out. Looks like I picked the wrong class. What's next... Kill the spiders. Umm ... Spoil 20 beads from them. I'm sorry, what???
Snow plain. Not a single tree. Gnomes. A crowd of gnomes hunting for spiders.
— Are you kidding me or something??

 

***

 

It often happens that when you do a quest, time flies unnoticed. You seem to be doing something useful, but at the same time pumping your character. Somehow it happened that KupuJIJL, while passing the time for the passage of the first profession as a gnome, managed to pump up to level 24.
And here he is, Gludin. The first "serious" city in a pseudo-medieval setting with bright shop signs and other colorful establishments. So you will immediately get lost.

 

Here, his old acquaintance, a dark elf, a gloomy orc BigBoom, was already waiting with open arms, sitting in a lotus position; and another character. KupuJIJL had never met him before. He kept a low profile from the group. It was a dark elf, with a relief figure and grace. The orc said that this was his friend - a dagger and an excellent tracker.

 

 

— Well, are we ready to leave? — the orc clarified to the whole group.
— Wait a minute, don’t we need to get another group? — It seems we need a combat nine, — the dwarf was surprised, scratching his thick beard.
— No, we will fill up this RB ourselves… So there are too many people, — the orc muttered, biting his cheek from the inside.
— Didn't you know that here you can gather a party not from 9, but from 7 people? All thanks to unique professions - Isa. These are bards, chanters who can give sonatas, cast support magic, and each has its own characteristics that other classes do not have, — the elf whispered to our friend. — I think we're all ready to go.

 

During this time, KupuJIJL dressed up through quests, auxiliary game tasks and generous gifts from the guide of the ValhallaAge universe.
The path was not close - the orc told everyone to go to Hein. This wonderful island city, created as a prototype for the notorious Venice, was located in the southern edges of the continent, and was a city on the water. Nature was different from the city landscapes and snows that KupuJIJL was already so used to. Around were palm trees and green meadows with bizarre monsters - crocodiles with swords, walking fish, lizard people and other living creatures.
Crossing the verdant swamps, the group froze. The orc held up a hand, giving the signal to duck.
— See the dragon? Let's get ready. On a signal, I run out and begin to attract his attention. Everyone else run behind him and start hitting him.
KupuJIJL already covered with goosebumps. Everyone fell silent and waited for the orc to give a signal and deal the first blow to the azure dragon.
— Go, — the green leader commanded.
Everyone rushed to the boss. The dragon growled loudly as the first scales began to fall from it. It is impossible to imagine, but the boss writhed, beat in response with wings and tried to bite off a piece from everyone, but his HP bar was rapidly decreasing.
— Not bad, a couple more hits, finishing off with overhits for more exp, — the orc yelled.
The dragon whimpered and fell. A pile of glittering objects scattered beneath him. It looks like it was armor and some kind of weapon.
By inertia, KupuJIJL began to pick up the drop. Tarbar was in his inventory. The first serious hammer that was perfect for Dwarves in hunting and PvP.
Tears began to appear in KupuJIJL's happy eyes, when suddenly...

 

The party was broken. The orc pointed his two-handed sword at the dwarf and made the first swing. The blow was critical and the dwarf lost almost half of his HP. However, he didn't get lost.
— What are you doing?, — there was no time to find out what was going on, our adventurer began in response to distribute formidable blows to the orchin.
The orc was higher in level and could easily stun the dwarf, forcing him to be confused for a few seconds and contemplate the parade of stars around his head.

The dark elf couldn't resist. Being by nature a real support, living on the principle of “no matter what, heal your own”, she began to diligently heal KupuJIJL.

 

 

Mistake.
A silent shadow in the face of a dark dagger appeared behind her. One blow with a sharp blade on a thin robe - inevitable death. The elf fell to the ground. Support KupuJIJL no longer felt.
The ground disappeared under my feet. Was this all planned? But how, why?
*bjing* the blow from the orc was the final blow. KupuJIJL held on to the last of his strength, but died.
The orc slowly lowered his two-handed, took out a few red cones from his belt. Uncorking the lids with his teeth, he drank the contents. The HP bar slowly regenerated and strength was restored. BigBoom approached the two corpses and said with an ulcer:
— Now, listen here, dwarf. Never dare to pick up something that doesn't belong to you. If you were taken to a raid, it does not mean that you are eligible for a drop. Now you are on our braid list with my friend and our future clan. We will merge on a cooldown for your insolence. You will no longer spoil yourself calmly on the spots, you will always run with this Tarbar.
The bastards flew into the city using the scrolls of return.

