Dark Legacy

by Valery Starsky

  Yar shrugged resignedly. “It’s a live ballistic rocket. It responds to the nickname ‘Burn.’”

  Chapter 17. Star Key

  Y ar was sitting in the grass near his home forest, under the same huge oak, and the influence of the magical wood was spread to him: the air was clean and fresh, and the nature was picturesque. Yar wanted to go under these miraculous tree crowns, fall on the magic grass, and relax for an hour or so. However, fate had other plans for him.

  Everything seemed to go smoothly, but after the crushing victory it turned out that there were many unexpected complications. For the time being, it was completely incomprehensible to Yar on how best to proceed.

  A lot of liberated people camped at the ascent of Pulkovo Heights. Yar spent a whole hour in the Constructor, freeing the helots from the slavery collars without stopping. He had brought this process to automatism. It was like working on a conveyor. Being extremely exhausted, Yar decided to rest and think. His thoughts were confused, and his head was as if it were made of cast-iron—it was buzzing but did not generate any thoughts. Eva’s voice distracted Yar for a while.

  “Master, I’ve processed your request. There are more than eighteen thousand people released, including seven hundred and twenty-one children. I didn’t find any relatives among them. I’m displaying the data now for you.”

  19,191 people were released in the central region of the eighth sector.

  721 children (714 highly talented, 7 unicums); their general mental state is extremely serious.

  18,470 adults (17,553 moderately talented, 914 highly talented, 3 unicums); their general mental state is of moderate severity.

  Now it’s clear why these people survived: highly gifted ones are too valuable ‘material’ for this high-born elven empire, Yar thought.

  “Yeah, and what should I do with them?” Yar said quietly and thoughtfully, gnawing on a blade of grass and watching as ‘Burn’ continued to frolic like festive fireworks above the airport.

  “Well, at least someone is in a good mood,” Yar noted.

  Hey, pull yourself together. Come on; think! You’re the head of the clan . He was cheering himself on. Though, he couldn’t come to a conclusion and choose the right solution. Moreover, the elusive feeling of imminent danger, which appeared, and then disappeared from time to time, distracted Yar. However, it was not surprising, the man’s intuition reacted that way to Burn, which was still rushing through the sky.

  “Master, I suggest using the tower. It’ll be easier there,” Lyan said in a calm, authoritative voice.

  Yar rose. All his close associates were busy arranging the camp for the recently liberated people. Blacky was a great babysitter for the kids who were spending all their time with it. They ran, jumped, rolled down from its sides—as if from a hill—and even twisted its mustache, ears, and tail.

  Well done! Surprisingly, it was managing to get along with the kids so quickly. Blacky won the people over with its beauty.

  It was nice to see one of the most dangerous predators in the galaxy acting as a playground for the children, and at the same time squinting with pleasure.

  Yar turned and looked at the shining top of the tower with a desire to get there and was surprised a bit— The Blue Imperial Mellorns grew very high!

  The brilliance of the dome of the observatory seemed unreal.

  Can a light be black? However, it was exactly like that — the dome had an absolutely black glow to it. Yar didn’t feel the transfer.

  There was absolute darkness—no sound, no smell, and he managed to count to twelve when space appeared and brightened slightly. It was an illuminated, seemingly perfectly smooth, glass floor that stretched for an unknown distance. At least, that was how it looked.

  “Oh, finally… something,” Yar said, having determined by the sound that he was in a very large space with perfect acoustics. There was a message:

  Attention! Adaptation to the owner is in process

  The emblem of the clan was spinning behind the warning. It was brilliant, black and round with a dragon in the center.

  In a few heartbeats, another message was written in the air, as if someone was manually drawing it out of the darkness.

