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"Mortgage One's Soul"
Mircea Dan
Day 1, Part 1 - The Preparation

            He sniffs the air, looking all around, at the height of a man, having a strange feeling of presence. The dry vegetation, rusted, autumnal, do not highlight any silhouette, look or something else, emitting only a rustle woody and rough of dried leaves under a dry cold wind breeze.
            "Why am I so tense?!? It’s good to focus!" And he remains lying on the leaf carpet for a few moments, or how many they have been, focusing until he achieves theta status, visualizing each meter of the way toward its target... Until he returns to action.
            "I think I'm making more trouble than necessary... All is clear... I don’t know why all details make me be so afraid," think Dan remembering the main points of action in order to complete his mission. "My aim is in the part where the wind is blowing. He made sure to do it right every time. In addition, if I come against the wind, the sounds are attenuated. It’s not only about the smells. Then, it can all be because of all the four previous attempts failed by me lamentably?!?"
            Then he has the spark. "It is obvious that he, the target, knows that. That's why he could not approach the chief village. If I were in his position I would immediately put the minimum clearance in the direction from which the wind is coming, with the role of announcing the presence of the enemy and initiate relocations of forces necessary for the resolution of the problem and the maximum strength real guard intervention, grouped into at least two rings of protection, in the direction where the wind goes. How I had not thought about it until now, especially after so many attempts. And because I’m not being caught or killed, it is obvious that I will try again once I was so insistent"...
            "And, every time, I do nothing than to come, as enchanted, directly in their arms"…
It took some time to reach the other side of the wind direction. Despite his attempts not to sweat, he was soaked to the bones. It had to be especially careful with both the smell and the noise. Now everything was magnified.
            Before making his first step on the road towards his target, he undressed and rolled through the thick earthly vegetation and brushwood. He redressed after a lot of effort, cold clawing at his body, annoyed by all the remaining stuff stuck between the layers of his skin, clothing, and armor. "I’m terribly bored and I hate the sensations that this costume gives me... Ohhh, onwards! I hope I did not screw it up again. Anyway, I’ve killed many of them in my previous attempts. It should be easier".
            Going forward "after flair", alert to any noise or image of the forest, almost to the village of the target and was lucky enough to meet someone there. Then, his approaches towards the goal become extremely slow to prevent noise. He was obliged to take care to remove vegetation by hand following to step only after cleaning. Thus, forward without the slightest noise, undisturbed in listening to the noises around him.
            He came to a cliff where he could no longer continue. I had to go down them until he got down to the bed of a torrent that could prevent the village keepers look. Attentive to "record" the way that he has to go hear a weak coughing, muffled. He looked in the direction whence the sound came and it was not hard to glimpse the watchman who walked slowly, careful not to make noise.
            A little and was to be seen and hunted. "But he was a hunter." Watch out carefully, several times, the route of the guard and it could be attacked without a trace somewhere above. He moved carefully to best meet the attack position until seeing fresh footprints in the grass. It is on the trail of another guard. Look carefully around and locate it. A tall, muscular, armed only with a short sword, without armor or shield. "Readily to eliminate, but mobile," think Dan seeking solutions. It is located less than 50 meters in front and forwards slowly, carefully, directly toward him, coming from a height...
            "Everything is compromised", think panicked. "The withdrawal is cut. Better attack... No, I have no chance." Notice a ledge, like a cliff, a few meters below. He crawled toward her taking care to remove traces of its passage through the vegetation, at the patrol path of...
            Barely able to position themselves and prepare short spear and the heard steps of the watchman. It is very close. He hides behind a rock and waited for it to pass it and to enter into his field of vision. Several long moments and he appear, stepping slowly, looking bored. Dan stiffened, raised the spear and... felt a strange pity and stopped. He does not launch deadly spear. So, remaining stood motionless, until the watchman was lost down the slope.
            "Maybe it's better in this way," think neutral Dan. "Perhaps I missed it, especially because the watchman shield was on the sides of me, maybe he can shout or make noise in his falling, revealing my presence. Yes, it is better than we did so." And he turns to the optimal position to attack the first watchman.
            He reached the peak and began to wait to approach the watchman, up into the bed of the torrent, a position that gave him the maximum advantage for a silent attack, callous to others. The watchman, he was a little guy in stature, strong, after his thick armor who wearing them, armed with a solid combat dagger. He had no shield and that allows Dan to attack from the remote. It is positioned to throw the spear and aim the base of the neck. It waited for the watchman to be optimally positioned and launched the spear. Watchman, feeling the attack, or just feel it, leaned down, as in a fall. But it was too late and did nothing than to receive lance exactly between the eyes. His body is stretched out under the spasms induced by the spear that had crossed his skull and soft molded in a fall subdued, in the bottom bed of the torrent.
