Mikhail atamanov save the wings. Mikhail Atamanov - Dark Herbalist

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Title: Dark Herbalist. save the wings

About The Dark Herbalist. Save Wings" Mikhail Atamanov

A dream come true, you got a job that you dreamed of all your life. You are a tester of a popular online MMORPG and get money, and very good money, just for doing what you love: playing a beautiful and realistic computer game. But you are not an ordinary ordinary player, what millions, you are really skillful and talented. You stand out from the rest, too lucky and successful, according to the gray mass. Well, so much the worse for you...

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

The forest nymph did not get enough sleep that night and was frankly out of sorts. Yes, I woke up my little sister neither light nor dawn, Valeria expressed her disapproval to me in harsh words and refused to enter the game for a long time. But the danger of numerous murderers appearing near the Cursed House looking for me was absolutely real, so Lerka eventually apologized and agreed to leave with everyone.

Max Soshne, whom I also called on his mobile phone, promised to appear at work in the very near future and catch up with us at Kamyshanka. And even Leon, after thinking for a minute, asked me to wait and not leave without him. I perfectly understood the difficult choice of the former builder. On the one hand, he was waiting for the dilapidated goblin village of Tyshch, where his character Ogre Fortifier was provided with work, tasks, experience and new levels for a month ahead. On the other hand, he was asked to share the fate of the rest of our group - escape from assassins, danger and uncertainty. Leon chose the option of staying with friends, and I really appreciated this choice of our friend. The former builder had already arrived by taxi to the building of the "Endless World" corporation, he had to boot into the game any minute, and then rush to Kamyshanka with all his might.

Chilly wrapped up in a jacket borrowed from me, Taisha came up in the company of a noticeably limping wolf Akella. To my inquiring glance, the green-skinned goblin beauty only lowered her eyes and shook her head negatively.

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

I brushed aside the Level 4 Mosquito that was annoyingly buzzing over my ear (our Naiad Merchant did not lie - the mosquitoes near the river really were the size of a fist) and wearily sat down on a fallen trunk next to my sister. Taisha carefully perched on the other side.

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

I sighed heavily, took out of inventory and thoughtfully twisted in my hands a bright four-colored ribbon found in the den of werewolves. It looks like the most ordinary decoration that village girls weave into their braids, but its discovery initiated the start of the next task from the series about the Gray Pack. Is it all in vain, and we missed the fugitive? Bad if so. And it’s really bad that as a result the entire chain of quests related to the Gray Pack will “lock up”. Out of annoyance, I slammed my hand on a completely insolent mosquito that landed on my forehead, slapping it.

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

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

Throwing away the mosquito corpse that was useless to me, I exclaimed in my hearts, addressing it incomprehensibly to whom:

Well, a pregnant woman could not evaporate without a trace, and even with two young nephews! And for some reason, after all, she broke away from her familiar place in the very last weeks of her term, when it is difficult for a woman to walk! Damn, how did the local mosquitoes get it!

Indeed, a whole flock flew in to replace the insect I had killed, starting to describe circles above us with a nasty buzzing. Valerian Swiftfoot waved her right hand, and a whole swarm of her hornet pets came to our aid, finishing off the annoying bloodsucking insects in a matter of seconds. Taisha, at the sight of dangerous overgrown wasps, shrank in fright and tried to cover her head with a jacket. I whistled respectfully, counting at least a dozen black, yellow-brown, and orange-red hornets, as well as noticing that some specimens had already reached the sixteenth level.