 

***

 

This incident upset KupuJIJL, but the buxom companion reassured him with her presence and support. Still, healers have not only the magic of support, but also the skillful magic of chattering and calming the party member.

 

 

— Oh, kill you. Haven't you played games in a long time? Especially in La2. The people here are… well, how can I tell you, they are all different. We got our exp, you even managed to pick up some cool fluff! This is me with nothing. But I don’t lose heart, — the elf gently covered the dwarf’s hand with her palm. KupuJIJL sat in thought in a local tavern and digested what had happened. For him, as for a suspicious dwarf, words about spoils and luck always hurt more than any weapon. So that the gnomes could not mine or craft anything! Yes, not in life!
— Sorry for dragging you into this raid. I thought that I helped the orc, but he just decided to thank me in return... As a result, he paid me with adena for ore, leaked it on the raid. You too.
— Stop whining! In general, I have no time to sit with you, it's time to take lvl and start performing the second profession.
Beer was brought to the guests in the tavern.
— Yes, but how to quickly level up?
— Hmm… I came up with an idea here, but you won’t appreciate it.
— What's an idea?
— Let's go on a raid in Kamaloka and a labyrinth?

The gnome has a drop of sweat on his cheek. Just not again...
The elf began to laugh defiantly. From her laughter, her chest began to jump, so much so that the table began to stagger and the gnome's beer half spilled. It seems that he was one of those dwarfs who noticed more minuses in large sizes than obvious pluses.

— In short, in Gludio, from level 24, you can visit two instance zones. They will help us climb the lvl and start doing quests for the pros! And there people gather randomly, the drop is also random. Without obligation and at once, so to speak. We just raised the lvl in RB. Of course, this content is optional, you see for yourself… But, in short, let’s go, — the elf pulled the dwarf by the elbow, knocking over the glass with the remnants of the drink on KupuJIJL’s beard. He did not even have time to understand where he was dragged.

 

***

 

Grumbling won't help matters. Lvl will not take itself, but I want to become a real spoiler and start extracting the necessary resources, recipes and selling it to other players for big money.
It was decided that the elf would become his guiding star and help him learn new aspects of the game that he did not know about before. And it will help you get going. Rather, he, as a half-DD, the owner of a brand new ax, will be able to help her pump. She will lead him through dungeons previously unknown to him, where you can loot rare things and level up.
— Hey people, we are looking for a DD and a tank in the lab! — the elf shouted with all her might to the whole city.
Although it was possible to use the search for a group from the game menu, but the people gathered instantly. Everyone in the area began to ask the elf to go along. It seemed to the dwarf that his village was striking in the number of players, but no. Gludio simply drowned in orcs, elves, humans and gnomes. Poor NPCs didn't have time to respond to every player. The shelves were bursting with the abundance of the first soulshots, consumables and crafting resources. The dwarves fought for any piece of land in the city in order to establish trading shops. Online went wild. And this dwarf has not yet been to the capital of commerce!

 

 

Party was completely hammered. Exactly 7 people - a light elf with a tousled hairdo, blue eyes and a dagger; tank - a man dressed in heavy armor with a shield. Like he said, future paladin. Two orcs, similar to each other as two peas in a pod. One with a two-handed sword, the other with brass knuckles. And a miniature human girl with a fluffy cat, dressed in brown pants and a frock coat obviously too small for him. As expected, the party consisted of a tank, a healer and other DDs (damage dealers).

 

The NPC in the city teleported players inside the dungeon. The dungeon consisted of 4 halls, separated from each other by short corridors. To go further, you had to deal with the monsters in the first room. In it, 10 human-sized lions, dressed in chain mail with swords, stood in a slender row. They waited for a group of players to start an onslaught and... they guarded someone.