            Dan arrived quite quickly to him and he retrieved his spear from the watchman's head, whose body throbbing rhythmic slowly, growing more slowly, still fighting for the last drops of life. "As if he wants to take life from his pool of blood", thinking full of mercy Dan, while wiping his lance to the watchman clothes.
            He felt that it was running out of time. Or maybe intuition was trying to signal that it no longer has the time. "The guards who were patrolling route intersections with others and lack of a watchman mean an alarm. The dead man was supposed to intersect with the one who I’ve spared”, feel Dan full of spite. "When I understand this"?!?
            Following his thought, he heard a cry of an owl. "Now?!? It is not yet evening. And it's a mating scream. An owl would scream at this time if it scared of something. It certainly is a signal. I think I have discovered... In fact, they discovered the absence of watchman. And they come in his path. I should not be here”, though instinctively starting to climb slopes on the instinctive withdrawal. "Why did I choose to retire here"?!?, thinks automatically, without feelings.
            Up, on the mountaintop, decide to rest, looking closely in the direction where attacked. There were traces of movement. "It may owl sound was misinterpreted? Deh, just not hearing anyone's death, especially my”, thought remembering an ancient superstition. "That is impossible."
            Somewhere, on the right, he was hearing a sound of a shield that hit a tree branch. "I was right", think jumping to the opposite side, moving as fast as he could, wiping traces and being careful not to cause the slightest noise. He chooses methodically densest portions of the forest, taking care to keep the road to the mountain valley, to the north. There is a creek over which, if passed, could say that he escaped. The night was rapidly approaching and that it was an advantage for him.
            "Anyway, I got bored. I'm surprised if I have the mood to repeat the mission, anyway that is even easier now because I have removed a new watchman. Deh, I said that last time and, behold, all that is mission”, though smiling. "I've always been stubborn when the business went not as I wanted. And all have told me that I did not know when to quit."
            The scream of a rabbit caught by a predator, it attracted attention. "Not well," think instinctively. He took off his shield under the thick cloak in preparation for any confrontation could follow. He is gathering powers and starting a crazy run towards the valley of the mountain. "I have no reason to hide me. I must have to get the brook and all is done"!
            But he thought that never got to finish, out of nowhere, from the front, slightly right, an arrow grazing and stop vibrating in his shield. Jump by sliding towards a small hillside, at right. At the bottom of his, it is a watchman who was surprised by the appearance of Dan, and he turned around trying to poke him with the sword. "Too late," think Dan blocking with the shield, piercing it through the belly, from the bottom to top. The watchman caught just start a howl until his spear pierced the diaphragm, perhaps even the heart.
            But that began to howl was enough. Forest came to life. After "howling" steps in running, at least 10 guards were in the area. Locate, almost instantly a breach into their line and instantly burst in there. "I go too far to the creek and that was not good," he thought running so fast, too fast to be able to do... and curl down, rolling several times until it stops in a fallen log, gasping due to the shock. There was no air. He tried to get up, to start to flee, but fell back, exhausted. Under fallen log was space enough to sneak underneath. He walked across the log and crawled down to his roots, where it united with the earth and offered a hiding place. There stood still and tight shield close to his chest. "What a surprise, I’ve not lost in my falling," think Dan really amazed.
            He becomes aware of the surroundings. The pursuers no longer heard. Focus its maximum auditory perception, but nothing. "He's trying to reach me, but they do not know where to take me. “I chose better escape route”, thought cherishing the hope that everything will end well. "But I have not wiped traces in the run", is aware of anger, "and they will come very quickly to me”; think trying to control his breathing, getting ready for a new sprint.
            At his nostrils reached a moldy smell of leather mixed with the odor of unwashed man since he escaped from his mother and the smell of vomit and drink sour. "I’m close", thinking and burst towards with all his powers remained available. About just a few meters felt a severe blow to his shoulder and he slammed to the ground, twisting, falling face up. "I’ve not raised enough my shield", concluded fully of rage. Burning what he felt in his shoulder show that had received an arrow. "A lance would pierce me if is thrown so close."
            Somewhere above it, on his left, a giant silhouette appeared and bringing down a battle ax to his head. Instinctively curl toward the bouncer, lifting the shield which rejected battle ax somewhere to the side, exposing the belly of the giant who took killer lance, beneath the breastbone, directly in the heart. In his motion sensed a weak watchman that was approached in a run, behind the kneeling giant, almost in slow motion. Dan continues jump pivoting on one foot, he pushed sideways the sword of the weak watchman, making his way, and hitting with his shield slightly above the Adam's apple, crushing and slashing his neck. Since the inertial movement, he has turned and found himself face to face with... the watchman whom life spared.