A little more leveling, and the hornets will have the twentieth level, at which the Master of Beasts will choose useful perks for them. Knowing my sister, I had no doubt that Valerian Fleetfoot had long ago thought out a development plan for her pets in great detail, taking into account the strengths and weaknesses of flying insects. Obviously, it was not without reason that the forest nymph recruited several different species of hornets into her swarm. My sister, obviously flattered by the attention to her colorful hornets, sent the flying pets away and answered my last words: Why the fugitive ran away is understandable - in the last days, eleven of her wolfdog friends were killed, and she rightly feared for her own life. Although, brother, we can be wrong, and the dark-haired girl will turn out to be completely irrelevant, and her departure from the farm just coincided with the destruction of the werewolves. In any case, a decision on this fugitive must be made as soon as possible - we cannot linger near Kamyshanka, where murderers may appear at dawn. My opinion - you need to stop searching and leave immediately.

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

Umar Kostoprav. Human. Witch Doctor level 45.

Apparently, this was the same doctor from Kamyshanka, whom the forest nymph met on the second day of the game and about whom she repeatedly told me. With a short nod to my sister, as if it were an old acquaintance, a gray-haired bearded man stopped beside me, looked closer and smiled good-naturedly:

Apparently, you are that eared goblin-herbalist who settled in the Cursed House, the supply of healing herbs from which I have been waiting in vain for days!

If the old man intended to embarrass me with these words, then he was mistaken. I saw him for the first time, I had no obligations to supply herbs to him, and therefore I absolutely did not feel guilty. Moreover, I myself did not have enough collected herbs for practicing Alchemy, so the healer was completely in vain counting on me in this matter. But the interlocutor did not wait for my answer and had already turned his attention to Taisha. Under his harsh gaze, my companion became embarrassed, shrank and wrapped herself more tightly in a jacket, covering her thin thieves' clothes, burned in many places.

In my time, the girls would be ashamed to go out into the street in such a shameful form, - the old man shook his head accusingly. - Go to the village, the gate guards know you and let you through. My house is second to the right of the gate. Take a needle and thread in the hallway on a shelf by the window and sew it on.

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

Current page: 1 (total book has 21 pages) [available reading excerpt: 12 pages]

Abstract

A dream come true, you got a job that you dreamed of all your life. You are a tester of a popular online MMORPG and get money (and very good money) just for doing what you love - playing a beautiful and realistic computer game. But you are not an ordinary ordinary player, what millions, you are really skillful and talented. You stand out from the rest, too lucky and successful in the opinion of the gray mass. The crowd does not like these and is ready to tear them apart simply out of a sense of envy or because they are not like the others. What to do if the whole world turned on you, and all your allies are your own sister and a few true friends? Reconcile? Down to the general level? Or fly further on the wings of success? The choice is yours!

Mikhail Atamanov

Mikhail Atamanov

Prologue

Tail of an old story

“Amra, admit in the end that our search is useless. There are no traces here! - Sitting on a fallen tree, a painfully thin girl in a light dress frankly yawned, showing her sharp predatory teeth.

Max Soshne, whom I also called on his mobile phone, promised to appear at work in the very near future and catch up with us at Kamyshanka. And even Leon, after thinking for a minute, asked me to wait and not leave without him. I perfectly understood the difficult choice of the former builder. On the one hand, he was waiting for the dilapidated goblin village of Tyshch, where his character Ogre Fortifier was provided with work, tasks, experience and new levels for a month ahead. On the other hand, he was asked to share the fate of the other members of our group - the flight from assassins, danger and uncertainty. Leon chose the option of staying with friends, and I really appreciated this choice of our friend. The former builder had already arrived by taxi to the building of the "Endless World" corporation, he had to boot into the game any minute, and then rush to Kamyshanka with all his might.

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

I brushed aside the level 4 Mosquito that was annoyingly buzzing over my ear (our Naiad Merchant didn’t lie - the mosquitoes near the river really were the size of a fist) and wearily sat down on a fallen tree trunk next to my sister. Taisha carefully perched on the other side.

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

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

Throwing away the mosquito corpse that was useless to me, I exclaimed in my hearts, addressing it incomprehensibly to whom:

- Well, a pregnant woman could not evaporate without a trace, and even with two young nephews! And for some reason, after all, she broke away from her familiar place in the very last weeks of her term, when it is difficult for a woman to walk! Damn, how did the local mosquitoes get it!

