At the end of the corridor, Vagasso bestowed upon me a set of final instructions and told me how to locate the city and the right jeweler within its winding streets. Along with these words, he handed me a coin of strikingly vivid emerald green, upon which the first letter of his name was carefully engraved.
He called it a coin, but in truth, it was more akin to a dense, firm jelly. Heavily textured, it carried the sweet aroma of apples and, surprisingly, tasted quite delightful.
Yes, I gave it a lick when we left.
I was to use this "coin" to settle the debt with the jeweler. From what I gathered, Vagasso had found an interesting way of dealing with the inhabitants of this dimension — his worshippers or followers, I wasn't sure what to call them yet — by paying them with these strange tokens. Quite handy, really; he could mint as many as he wanted.
Vagasso had also made them believe the coins carried luck. I had no idea if that was actually true, but if it was, I might as well get something for myself while carrying it to its destination.
He can demand anything he wishes, Dorian interrupted my thoughts. Remember, in this world, he is a god. But there's a significant difference between taking and trading. Especially when it's for a special service.
The narrow passage through which I emerged into the fresh air appeared to be a concealed route, hardly ever used.
Pushing through the tall, swaying grass, I stepped onto a sun-drenched clearing, where an intriguing scene unfolded before me.
Encircling grand gates gilded with gold leaf, the ground was piled high with all manner of objects: richly woven rugs, painted metal vases, vibrant clothing, and countless other trinkets.
Not far from these heaps, a man and a woman sat peacefully on the grass, with a piece of cloth spread out before them. They were taking food from it — some fruits or perhaps bread — and eating quietly, as if lost in their own world amidst the cluttered chaos surrounding them.
Seeing me emerge from the tall grass, the man greeted me with a welcoming wave. He didn't seem inclined to attack, so I felt safe enough to approach him.
Their supplies consisted of bread, cheese, something that looked like sausage, and a few leeks. The couple seemed quite ordinary — much like humans from Earth — only broader, about a head and a half wider.
The woman scrutinized me from head to toe and asked in a rough, drum-like voice:
"Where do you come from, boy?"
"From over there," I replied, pointing toward the tall, swaying grass.
They exchanged glances and shrugged in unison.
"Are you alone?" the man inquired, his voice even rougher.
"Yeah."
"Did you also lose something important?" The woman smiled kindly. "It must be something very valuable to you, if you've decided to come to Vagasso's Temple all by yourself. Or did something happen to your parents?"
"Was your caravan destroyed by goblins?" the man jumped in with another guess before I had a chance to answer. "Did they hurt the women?
How many of them were there?"
"No, I was just wandering around over there," I said, gesturing in the direction I believed the city lay. The place was called Bento, by the way.
"And I've gotten a bit off track. Now I'm just heading back."
"So you're from Bento? You've strayed quite a bit." The man chuckled, cracking a leek and jabbing a green feather in my direction.
"Wandering through the forest all night? I was hoping to hear some stories about goblins..."
"We arrived here with our caravan just three days ago," the woman said. "We're from Priozernoye. We waited in Bento until enough people had gathered, then set out with a guide toward the Temple. Now, we're waiting for Vagasso to make his appearance..."
A melancholic look crossed her face as she gazed at the towering balcony that loomed ominously over the temple gates.
She let out a deep sigh and added, "He still hasn't shown himself...
The others left for Bento yesterday evening, but my husband and I decided to hold on a little longer. We still have enough provisions for a few more days." She glanced at her husband and took a large piece of cheese from him, which he had nearly managed to stuff entirely into his mouth. "If only some people wouldn't eat like wild boars!"
He immediately reached for some sausage, but she swiftly snatched that away as well.
"Venturing out alone is perilous," she said with a cautious tone, and cast a nervous glance toward the forest. "They say goblins lurk behind every tree in these woods. Our guide told us they never come near the temple. So, we'll wait just a little longer..."
At that moment, I felt something in my pocket start to burn fiercely.
I slipped my hand in.
That damn coin! It was relentless in reminding me of why I was here. That damn four-armed pest!
"Understood." I nodded. "Then I'll be on my way."
"You're certain?" the man asked, a note of suspicion in his voice.
"I've heard those goblins are dangerous creatures!"