            Dan was way too far to be able to attack from the pirouette he was in, so he stopped and instantly fell into a fighting pose. Somewhere, behind him, a skinny watchman was gasping for air while drowning in his own blood. "Now I am free to get this one in front of me." realized Dan as he gathered the last of his strength. The watchman made an attempt to push for Dan but a lance, coming from a far distance, pierced Dan’s thigh quite deeply. The watchman shouted something unintelligible, lifting his short sword in the air. And everything went silent. "Damn, this spear hurts like hell," frustrated thought Dan. His peripheral vision started to gain a slightly red hew, constantly occupying more of the man’s vision. "This is not good… When all is red the game is over!" the man concluded disappointedly.
            - “Surrender!” said the watchman, waking him up back to reality.
            - “In front of a commoner” replied quizzically Dan, gasping to keep the stronger voice, trying to impress.
            - It's too late to put conditions, he said to the watchman. You have less and you’ll lose consciousness. And then, you're no longer considered a warrior, you will not have this honor, and I’ll let my people do what they want. Especially those whose friends you've killed them in previous attempts.
            - So you're the head of the village, said Dan with a weak voice. "I could complete the mission without getting a headache," he thinks, remembering disappointed that spared his life... When you passed me, next to the rock near where I shot down the first watchman, I spared your life. What do you have to say?!?, tried Dan to negotiate.
            - Even I was wondering why you have not attacked me. I knew you were there and I guess that you have a throwing weapon. If it was to have a sword or dagger to you I'd seen, however, you’re unlikely to attack me because I was screaming and I gave the alarm. For a bow you had a nearly impossible line of fire... but there is also the spear or the javelin. Because of this, I went down the slope on the left side, taking the shield between us...
            Dan "blinding" of rage and tried to gather his forces to attack but did not succeed. In addition, his field of vision was more than half reddened. It could longer rely on reflexes in the short time that remained to him. "I still have a chance to complete the mission”, think starting the attack.
            Attacking with lance and shield in front, with an arm opening into an automatic movement to reject possible riposte by the sword, while at the optimal distance from the opponent, throwing himself with spearhead upfront to pierce through it. But nothing happened, opponent jumped sideways and Dan’s effort was in vain. He tried a few more "schemes" that "went out" always, but nothing. His opponent is blocking everything or was not there.
I almost see everything in red. "It's over", thought Dan while falling to his knees.
            - One last wish? Hear from somewhere, from right, the target voice.
            - Tell me, how you knew, every time when I come-on? Said Dan gasped.
            - After your first attack, we named you "Jasmine", because where you're going smelt strongly around of jasmine. And, you have not thought that it was autumn and nowhere to smell like jasmine. Sometimes it's not too good to be so neatly...
            - Stop playing the game! Yelled Dan angrily.
            The holographic projection stops and starts lights in the room. He was terribly tired and took him quite a while to undo the straps kinematic traction. And he took a long time to be able to stand up and reach into the other room, allowing the withdrawal of cinematic floor and all cinematic and gaming devices.
            "Ohhh, next time the mission is restarting. I'll take everything from the beginning and I hope to be better. Primitive fighting is a weakness of mine. For the current or "sci-fi" I'm bored, sit far too well to may offer me some adrenaline".
            "And just like that, I looked at the real world and its boredom”, think Dan looking for some other activities...


            Hint: 1. The course of "stories" can lead to where the lack of some knowledge about classical, unassisted by technology battles, as well as unapplied of martial battles in survival conditions with  "no rules", will  "cost" on your character. You decide what you'll manage later when it's necessary to choose !
            2. For example, this choice will attract a  "jump " on the  "version 1" (V01) of the game (for continuation of the game) on V06-V10, depending on the subsequent choices (for stopping the game)- valid only for the "masculine" storyline.

Dorin M - November 9, 2017

notă translare/ translation note/ Übersetzungshinweis/ note de traduction/ nota di traduzione/ nota de traducción/ nota de tradução.

                 Dear readers in English,
            Using existing methods of translation (for the Romanian language) have still large gaps, so I proceeded to an effort to achieve, if possible, its translation (and its adaptation) for you. I apologize for the many mistakes but I am sure that my effort gives better results than existing translation engines.
            In addition, your effort to correct this text with your translations are welcome but I cannot reward your efforts, just only with mere mention of your aid, in bottom of text, where it was given and, why not, in the future, you may have a possible material reward, if my adventure will be financially successful.
            Thanks for your understanding (and help, if possible),
            Dorin M

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