A little more leveling, and the hornets will have the twentieth level, at which the Master of Beasts will choose useful perks for them. Knowing my sister, I had no doubt that Valerian Fleetfoot had long ago thought out a development plan for her pets in great detail, taking into account the strengths and weaknesses of flying insects. Obviously, it was not without reason that the forest nymph recruited several different species of hornets into her swarm. My little sister, obviously flattered by the attention to her multi-colored hornets, sent the flying pets away and answered my last words: Why the fugitive ran away is understandable - in the last days, eleven of her wolfdog friends were killed, and she rightly feared for her own life. Although, brother, we can be wrong, and the dark-haired girl will turn out to be completely irrelevant, and her departure from the farm just coincided with the destruction of the werewolves. In any case, a decision on this fugitive must be made as soon as possible - we cannot linger near Kamyshanka, where murderers may appear at dawn. My opinion is that you need to stop searching and leave immediately.

Umar Kostoprav. Human. Witch Doctor level 45.

“Apparently, you are that eared goblin herbalist who settled in the Cursed House, from whom I have been waiting in vain for a supply of healing herbs for days!

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

Received a private message from the Son of Shrek:

“Leon and I have entered the game and are in a hurry to you. We go as soon as possible, but we still need an hour to get to Kamyshanka. Wait for us"

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

As if reading my thoughts, the old healer said with an old man's grumbling:

Strange things happen, if you think about it. A whole group of goblins, and with them wolves and a dangerous mavka, climb around the human settlement for the second day and stubbornly sniff out something. No matter how bad they think against people. Maybe I should send a messenger to the garrison to send us more guards?

Frightened, I turned to the old man and found that he was smiling and barely holding back his laughter.

“Yes, I’m joking, big-eared,” the healer hastened to reassure me. “Mavka explained to me yesterday who you are looking for. It’s just that you are silent, Amra, so I’m trying to start a conversation with you at least in this way.

- We have a runaway farmhand to look for from a distant farm. A lot of laborers run away, the owner does not understand where and why the worker is leaving, ”I said, deliberately distorting the words.

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

“Oh, you don’t know how to lie, goblin ... Yes, I will never believe that greedy Kariz will look for his missing workers, especially at the end of the season, when the time for payment comes up. For him, laborers disappeared and it’s good - there are fewer expenses.

I thoughtfully looked at my interlocutor, wise for a long life ... and decided to tell him the whole truth as it is, hiding nothing. And he even spoke in normal human language without a tongue-tied "goblin accent". Umar Kostoprav listened to my story about the exterminated werewolves and the discovered lair of werewolves very attentively, never interrupting. When I came to the moment of discovering the colored ribbon and my suspicions about the runaway dark-haired woman, the medicine man said thoughtfully:

“The name of this fugitive is Bella, and I always knew from day one that she was not easy. A short, short-haired girl appeared in our village about five months ago. The owner of the farm, Kariz, was recruiting laborers for the sowing season just in the spring, and he asked me to check this worker - she looked too thin, downtrodden, some kind of unhealthy, like a patient. Yes, and her short hair also aroused suspicion - what kind of girl would purposely cut her braids, spoil the beauty of a woman, except that after typhus or another illness they themselves fell out.

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

- Then Bella's stomach was not visible at all, no one guessed that she was pregnant. But during the examination, she immediately laid out everything about her pregnancy. She said that she had escaped from overwork, beatings and humiliation, and from the daily harassment of the owner, who did not give her a pass at all. She said that her former mistress cut off her hair so that the peasant would not be taken away from her. And I felt sorry for the girl, I didn’t tell Kariz anything about her pregnancy, otherwise he wouldn’t have hired such a worker.

- And what then was her strangeness manifested? the wood nymph asked. - So far, according to the description, it comes out as an ordinary downtrodden village girl with a difficult fate.