 

 

The tank ordered everyone to stand still and wait while he brought in some mobs. The easiest way was to kill several monsters, not a crowd at a time. Moreover, they were still poorly dressed, weak weapons.
Tank aggro let down three of the bunch. The monsters willingly ran after him and fell from the group.
New monsters began to appear in the room in place of the old ones. The number is back to the same.

— What? Yes, how is it? Can we just run through them? — the dwarf pleaded.
— No we can not. We need to find the uterus - the main monster from the crowd. As soon as we kill him, the main boss in the last room will have a debuff. It is this debuff that will lower his physical defense. This is what we need, — the tank explained, bringing the next batch, pulling out the mobs from the other side of the pile.
— Eh… as soon as I have real dagger skills, wow, how I will criticize, — the light elf smiled, looking at his NG dagger.
— Shut up and hit. So the hill is hard to heal the tank. We'll kill faster, we'll pass faster, — one of the orcs threatened. The size of her cubes on the press was amazing. And the other biceps were asking for something to challenge her and compete on the fists.

Failure again, the monsters appeared in their places.
The second orc with brass knuckles broke down and rushed into the crowd of mobs, shouting instructions. Tank gasped.
— You are tired of your slowness, just let's kill everyone at once!
The monsters roared in unison, raised their swords, and piled on the orc in a heap. She began to run around the room from them.
— Get them away from me. Tank, use agr! Kill them faster!
The dark elf tensed up and began to heal the tank and the raider in turn. She obviously didn't like it.
— Here is the mother! I found her! — shouted the sorceress, throwing her tame cat at the mob so that it bites into it. Seems like it was an instinct.
— Oh, it's a long time, — mumbled KupuJIJL.
Pati took a chance and followed the example of the sorceress. Everyone began to beat the same uterus at her direction.
It seems… the monsters stopped appearing, the party was not mistaken, they really killed the main mob!
— Let's go upstairs quickly, — ordered the tank, waiting for the last of the group to go up to the next room.
The monsters are behind.

There was a similar bunch of mobs in the next room. The light elf carefully began to bypass the monsters, but they did not pay attention to him. Killing monsters in the second room weakens the magic defense of the main boss. Since our party is warriors, they don't even need to waste time on its passage. All you need to do is carefully avoid the monsters. Everyone followed the light-eared one.
In the third hall, the first "passing" boss was waiting for them.

 

 

Party had to rest a little and restore mana and hp before the raid.
RB - a huge lion in armor was waiting for someone to strike him the first blow. Himself humbly stood and watched the players.
— Listen, I have an idea, — the elf suddenly said, squatting down. — We are the perfect mile party. I am an unsurpassed knife, there is a tank, two uber orc girls, a hill, a cat breeder and even a dwarf. Can we swing somewhere together after the instance? I know great places for wigs, — the elf said, smiling again, clasping his dagger in his hands.
Everyone decided to remain silent, thinking, are they ready to play as a roster, be united and… so invincible in the Valhalla-Age La2 universe?
The tank broke and started aggroing the RB.
The orcs surrounded the monster and started chopping the monster from both sides.
The dark elf began to heal the tank while monitoring her mana bar.
KupuJIJL waved his hatchet somewhere lost under the feet of RB.
The sorceress dealt magical blows and directed her pet to scratch the mob.
Knife hesitated to join the group and start punching, staring at the spectacle. He wanted to get an answer and only then help in the raid, but everyone was also silent. He walked around the boss from behind and began to stab the boss in the back. There were sounds of crits and heavy sighs.
After the defeat of the boss, the party went up the corridor. The final RB was exactly the same old lion, but in the garb of a shaman. There were guard lions around him. It was from this final monster that interesting items of armor and weapons could fall out. A worthy reward, and a good chance of getting it.
The tank started first again. Agriving the chief, the guards ran after him. While he drove a bunch of monsters from the bosses, the rest began to kill one guard at a time. As soon as the boss survived, the tank stood up. The rest hastily surrounded the monster and began to kill him.

 

 

— I agree, — KupuJIJL said without expecting himself.
The group stopped for a second and looked at him, but then continued to hit again.
The elf seemed to smile again. He realized that this answer was meant for him.
— Excuse me, I play solo, I’m a loner cat breeder, — the sorceress said, pursing her lips. The cat purred to the words of the mistress.
— A woman with a cat? Clearly, clearly, — the elf joked. — There is someone else who does not want to get a dose of fun, fight, win delicious spots and kill all living things, huh? Who likes to go solo and for what?
The orcs looked at each other and nodded softly.
— We don't mind, we still play together.
Tank and hill were silent. They had no time to talk about the bright future of creating a pack.