  Yar Row Dark’s Tower ‘Star Key’

  Level 12

  Scalable

  Power 120,000 MW

  Time Converter (within the tower: speeding up, slowing down 1: 1000)

  The use of the bowels 12 miles

  Security perimeter 12 miles

  Magic blocks (warnings 12 to 3, attack 12 to 7, defense 12 to 12)

  The operational perimeter is 120,000 miles

  Galactic Scan 1,200 megaparsec

  Star Systems Navigator 1,200 megaparsec

  Subspace warehouse 12 cubic miles

  Treasury 12 levels of protection

  Assistants , 12 entities:

  Guardian 1

  Librarian 1

  Treasurer 1

  Chef 1

  Warehouse Manager 1

  Architect 1

  Security 2

  Servants 4

  (maximum expansion is to 1,200 entities)

  Recovery :

  total - 12 hours

  protection block - 12 minutes

  blocks of attack - 12 sec

  The owner (12 mile zone)

  The MPD (the main points of distribution): 120%

  Stat Points: 120%

  Stat Points of the Tower: 120%

  Spells: 120%

  Professions: 120%

  Abilities: 120%

  Skills: 120%

  After Yar had read these characteristics, they beautifully dimmed and disappeared in a light pleasant breeze. Then it seemed like the dawn arrived; finally, he was able to inspect everything.

  Yar burst out a delighted breath. He stopped, his mouth ajar. He could never have expect this. He had seen many incredible things over all these years—they were bad and good, amazing and shocking—however, he had never had such a feeling before: he had found his place, his home, and his impregnable fortress. He felt it with all his nature, to a shudder in his knees. At some point, Yar realized that he was standing like a statue and smiling thoughtlessly. He felt nice and cozy as if he was with his mother. He was calm like in his grandmother’s house. Safe and sure as if he stood near his father and grandfather.

  The room had changed completely since the lightness had appeared. Instead of the metal ceiling of the observatory, there was now a transparent power dome that was barely noticeable. A lot of information was derived there: charts and indicators. Yar managed to figure out right away what was highlighted in red. Obviously, these were the tactical calculations of the upcoming operation to rescue the princess. There was a lot of information to process about the elf. The message was inscribed in large letters on the dome directly opposite Yar:

  Heiro Kamir, the Sun-Scorched. A member of the ruling Dark Stones clan.

  Wow! The Sun-Scorched from the ruling Dark Stones clan. Yar scratched his head.

  The astonishing information continued.

  There were numerous recommendations from the best time to start the operation to rescue the princess to the optimal place of teleportation in Richmond Park, with a picture provided in real time. There was everything: visual schemes of guarding and patrolling, weather conditions, and even the degree of illumination in this London city park.

  Well, given the time zone of Foggy Albion, we still have plenty of time, Yar thought with satisfaction, suggesting how much trouble would happen in the camp of elves this very night.

  The miracles continued, and the brooding Yar almost jumped in surprise. The foundation on which he stood seemed to switch on.

  Yar had no choice but to sit down and touch it with his hand. It was smooth, warm, and slightly springy.

  He was a little embarrassed to stand on this vibrant interactive reality map. The magical forest and the adjacent territories full of amazing detail extended under Yar’s feet. He could only shrug, completely unaware of how i
t was all possible. Now, it seemed, he could track every small insect within the forest.

  “Maximum acceleration!” Yar croaked, under the strong impression of everything he’d just seen.

  Looks like I’ll have to stay here longer.

  He noticed the execution of his order immediately: a pair of swifts, which were flying past the dome at that moment, seemed to hang in the air. Yar also discovered the work of the Galactic Scanner. Two messages were written on the dome in a thin, transparent font:

  The Dark World Planet

  Satellite of the Laboratory of Bioenergetic Substance (The LBS)

  Chapter 18. Mimi

  F urther, a long lists of characteristics, alternating with incredible speed, followed.

  The scanner’s clearly looking for something. Well, this might be just what I need. Yar was delighted.

  “There are still too many options; it will be difficult for me to understand everything. The system’s message said that there is Guardian. It was listed first, which likely means that it is in charge … maybe … and it will help me somehow.”