For some reason, the old man became embarrassed and coughed, then he continued his story in a very barely audible voice:

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

The old man spoke and fell silent, staring with watery white eyes at the nearby forest emerging from the fog. I checked with the medicine man when he last saw the fugitive.

Umar Kostoprav's attitude test failed.

“Look how quick,” the village healer grimaced with displeasure. “You don’t want to help me with the collection of herbs, but you expect help from me. It's easy for you young - once, and collected everything you need for the job. And I, with my sore legs, have to climb through the swamps, collect sour and blackberries ...

Quest received: Herbs for the healer 1/3. Job class: Class, training. Description: Gather five bundles each of Swamp Oxalis, Swamp Blackberry, and Swamp Horsetail for Umar the Kostoprav. Reward: 160 Exp., Herbalism skill +1

So this is how the plot was supposed to pump the Herbalism skill! Do not crawl through a dangerous forest at night, trembling from every rustle and afraid of meeting bloodthirsty monsters, but simply come to the healer and pump Herbalism on training quests. On the other hand, how could my goblin come to the human settlement earlier when he would have been immediately sent to be reborn due to low Charisma and a -20 penalty to relations with people? Yes, even come during the day, because at night normal people sleep, and the gates of Kamyshanka are closed!

I looked in my inventory. I had the necessary herbs in sufficient quantities, so that the first task of the healer could be closed immediately. However, I didn't have enough plants harvested until level seven, so it was foolish to get level seven by completing this simple quest. There was still time before the appearance of the ogre and the naiad, so I asked the old man for directions to the nearest swamp and went to collect herbs. It was not far to go, and the task turned out to be primitive - the quest plants grew in clusters and in sufficient numbers, so after twenty minutes I returned, having raised the Herbalism skill to the seventh level before that.

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

Completed quest: Herbs for the Healer 1/3. Experience gained 160 Exp.

Herbalism has been upgraded to level 8!

- Here, it was necessary right away! - the old man was delighted, hiding the bundles of herbs in his shabby and dirty knapsack. Well, I'll answer your question, since I promised. I saw Bella for the last time, exactly when the undying people came to our village in a crowd. Somewhere in the middle of the day it was, I can not say more precisely. She stood at the boat pier and collected water from the river in birch bark tueski.

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

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

I also replied to my sister in a private message:

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

– Have boats been missing in Kamyshanka lately? - I asked Umar Kostopravu a direct question, to which I again received the displeased expression on the old man's face and the second part of the quest about collecting herbs for the healer:

Quest received: Herbs for the Healer 2/3. Job class: Class, training. Description: Gather ten bunches each of Mountain Lily of the Valley, Common Holly, St. John's Wort, and Fire Poppy for Umar the Boner. Reward: 320 Exp, Herbalism skill +1

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

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

This was absolutely unacceptable, since even on the wolves of the Gray Pack, the journey beyond the village of Tyshch and back would take much more time than we could afford. Oh, it was! I decided to offer the old healer another option:

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

By the way the old man's fingers trembled, one could immediately guess that my offer to the healer was extremely interested. But he still hesitated.

“Yeah, I’ll go to the Cursed House, how can it be… You’re the undying one, Amra, you don’t care where you live.” What if the monster living there devours me?!

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

Successful check on Umar Kostoprav's attitude. Experience gained 40 Exp.

Trade skill increased to level 12!

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

Completed quest: Herbs for the Healer 2/3. Experience gained 320 Exp

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

Herbalism upgraded to level 9!

Herbalism increased to level 10!

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

– No, none of the boats in Kamyshanka disappeared. All three available are at the pier, you can see for yourself.

It seemed to me, or was the old man really glad that he managed to confuse me with his answer and exchange such information for a whole load of valuable herbs? No, I was not mistaken, Umar the Kostoprav was indeed quite pleased with himself. He even explained the reason for his joy:

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

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

- Umar, can you tell us about Bella's nephews? Or will you again demand to do something for a truthful answer?