 

The elf's mana is almost gone.
— Run! — she shouted. — No more mana!
Tank tensed up. A purple protective glow appeared around him. He couldn’t move, but the boss didn’t deal such tangible damage to him either. Gritting his teeth and pushing his shield forward, the tank commanded.
— I have UD. It will last for a few seconds... Hit while you can, then I will run around and drive the boss in a circle... Until HE recovers his mana.
Pati did her best to hit more often and harder. The UD ended, the glow disappeared, the tank could move again. He immediately started running, the boss behind him.
— Oh no, guards! — squealed the magician. The cat's fur stood on end.
The lion guards began to appear. The monsters immediately fled and began to beat anyone from the party.

The light-eared knife took the initiative and began to inflict fatal blows on the guard from the back.
The tank has less than 30% HP left. The orc and the sorceress didn't have time to dodge the guards. Their life bars are reduced to zero. There was nothing they could do to help.
— Run, sorry… no mana yet… I can only heal the tank.
Late. The boss broke off the tank and ran to another orc. The remaining two guards ran after the knife. Another fell on the dark elf.

 

KupuJIJL began to hit the guard in the back to save the elf. If the healer is alive, then the party will be saved. To no avail, the guard pursued the fleeing girl.
And then he remembered. The game recently gave him resurrection scrolls! He only had 2 of them. But it could play into their hands...
— Ahhh, — the elf shouted, and fell down dead.
The tank tried to aggro the mob from the elf. Useless. As he ran, he pulled cans of HP out of his bag and drank one after another. His health was normal. Only he, the frail and the dwarf remained alive.
— I have an idea! Sunday...don't run. Stop, just stop! Die, okay?, — for the first time KupuJIJL called his companion by name.
— What?! You are crazy?
— Just die and trust me, okay? — the dwarf asked with sad eyes.
The situation heated up even more. The tank continued to run in a circle with the remaining guards and RB, which no longer broke off from it. KupuJIJL stood in the corner of the room and begged his companion to obey with his eyes.
The elf abruptly stopped and took the terrible blow of the lion's sword on herself. Death. Minus the healer.
KupuJIJL immediately rushed to the elf at all the speeds of his short legs, took out a scroll of resurrection and began to read strange spells, raising the scroll high above his head.
The spell has been read. Hill is resurrected.
The elf's mana and HP have been fully restored!
— But how? — asked the tank, spinning another circle.
— We rocked together. She recently apped and had no more than a few percent on the level. After her death, she lost interest and lvl decreased. And I respawned her with a blessed resuscitation that restores exp points by 100%. Thus, she take again the same lvl, — the dwarf chattered, surprised at his suddenly arisen knowledge.

 

Shillen Sunday began to kill allies. She raised the orc first. Then, using the usual resurrection scroll - her twin. The rest remained lying lifeless.
The orcs drank potions that strengthened their buffs and ran to finish off the guards. KupuJIJL hurried after them.
Sunday calmly began to heal the tank with full mana and, when the reskill rolled back, resurrected the rest of the group. Elf was next.
— Ha, like a phoenix!

 

So the boss was defeated. Dunge gave the party a few lvls and a bunch of gear and pieces for armor and weapons.
The group immediately moved back to the city. The sun blinded my eyes playfully.
Kotovodka immediately left the party. Taking the cat in her arms, she went about her business somewhere further.
— I didn’t even say thank you…, — KupuJIJL was indignant.
— Forget about her, we will find a new player in the CP! Shilka, tank, how are you with us?
KupuJIJL, after going to the dungeon, moved a little away from the event with the orc. He was filled with childlike joy. It seems that in the world of lineage there are cool guys with whom it can be interesting and fun at the same time.
He raised his head to the elf and patiently waited for her answer.
What will happen next, will the tank and the hill agree to be the backbone of the new party that has gathered so randomly and quickly. Or will KupuJIJL lose its savior and guiding star forever?