"I'll manage somehow," I replied, striving to make my tone sound steady and confident.
"Without any weapons?" he pressed, eyes narrowing with concern.
"I have my arms and legs. And I'm as sly as a fox," I reassured him confidently.
"Don't say you weren't warned..."
"We shouldn't let him go alone," his wife said softly, her voice tinged with concern.
"Let him go," he replied with a wave of his hand, dismissing her worry. "One less lunatic to deal with."
She opened her mouth to object, then shrugged and turned away, perhaps realizing that her husband wasn't exactly a paragon of virtue.
Maybe she also thought that two mouths to feed were better than three in their situation.
"Max, maybe we should teach—" "Absolutely," I cut him off. "Just not right now."
Before parting ways, I cast one last glance at the heaps of supplies and a large sign, written in bold letters across several languages.
BE WARNED! THOSE WHO BRING FOOD OR DRINK AS OFFERINGS SHALL BE CURSED!
VAGASSO'S WRATH UPON THE OFFENDER'S HEAD!
"Truly a magpie, and yet he worries about the smell of leftover food," I murmured with a smirk.
And still, this place looks like a junkyard.
Perhaps we should offer to sort it out for him, organize a better offering system. Make it easier to store all these gifts inside the temple grounds. Maybe he'll reward us with a better gift for our valuable suggestions. What do you think?
You clearly forgot you are dealing with a demon, a god in his own dimension. In my experience, those like him start by putting your head on a stake and decorating their front lawn with it.
We crossed the small river Vagasso had mentioned, then made our way through the forest toward the city. The path was smooth and easy to walk. In a couple of hours, I expected to arrive at a small hill, behind which lay the city of Bento.
As I strolled through the sun-dappled forest, my curiosity piqued, and I examined my surroundings with keen interest. It all closely resembled the woods near Dubravino, only the trees seemed taller, and some of the leaves bore a slightly different shape.
Birds serenaded the air with their melodies, and grasshoppers leaped chaotically beneath my feet in every direction. There were even bluebirds!
Yet, my mobile phone was dead. No way to even tell the time. All I could do was walk and count my steps.
After roughly five thousand steps, I lost track and threw the counting idea aside. No point in obsessing over it. The city wouldn't appear any sooner than it was destined to.
Suddenly, the path narrowed, then sharply dipped downward. It wound into several loops around enormous rocks that resembled jagged cliffs and then pressed on through dense, tangled thickets. Darkness thickened, and the air grew damp and heavy. Even the sunlight struggled to penetrate here, and the few rays that managed to break through immediately turned dull and gray.
Max...
I drew my energy sword from its sheath. Even with my experience, I knew this was a perfect spot for an ambush.
A bright orange beam sliced through the shadows, and at that very moment, piercing screams erupted from all sides, much like the cries the students let out when they scattered from Bubnov in the cafeteria.
I caught a dark silhouette directly above me, raised my sword, and suddenly, a hot stream of blood rained down upon me. In the next moment, two perfectly sliced halves of something fleshy hit the ground.
Then I saw two steel spearheads gleaming to my right. With a single swing, I cut through them right under where the metal and wood met, and with the next quick movement, I lunged toward the stunned attackers, decapitating two of them at once.
Considering that the creatures were only about shoulder height, it wasn't too difficult with a wider swing.
As their surprised heads flew off, I finally saw who had attacked me.
Goblins.
They darted around me like monkeys, constantly trying to pounce from above. Each time, it ended with them losing another limb. There was already a pile of severed arms and legs lying around me.
And there were plenty of dead goblins, too. I managed to kill about five before they finally realized they should take me seriously. That bright, glowing orange thing in my hands wasn't a toy but a deadly weapon capable of splitting any of them in half with ease.
But it was already too late. Only three goblins remained unscathed and whole enough to pose a real threat. The rest had either scattered into the forest, screaming in pain, or lay in the thick grass, bleeding black blood.
To keep the runaways from coming back, I summoned a skeleton archer — something I probably should have done earlier. It chased after them, occasionally loosing arrows at their retreating figures. Judging by the screams, it was hitting often enough.
To keep the trio from surrounding me, I positioned myself with a thick tree at my back. The wind whispered through the branches, carrying the scent of damp earth and blood. Now I could wait for them to make up their minds, or strike first.