The doctor turned around and frowned. I decided that we would not receive an answer, but I was mistaken:

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

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

- Frankly speaking, not the best description of these teenagers sounded. Perhaps you can try to find this trinity by asking around the neighboring villages about two teenage hooligans. In another way, apparently, it will not work anymore - this rain will wash away all traces.

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

- Brother, you are something very bad today. It seems that the “necessary girl” does not distract you with her forms, but you think with great creak. To you, the old man, albeit unwillingly, gave a frank hint with his answers. Didn't you understand?

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

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

- Lerka, you are smart! I have ice cream, - I smiled, recognizing the correctness of my younger sister. - They are unlikely to drive the boat against the current - it is hard to constantly row with oars for a pregnant woman and two weak teenagers. So, you need to look for them down the river. But on foot we will not catch up with the fugitives - the banks here are swampy, overgrown with bushes and reeds, and even full of all sorts of aggressive creatures. Need a boat. And even several boats, since our whole company will not fit in one. You are stupid again, big-eared one,” the mavka shook her head sadly. “No ordinary river punt will hold our ogre giant. Yes, and you forget that we ourselves are also forced to hide. Therefore, we should not leave such a frank hint to our pursuers as the boats taken in Kamyshanka.

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

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

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

* * *

Never before had I seen an Ogre Fortifier at work. Without any exaggeration, I will say, a fantastic and exciting spectacle. Half a century old pine trees fell down from his ax, bark and branches flew like a fountain, the giant carried thick logs like reeds. Within an hour, the Son of Shrek_Illegitimate pushed the ready-made, tightly bound raft from the shallow water and was the last to climb onto it.

The rain, although noticeably subsided, still did not stop for a second. The wet wolves of the Gray Pack nervously pressed against each other, uncertainly moving their paws on the slippery swaying logs and looking longingly at such a close shore, but none of the wolves dared to disobey my order. Taisha and Valerianna, hiding from the rain and cold wind under a black wolf-haired skin, chattered their teeth in unison. The children of Tamina the Fierce wolf riders Irek and Yunna, in spite of their light clothing not suitable for the weather, were surprisingly cheerful and cheerful. The goblins laughed and joked, not even trying to hide their joy and overexcited state from the upcoming journey.

The ogre did not care for the weather, and I, too, tolerated the cold rain quite well, only occasionally yawning from fatigue after a sleepless night. But the naiad Max Soshne felt the best. The fish-man finally got into comfortable conditions for himself and, sitting on the bow of our raft, he enthusiastically beat the river fish with a spear and occasionally gave commands to the giant to steer in one direction or another.

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

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

I started and, throwing back the skin of the wolfdog, looked in the indicated direction. A large half-flooded boat got stuck in the coastal reeds.

- This is my own boat, I recognize it! the naiad continued to wail, its bright red dorsal fins fluttering with excitement.

The fish-man jumped down from the raft and, working quickly with webbed hands and tail, paddled towards the flooded rowboat.

- We need to moor to the right and inspect the entire coast there! I ordered, and the Ogre Fortifier turned the steering oar sharply.

We hardly made our way through the dense coastal strip of reeds, I even had to cut a passage through them, and the ogre jumped overboard and pushed our raft. Finally, there was solid ground under their feet. I didn’t even have time to give the wolves the task to look for any traces of the presence of people, as Irek, who had passed along the shore upstream, was already calling everyone, showing his find.

It was a small hut, and built relatively recently, just a couple of days ago - the leaves on the cut branches did not even have time to wither. Nearby, there was a trace of a fire and numerous cleanly gnawed bones of some large ruminant animal scattered across the clearing. The wolves that approached the parking place sniffed, and then ruffled their fur, frightened their tails between their legs and hurried away from the place of the feast. I took a closer look at our findings.

