Clio

LV 12

[Healer], [Water Magician], [???], [???]

Russ: The mermaid

The girl swam along the shore and jumped out on a small rock in the center of the lake.

Drops of water, flowing down along the tail, shimmered in the light of the setting sun. The human body, as expected of mermaids, ended just below the waist and turned into a long, pale blue tail dotted with shiny scales, and a translucent wide fin barely waved in the wind, resembling a sail. Looking at the tail, Lukrut could not understand what attracted his attention more, the tail itself or the beauty of a stranger.

Brown hair framed smooth facial features, emphasizing the beauty of the girl, which made her blue eyes seem even bigger. A faint smile crossed her lips.

- What's your name, stranger?-

Indeed, it looks like an ordinary NPS, although very beautiful, maybe it will give some kind of quest?

- I'm Lukrut-

-L-lukrut? A rather unusual name -

- Do you know many human names?-

-I am the spirit of water, I know a lot-

-The spirit of water? I'm sorry, but aren't you a mermaid?-

-That's right, water spirits are most often mermaids-

-And what is your name?-

-I'm Clio, nice to meet you, Lukrut-

-Mutually, tell me, didn't you heal me?-

The mermaid was clearly confused after hearing this question

"You're right. I saved your life-

- But why? Aren't you wary of people?- the guy wasn't sure about that, but based on his gaming and book experience, mermaids were rarely favorable to people.

- Perhaps, but you killed this beast - Clio waved in the direction of the boar -This animal poisoned the forest with its magic, including my river, so by killing it, you did me a big favor-

-That's how, I was just lucky, but if so, then I'm glad to help - The girl is barely noticeable she smiled and nodded.

No, perhaps she doesn't look like an ordinary NPS, because she doesn't care about me at all. Most of the characters either help the player or oppose him (this is if you count intelligent beings), but for her, her own river is more important than my fate. If I hadn't killed that boar, I don't think she would have helped me. However, this is not a game .....

Thinking about it, the guy involuntarily began to consider the mermaid, again noting her incredible beauty. The girl didn't look embarrassed or surprised, but rather condescending.

- Most water spirits have a similar appearance to me-

- Aah, I-I see. But you are the first spirit I met, I have no one to compare with, so I was surprised by your beauty-

-Spirits are secretive creatures by nature, it's incredible luck to see even one of us, so it's not surprising that you only met me-

That's right! She didn't even pay attention to the compliment. As if she hears them often! And what kind of "incredible luck" is this?

- Perhaps. So there are a lot of you on this island?-

-I don't even know - Clio was clearly thinking, her gaze dropped to the surface of the lake, and the fin began to draw intricate figures on the water -It's hard to say, even I don't know them all, I think about ten - Then the girl looked at the sky. The solar disk has already approached the horizon, painting it in bright orange tones. In less than two hours, the sun will disappear, giving way to the cold of the night.

- I think it's time for you to go back, your friend has already been waiting for you - the girl waved her hands and a light flashed over the water, and then a small disk appeared hovering over the water.

"It's water magic. Sit on this formation, and it will take you to the beach where you camped. I'm sorry, but I won't be able to see you off myself.-

Lukrut nodded and looked towards the disk.

As expected of a magical being, her abilities are amazing. I've never seen anything like this in games.

- Wait!- he shouted, noticing that the mermaid was about to swim away

- Is something wrong? Don't worry, the magic is strong enough to carry you-

- I'm not talking about that. How can I thank you for your help?-

Stolen story; please report.

- Thank you?- the girl was obviously surprised by this turn of events -You killed the beast, that's enough-

- For that you saved my life. But you didn't have to help me get back, did you? After all, you spent your magic on me-

-And yet....-

-Please, surely there is something I could help you with-

-Do you really want this?-

- Yes, if it's not about killing another beast, much stronger than me, then yes -

The girl smiled again

- Okay, if that's what you want. There is one plant...-

And Clio described an unusual plant that is found in another part of this island, all down to the small details and the likely place of growth. Judging by the awe with which she spoke about him, such a payment was quite suitable for her help.

- Great, then tomorrow I'll go get him-

- Great, I'll be waiting for you right here, and now, it's time for you to go. It was nice to meet you, Lukrut-

"Me too, Cleo. Thank you for saving my life -

The guy bowed slightly and jumped on the floating disk

- And how to manage it?-

Clio, smiling, waved her tail and the disk slowly floated along the river current.

- See you later, Clio!-

-I'll be waiting for you -

The guy looked at the silhouette of the mermaid sitting on a stone for a long time, until finally he was hidden by a shaky fog.

Twenty minutes later, the granite walls parted, and the sea appeared in front of Lukrut, stretching to the horizon. The sun was reflected in its waters, painting the bay with multicolored flashes.

Looking at the surrounding view, the guy could not forget about the meeting with the spirit of water. Even though this is not unusual in games, he was still under the impression.

- Mermaid means...- he said aloud, trying to get used to this idea-I wonder what awaits me next?-

The disk slowly carried the guy over the sea surface until a trickle of smoke appeared in the distance. As if on command, the disk turned to the shore and froze, reaching the sandy beach.

- What a pity, and I thought this taxi would take me straight to the camp. Although, then I would have to explain where I got the flying disk from - As soon as the guy's feet touched the sand on the beach, the magic formation turned into water and spilled into a puddle.

- Convenient...- Lukrut appreciated the magic of water.

Meanwhile, the sun has already disappeared below the horizon, and although the night has not yet fully come into its own, it has become problematic to see anything beyond twenty steps.

Fortunately, the flames of the campfire were now clearly discernible in the distance, like a beacon leading to the camp.

Grinning, the guy moved towards his goal.

—————————————————————————————————————————

Once again, Sam measured the camp with steps, trying to calm down, but judging by the path formed, it did not help. It's been two hours since the hunter returned to the camp. For an hour he struggled through the forest thickets until he was convinced that there was no pursuit. Apparently, the beast has lagged behind, but most likely, it has found another target. This thought made Sam uneasy and, trying to drive it away, he began to wait for Lukrut's return.

When the sun disappeared below the horizon, and the guy didn't show up, Sam was seriously scared. It was useless to look for the guy at night, in such darkness there are more chances to disappear yourself than to find someone, and what if Lukrut comes to the camp wounded, and he needs help?

Therefore, all he had to do was light a bigger fire and wait.

It took more than an hour before a rustle was heard not far from the clearing.

- Hi, is dinner ready yet? And that is, I want to, it's just creepy-

Lukrut appeared in the light of the fire, and apart from minor abrasions and bruises, as well as shabby clothes, he looked quite good.

- Are you okay? What happened!?-

-It's a long story to tell - the guy came closer and threw forward a large skin, without a doubt, the same boar that chased them today.

- Listen, how about we go to the other side of the island tomorrow?-