World of Karik: A Game of Villains 59 Counting Down

"There he is!" Having let go of a log which he was dragging together with Boris and some guy from Vlada's former detachment, Innokenty rushed toward me shouting and drawing attention to us. "He learned how to prepare an enhancing potion and when I asked him to share it with everybody, he killed me! Those potions could make us stronger, but he wants to use them for himself. Vasily, you can't put yourself above everyone else!"

Is this the first socialist sermon of the new world? Petrovich and Vlada rolled their eyes. Is Innokenty really such an idealist or is he just pretending to be one? He came closer to me. Way too close. I didn't really care about his revelations but I was not about to let him go unpunished after he had damaged my reputation.

He screamed in horror the moment I jumped at him and grabbed his neck, forcing him to stay still. Lifting him up would've been more impressive, but I didn't have enough strength for that.

Arcobaleno.

Flame Flow.

"I warned you." My enhanced Flame Flow ended him in ten seconds.

With a heavy sigh, Petrovich moved in my direction with a lance in his hands instead of an axe he had thrown aside. This was to be expected. I had no choice but to put Innokenty in his place in order to save my reputation. Petrovich had no choice as well. Apparently, this had been Innokenty's plan all along. Judging by the deceptions points that I had gained, he bought my bluff. Despite that, he dared go against me in public. All things considered, I could only suspect the worst.

"I must warn you. You can do what you want with newcomers during the trial period, but my people can be punished only with my permission." I grinned to myself. Petrovich understood everything and, it seemed, had no intention of being under someone's thumb. Moreover, with his short speech, he strengthened his authority as a leader and consolidated my special status.

"As far as I understand, you won't share potions with us," he added much more quietly.

"Only if you let me borrow your lance for a day," I smiled widely in response. Anyone watching from afar might have thought that this was a conversation between two best friends.

My answer made him understand that one would have to be an idiot to give up their trump cards. I had an interesting idea…
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"Well," I said, catching his attention, "I can prepare a small set for everyone… Just in case, you know? Three potions which will give you 30 strength, dexterity and endurance. The effect lasts only one minute, but you have to admit that it could affect the outcome of a battle."

"What do you want?" The lancer abruptly turned around. Good, I have his attention. Single-use potions like these aren't a real threat to me. But being a pain in his ass could prove dangerous. I have to play along, at least sometimes. Any sort of barter relation will be of great help.

"I will need a lot of herbs. Vlada has a book she got from the former alchemist from their settlement. If you send your people to collect those herbs, I'll gladly pay. One person working for me full-time will get a free set. I won't give more than two sets per person." I had almost nothing left after today; if I wanted to continue doing my experiments, I needed more materials.

"Ten sets per day and twenty for each of us. They only last a minute, you know!" Petrovich started bargaining immediately. After half an hour of disputing, and once everyone got tired of listening to us and went back to work, we finally reached an agreement — three sets per day, and five sets as a limit.

"By the way, you missed a lot," Petrovich just had to have the last word. "We are planning to organize a little tournament tonight. We'll need some training if we are going to fight other people, and our guys will compete for the honor of being food for my baby."

He gently caressed the shaft of his bloodied lance. Is he going to put my life on the line? Maybe I shouldn't have made the concessions. Did he consider it a trivial weakness?

"Oh, I almost forgot, the first three places will be relieved of this duty. I hope you won't lose."

Petrovich didn't seem interested in conflict, but if I lose, this respectful attitude will come to an end. Taking into account Arcabaleno's cooldown, I wasn't sure in my victory. I will be able to use magic only once, and if I wanted to keep it a secret, I would have to win all the other battles without casting magic. High stats versus skills given by Gods — could I succeed?

I had to come up with a plan. I also wanted to see what I could find out when looking at other people's statuses.

Chapter end