A successful Perception check. Experience gained 80 Exp.

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

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

For some reason, the audience turned in my direction, as if I should have had their food supplies. But where? My eared troglodyte was hungry himself, which I immediately reported.

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

© Atamanov M., 2017

© Design. LLC "Publishing house" E ", 2017

Tail of a long history

“Amra, admit in the end that our search is useless. There are no traces here! - Sitting on a fallen tree, a painfully thin girl in a light dress frankly yawned, showing her sharp predatory teeth.

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

Max Soshne, whom I also called on his mobile phone, promised to appear at work in the very near future and catch up with us at Kamyshanka. And even Leon, after thinking for a minute, asked me to wait and not leave without him. I perfectly understood the difficult choice of the former builder. On the one hand, the dilapidated goblin village of Tyshch was waiting for him, where his character Ogre Fortifier was provided with work, tasks, experience and new levels for a month in advance. On the other hand, he was asked to share the fate of the other members of our group - the flight from assassins, danger and uncertainty. Leon chose the option of staying with friends, and I really appreciated this choice of our friend. The former builder had already arrived by taxi to the building of the "Endless World" corporation, he had to boot into the game any minute, and then rush to Kamyshanka with all his might.

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

I sighed heavily, took out of the inventory and thoughtfully twisted in my hands a bright four-colored ribbon found in the den of werewolves. It looks like the most ordinary decoration that village girls weave into their braids, but its discovery initiated the start of the next task from the series about the Gray Pack. Is it all in vain and we missed the fugitive? Bad if so. And it’s really bad that as a result the entire chain of quests related to the Gray Pack will “lock up”. Out of annoyance, I slammed my hand on a completely insolent mosquito that landed on my forehead, slapping it.

Damage dealt: 18 (Punch). Experience Gained: 4 Exp

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

Throwing away the mosquito corpse that was useless to me, I exclaimed in my hearts, addressing it incomprehensibly to whom:

Indeed, a whole flock flew in to replace the insect I had killed, starting to describe circles above us with a nasty buzzing. Valerian Swiftfoot waved her right hand, and a whole swarm of her hornet pets came to our aid, killing the pesky blood-sucking insects in a matter of seconds. Taisha, at the sight of dangerous overgrown wasps, shrank in fright and tried to cover her head with a jacket. I whistled respectfully, counting at least a dozen black, yellow-brown, and orange-red hornets, as well as noticing that some specimens had already reached the sixteenth level.

- Why the fugitive ran away, just understandable - in recent days, eleven of her wolfdog friends were killed, and she rightly feared for her own life. Although, brother, we can be wrong, and the dark-haired girl will be completely innocent, and her departure from the farm just coincided with the destruction of the wolfdogs. In any case, a decision on this fugitive must be made as soon as possible - we cannot linger near Kamyshanka, where murderers may appear at dawn. My opinion - you need to stop searching and leave immediately.

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

Umar Kostoprav. Human. Witch Doctor level 45

“Apparently, you are that eared goblin herbalist who settled in the Cursed House, from whom I have been waiting in vain for a supply of healing herbs for days!

If the old man intended to embarrass me with these words, then he was mistaken. I saw him for the first time, I had no obligations to supply herbs to him, and therefore I absolutely did not feel guilty. Moreover, I myself did not have enough collected herbs for practicing Alchemy, so the healer was completely in vain counting on me in this matter. But the interlocutor did not wait for my answer and had already turned his attention to Taisha. Under his harsh gaze, my companion was embarrassed, shrank and wrapped herself more tightly in a jacket, covering her thin thieves' clothes, burnt in many places.

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

Received a private message from the Son of Shrek:

“Leon and I have entered the game and are in a hurry to you. We go as soon as possible, but we still need an hour to get to Kamyshanka. Wait for us"

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

As if reading my thoughts, the old healer said with an old man's grumbling:

Frightened, I turned to the old man and found that he was smiling and barely holding back his laughter.