They just growled in their language and brandished their swords. I was neither scared nor worried and all they were doing was wasting their time and giving me a chance to escape.
At first, they paid little attention to the dead goblin who had started to rise behind their backs. They even rejoiced at his miraculous resurrection and greeted him with joyful shouts, thinking he had recovered from his wounds. But when his headless comrade joined him, their mood changed in the most drastic way.
Trying to escape from this place as quickly as possible, the goblins flitted among the trees, terrified, colliding with each other, which only heightened the panic. And the screams! I almost got a nosebleed from the noise.
When the sounds finally quieted down, I checked myself for any wounds. Not a single scratch. Lacrimosa's carefully concocted health elixirs would only end up collecting dust.
Maybe I could use them to wash off the goblin blood? Highly doubtful. Even bleach wouldn't get this off.
You did well, my boy, Dorian praised me.
"Thank you."
What will we do with these?
I looked at the two zombie goblins. Trying to shamble forward, they kept bumping into each other and nearly falling over.
"They can come with us. Since the local goblins are so afraid of them, at least they won't try to attack us. I haven't got time to deal with that nonsense."
Good idea. Maybe we should bring the others along too? It'll make things more lively.
And so it was decided.
Before long, we had a group of five goblins and my skeleton archer travelling with us. The former played tag and raced to see who was fastest.
It certainly made things more interesting. I even felt a twinge of regret that we met them under these circumstances.
Before I knew it, the forest was beginning to thin out, and then I saw Bento approaching. I left the goblins at the edge of the woods so they could return with me as temporary guards.
As for Bento... I wasn't even sure what to call it. Maybe by local standards, it was quite large, but to me, it was more like a small village, about the size of Dubravino. Though the stone wall surrounding it looked straight out of a movie, with guards stationed at the gates and banners fluttering in the wind.
Usually, in movies, there was some sort of fuss with the guards. But the moment I flashed the Vagasso coin, they eagerly volunteered to escort me wherever I needed to go.
"Perhaps you might like to change before we proceed, young sir?"
one of them asked and I couldn't help but notice that he had the most impressive mustache. "Your clothes are soaked in blood."
"I was ambushed by goblins."
"Ah, yes..." He nodded with a somber expression. "We patrol the woods every few days, but those things breed like rats. Looks like you were fortunate to escape them."
"No, I'm not very swift on my feet, so I decided to fight them instead."
The guards exchanged glances, and the mustached one asked skeptically, "And how many were there?"
"About fifteen. I didn't really stop to count."
"And you managed to kill them all?"
"Not quite. Some managed to run away."
"Hmm..." He twirled his mustache thoughtfully before scrutinizing me once more. "What a peculiar day... Nothing's gone right since the morning... Well, shall we?"
He strode confidently along the cobblestone street, his wide steps echoing with purpose, while I trailed behind, fascinated by the quaint buildings that surrounded us.
"I can't shake the feeling that I've somehow stepped back into the past. Look at those charming little houses!" I was utterly captivated by the scene before me. "Isn't it just wonderful?"
Indeed, Dorian agreed, a hint of nostalgia in his voice.
I would have gladly spent more time in Bento, even if only to enjoy a leisurely walk, but everything was so conveniently close that, within ten minutes or so, we had already reached our destination.
When he learned who I was and the purpose of my visit, the jeweler nearly leapt with joy, eager to see the ring gone.
"It keeps whispering to me in strange, unearthly languages during the night!" he confided in a hushed voice when the guard stepped outside to wait for me by the door. "And sometimes, it curses me with terrible, wicked spells! Don't laugh, boy! I couldn't sleep for nights on end after hearing those curses. It's pure torment! My wife and children had to move to an inn just to keep from losing their minds!"
As I received the ring and stepped out of his shop, I heard the unmistakable click of a lock snapping shut. The poor fellow truly feared I might change my mind.
The guard accompanied me back to the gates, wishing me a safe and swift journey. They watched me with a mix of curiosity and concern until I disappeared into the forest shadows.
"You were right," I said, watching my squad of zombie goblins playing a frantic game of chase. One of them was chasing the one who had lost his right arm, but the latter was clearly too fast.