  “Hey, Guardian!” Yar called out with interest. Then he heard a buzz and saw a twenty-inch-tall charming creature flying next to his face.

  Yar blinked his eyes, and the keeper, mimicking, repeated exactly the movements of the human’s eyelids with its own yellow reptilian eyes, framed with violet eyelashes. This unbelievably charming little beauty had an unusual or, one might say, extraordinary appearance. Its triangular head was covered with golden scales, and there was brilliantly precious armor spread over its neck, back, and belly, but its chest, paws, and tail sparkled with snow-white fluffy fur. This unreal and adorable creature also had small crooked horns and transparent greenish-yellow dragonfly-like wings.

  “Are you some kind of reptile-dragonfly?” Yar asked the Guardian.

  This creature introduced itself elegantly.

  “Guardian Mimi is at your disposal, Dragon Master,” the little one squeaked with its thin and joyful voice, spreading its paws and waving its shiny wings like a hummingbird.

  “Nice to meet you, Mimi. Tell me, please, where should I start?” Yar smiled. He liked the Guardian’s name—it perfectly suited this charming little flyer. At this time, the Guardian was speeding around Yar.

  “Of course, Master,” the flying miracle squeaked, changing its position several times. “You must do the following important and urgent matters.”

  Mimi listed seriously: “The first task is to entrust me with the administration of the ‘Star Key’ tower throughout the zone of influence. The second is to sit on the command throne…”

  A simple seat—at first glance it resembled a narrow and thin curved sheet of black steel—appeared next to Yar.

  “The third is to deal with violators: the elven scouts of the White Branch clan approached our security territory from the south-east direction. The fourth is to calm down ‘Burn’ and send this fiery essence into orbit, setting the task of patrolling.”

  The mentioning of the elf scouts spurred Yar to take decisive action.

  He followed the advice of the Guardian. “Mimi, I am entrusting you with the administration in the zone of influence of the ‘Star Key’ tower.”

  Then, without hesitating, he sat down on the awkward chair, which had been called the command throne for an unknown reason. In fact, it seemed a little unreliable.

  However, everything changed as soon as he sat down: Yar had never before sat on such a comfortable chair. It looked as if dark power ropes wrapped Yar all around. Also, very thin, glowing ropes intertwined around Yar’s head in an intricate pattern, like a helmet or crown. Understanding how to control the throne and use his strength and capabilities came to Yar in a flash. In an instant, his thoughts and confidence seemed to come together from scattered fragments, and a clear plan emerged. Yar wanted to shout for joy and jump like a madman, rubbing his palms and yelling something like, “Well, get it, bitches! Aha-ha!” However, he restrained himself.

  “Do it!” Yar shouted. Echo of the Tower responded with repeated joyful repetition.

  Yar shifted where the Guardian pointed and saw violators in the southeast, marked by red circles on the map. He instantly approached this place, still amazed at the map’s detail. There were five of them — five top rangers walking around the very edge of the sorcerous forest. Yar enlarged the image, examining the spies with interest. There were three elf-girls leading and two elves behind them: their levels and equipment were impressive. They carried weapons and small backpacks.

  “What high-level guests! The scouts obviously have nothing to do with the eighth sector. They belong to the elven elite units,” Yar thoughtfully pronounced.

  “I can partially confirm your conclusion, Master. A portal was opened in our zone an hour ago. The movement range is two thousand eighty-three miles.”

  Yar swore.

  “They definitely came from England.”

  Mimi squeaked seriously near his ear, “You’re right, Master. I’ve just checked on the vector: the initial portal is in London.”

  Yar instantly moved to the north-west of the floor map. Everything that he needed to know was highlighted immediately.

  He conveyed to everyone via thought: Don’t be scared, I need you. I’m teleporting you to me.

  Many people in the camp noticed how several Shadows disappeared without a trace. Only Uyu managed to shout: “The master calls us to him!”

  The Shadows stood and looked around in surprise. Yar moved all his centurions and both Elsi siblings to his side.