- We have a runaway farmhand to look for from a distant farm. Many laborers run away, the owner does not understand where and why the worker is leaving, ”I said, deliberately distorting the words.

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

“The name of this fugitive is Bella, and I always knew from day one that she was not easy. A short, short-haired girl appeared in our village about five months ago. The owner of the farm, Kariz, was recruiting laborers for the sowing season just in the spring, and he asked me to check this worker - she looked too thin, downtrodden, some kind of unhealthy, like a patient. Yes, and her short hair also aroused suspicion - what kind of girl would deliberately cut her braids, spoil the beauty of a woman, except that after typhus or another illness they themselves fell out.

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

- Then Bella's stomach was not visible at all, no one guessed that she was pregnant. But during the examination, she immediately laid out everything about her pregnancy. She said that she had escaped from overwork, beatings and humiliation, and from the daily harassment of the owner, who did not give her a pass at all. She said that her former mistress cut off her hair so that the peasant would not be taken away from her. And I took pity on the girl, I did not tell Kariz anything about her pregnancy, otherwise he would not have hired such a worker.

- And what then was her strangeness manifested? the wood nymph asked. - So far, according to the description, it comes out as an ordinary downtrodden village girl with a difficult fate.

For some reason, the old man became embarrassed and coughed, then he continued his story in a very barely audible voice:

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

The old man spoke and fell silent, staring with teary whitish eyes at the nearby forest emerging from the fog. I checked with the medicine man when he last saw the fugitive.

Failed Umar Kostoprav's Attitude Test

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

Completed quest: Herbs for the Healer 1/3. Experience gained 160 Exp

Herbalism has been upgraded to level 8!

I also replied to my sister in a private message:

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

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

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

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

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

By the way the old man's fingers trembled, one could immediately guess that my suggestion of a medicine man was extremely interested. But he still hesitated.

“Yeah, I’ll go to the Cursed House, how about ... It’s you who doesn’t die, Amra, it doesn’t matter where you live.” What if the monster living there devours me?!

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

Successful check on Umar Kostoprav's attitude. Experience gained 40 Exp

Trade skill increased to level 12!

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

Completed quest: Herbs for the Healer 2/3. Experience gained 320 Exp

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

Herbalism upgraded to level 9!

Herbalism increased to level 10!

– No, none of the boats in Kamyshanka disappeared. All three available are at the pier, you can see for yourself.

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

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

- Umar, can you tell us about Bella's nephews? Or will you again demand to do something for a truthful answer?

The doctor turned around and frowned. I decided that we would not receive an answer, but I was mistaken:

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

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

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

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

- Lerka, you are smart! I have ice cream, - I smiled, recognizing the correctness of my younger sister. - They are unlikely to drive the boat against the current: it is hard - constantly rowing with oars - for a pregnant woman and two weak teenagers. So, you need to look for them down the river. But on foot we will not catch up with the fugitives - the banks here are swampy, overgrown with bushes and reeds, and even full of all sorts of aggressive creatures. Need a boat. And even several boats, since our whole company will not fit in one.

“You’re stupid again, big-eared one,” the mavka shook her head sadly. “No ordinary river punt will hold our ogre giant. Yes, and you forget that we ourselves are also forced to hide. Therefore, we should not leave such a frank hint to our pursuers as the boats taken in Kamyshanka.

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

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

* * *

Never before had I seen an Ogre Fortifier at work. Without any exaggeration, I will say, a fantastic and exciting spectacle. Half a century old pines fell down from his ax, bark and branches flew like a fountain, the giant carried thick logs like reeds. Within an hour, the Son of Shrek_Illegitimate pushed the ready-made, tightly bound raft from the shallow water and was the last to climb onto it.