Told you it'd be simple, Dorian replied with a chuckle. By the way, how much longer do you plan to drag those goblins along behind you?
We're almost there. I doubt anyone's going to attack you so close to the temple.
"A little while longer. I have an idea..."
As we had agreed with the demon, I returned to the temple through the same doors I had used to leave it. Meanwhile, the two waiting pilgrims were snoring so loudly that they didn't even stir as I silently passed by.
"Hand it over!" Vagasso, who stood guard at the temple entrance, stretched out all four of his hands eagerly toward me. "Ah, my beautiful darling..."
I handed him the ring, surprised at how quickly he sensed my presence.
"Thoughts?" he asked, holding up the ring on his finger. "See how the stones are shimmering and dancing? These are the finest gems left in this world."
In that statement, I harbored no doubt. Vagasso was glittering like a Christmas ornament, unlikely to have adorned himself with anything less than the most exquisite gemstones.
"It's simply magnificent," I replied with genuine admiration.
"Indeed, it is. And what's that on you? Blood? Dirt?"
"Blood," I said. "You asked me to give the goblins a good thrashing.
That's exactly what I did."
"Well done, Maxim Temnikov!" Vagasso nodded approvingly. "I despise goblins! Because of them, I attract fewer subjects, and thus, I receive fewer gifts."
"Why don't you hire some guards?" I suggested.
"Guards cost money," Vagasso replied with a grimace. "And I loathe paying. Pulling gold out of a chest feels like a ghastly chore."
"Well, perhaps the subjects could pay for their own guards. After all, it's their safety at stake. They pay guides to gather groups and bring them here, don't they?"
"Hmmm... That's an interesting proposal, hero. I'll have to give it some thought."
"And one more thing. There are heaps of various offerings and gifts at the temple doors. It's quite the collection of trinkets."
"And it's all mine!"
"I merely wanted to suggest that perhaps it would be helpful to put up signs, so the pilgrims could put everything into separate piles. Carpets in one place, vases in another, jewelry in a third... That sort of thing. It would save a tremendous amount of time, and the clearing would look far more inviting."
"Hmmm... Two good ideas in a single day? That's a bit much for a mere mortal." A faint smile appeared on the demon's face. "Would you care to stay with me for a while? All-inclusive, of course. A minibar at your disposal..."
"I would gladly accept," I replied, "but I have matters waiting for me in my world."
"Such a shame. Well then, extend your hand." I did as told. "Here is your reward."
In an instant, a delicate silver thread materialized in my palm, adorned with a small, vividly blue gemstone.
"What is this?" I inquired.
"It's a rosary, Maxim Temnikov. At present, it bears only one bead — my gift for your assistance. If you ever need to find something, simply think about it and say: Vagasso, Vagasso, reveal all secrets hidden from me."
"And what will happen then?" I asked, slipping the rosary onto my wrist.
"If it's within my power, I'll point you in the right direction or help you locate whatever it is you seek," he assured me.
"Thank you." I nodded appreciatively. "That's a truly wonderful gift. How often may I invoke it?"
"You'll figure it out." He waved dismissively, as if brushing me away. "Now go, Maxim Temnikov. I must attend to my affairs. They've piled up far too high."
*** Vagasso Temple A little later...
"Wake up!"
"Unless you've woken me up with the news of the prophet, I don't want to hear it."
"Look! Goblins!"
"What?"
A group of goblins emerged from the forest, their gait unsteady as if they might collapse at any moment. They slowly approached the petrified man and woman sitting on the grass.
A scream pierced the silence.
Hearing it, the goblins froze for a moment, then continued on.
Noticing the couple a dozen steps away, they also sat down in a circle on the grass and started to talk about something.
"Don't shout!" hissed the man, afraid to move.
"What are they doing?"
"Can't you see? They're playing rock-paper-scissors!"
"What?"
A few minutes passed. Finally, the game ended. One of them grabbed his head and tore it off with a disgusting crunch.
At that moment, the rest of the goblins stood up, split into teams of two, and started playing ball with their friend's head.
When, after a rather powerful kick, it rolled right up to the couple and winked at them, leaving a glistening trail of blood behind, both pilgrims left out bloodcurdling screams and fainted.