The rain, although noticeably subsided, still did not stop for a second. The wet wolves of the Gray Pack nervously pressed against each other, uncertainly moving their paws on the slippery swaying logs and looking longingly at such a close shore, but none of the wolves dared to disobey my order. Taisha and Valerianna, hiding from the rain and cold wind under a black wolf-haired skin, chattered their teeth in unison. The children of Tamina the Fierce, the wolf riders Irek and Yunna, despite their light clothing, were surprisingly cheerful and cheerful. The goblins laughed and joked, not even trying to hide their joy and overexcited state from the upcoming journey.

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

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

I started and, throwing back the skin of the wolfdog, looked in the indicated direction. A large half-flooded boat got stuck in the coastal reeds.

- This is my own boat, I recognize it! the naiad continued to wail, its bright red dorsal fins fluttering with excitement.

The fish-man sprang from the raft and, working quickly with webbed hands and tail, paddled towards the flooded rowboat.

- We need to moor to the right and inspect the entire coast there! I ordered, and the Ogre Fortifier turned the steering oar sharply.

We hardly made our way through the dense coastal strip of reeds, I even had to cut a passage through them, and the ogre jumped overboard and pushed our raft. Finally, solid ground was under their feet. I didn’t even have time to give the wolves the task to look for any traces of the presence of people, as Irek, who had passed along the coast upstream, was already calling everyone, showing his find.

It was a small hut, and built relatively recently, just a couple of days ago - the leaves on the cut branches did not even have time to wither. Nearby, a trace of a fire was found and numerous cleanly gnawed bones of some large ruminant animal scattered across the clearing. The wolves that approached the parking place sniffed, and then ruffled their fur, frightened their tails between their legs and hurried away from the place of the feast. I took a closer look at our findings.

A successful Perception check. Experience gained 80 Exp

For some reason, the audience turned in my direction, as if I should have had their food supplies. But where? My eared troglodyte was hungry himself, which I immediately reported.

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

“Bait is plentiful here by the river!” - I answered, slapping another annoying red mosquito on myself and giving the corpse to a good cause with a generous hand. - But to feed our entire large company, one fisherman is still not enough. You need to go hunting and catch something big together. Now I will call my wyvern so that it will look for prey for us in the surrounding forests from the air.

I did not take BITCH to Kamyshanka for obvious reasons - a crowd of goblins on wolves could in itself arouse an unhealthy interest of the inhabitants. And if there is also a hand-held three-meter flying snake with her, then such an event will become the subject of lively discussion for many days to come, and this story will be heard by the undying chasing me. Now, a level 16 Royal Forest Wyvern arrived at my call in just a minute, the snout of the flying snake was smeared with fresh blood.

Fantastic novel by Mikhail Atamanov “Dark herbalist. Save the Wings continues the story of Timur's adventures, who lives in reality and in virtual space at the same time. The writer develops the storyline, it becomes more and more interesting to read. Here are added interesting moves, unusual tricks. The author will send readers on a sea voyage, which will bring a wave of new experiences. The book combines well the game world and real life, descriptions of the work of the protagonist, the device of the game and the pumping of his character inside it.

It would seem that Timur's life is wonderful - he does what he loves and gets good money for it. All his life he dreamed of being a tester of a popular online game, and now he is also its player at the same time. In the game, he is a goblin herbalist named Amra. He started, of course, small. But now he is not some ordinary hero, he is skillful and talented and knows well how to use cunning in the fight against an enemy that is many times superior in strength. He noticeably stands out among others, seems too successful and lucky. And it's not always in his favor. But Amra knows how to solve complex problems, find non-standard solutions even in the most complicated situations, and knows who to turn to for help if needed.

The work was published in 2017 by the Eksmo publishing house. This book is part of the LitRPG series. On our site you can download the book "Dark herbalist. Save the wings" in fb2, rtf, epub, pdf, txt format or read online. The rating of the book is 3.57 out of 5. Here, before reading, you can also refer to the reviews of readers who are already familiar with the book and find out their opinion. In the online store of our partner you can buy and read the book in paper form.