  “Master?” the commander said, and the Shadows bowed their heads, gazing in surprise.

  While they were looking around, Yar noted: The power of the sources of Mist Certo and Geir Ama are all good. In fact, in the magical range they are magnificent. However, the elf-girls had a strange hair color that didn’t fit them. They clearly suffered from residual phenomenon of their experiment.

  “I called you to me because we have problems.” Yar pointed at the map for the newcomers’ sake. “Pay attention to those red circles in the southeast of our forest.”

  Yar didn’t expect their emotions to be so readable. It looked like the Shadows finally sensed a real opponent.

  Uyu literally hissed, “Rangers. Master, let us destroy them.”

  Yar nodded. “I complicate the task: I need them alive. Think it over and confer. You needn’t rush. We are now under acceleration a thousand times over. I just need to finish something.”

  Yar flew to the opposite edge of the dome.

  Habitually, as if he was truly at home, he was transferred into the Constructor, and then he went to the workshop of the Demiurge: it wasn’t spacious but it was certainly interesting. Yar summoned the images of Certo and Ama.

  He commanded, “Choose the most suitable color, length, structure, and thickness of hair.”

  There was an answer:

  The analyzer was involved, the power is full.

  Once the analyzer had made a choice, Yar barely restrained himself. The proposed transformation finally turned the two elf-girls into creatures of divine beauty. Their hair was an unreal platinum color—shiny, fluffy, incredibly thick, and wavy. Yar unknowingly shook his head to remove this magical illusion from before his eyes. I wish they would have received the Grand Prix for the hairdressing contest, he thought.

  “Cool!” Yar whispered, unable to hide how pleased he was with himself. “Mother system, that’s fine,” he said. “I just hope the girls like it.”

  The proposal to fix this project, give it a name, and implement it appeared as usual.

  Without thinking twice, Yar called this new spell ‘Platinum bouffant’ and activated the implementation while smiling the smile of a conjurer.

  Surprisingly, this simple spell was very energy-intensive. If it were not for the energy assistance he was receiving from the tower, then he would hardly have succeeded in his task. Yar even saw the indicator, seemingly of unlimited power, twitch slightly.

 
“Wow!”

  It turns out that creating something like this is a very energy-intensive thing.

  An unexpected reaction to his hooligan art then puzzled Yar. The elves crowded around the platinum hair owners, squeaking with pleasure, excitedly touching them and considering them as some kind of marvelous, wonderful miracle.

  Are they the killers of the most dangerous clan? They behave like fashion victims who have reached Nirvana at the sale of their favorite fashion house, Yar thought.

  “Don’t be distracted; we have a lot to do,” Yar said, approaching the elves, and he was immediately kissed along with apologies, oaths and savory assurances that made him blush.

  Uyu looked at her friends with undisguised envy and a very unhappy gaze. No, she did not shake him, glory of the system, but she looked with such plaintive, begging eyes that it was impossible to refuse her.

  Yar had to re-engage the ‘Platinum bouffant’, while he loudly called for quiet, saying publicly, “Elves, take it easy. The male version of the cosmetic spell is under development but it is not ready yet for implementation.”

  Only after these words were they able to continue.

  When the elves had calmed down, they discussed all the details of the capture, and these adepts of beauty rushed off to intercept the light elves’ unit. Yar was thinking for some time about what had occurred.

  We are completely different, he thought. It seems I accidentally stumbled upon the Achilles heel of the elves. I don’t think that the light elves are different from the dark ones in matters of personal beauty. I need to work more in this direction. It could be a good trump card at the Academy.

  He stood and looked aloof at the data displayed on the dome, and he did not even realize that he’d had a main joker against the light elves in his hand all this time.

  Chapter 19. Old Friends

  T hree groups came quickly to the agreed point, and there they waited. They should notice the light elves beforehand, and the Master had promised to warn of their approach, so the Shadows behaved in a relaxed manner.

  The Elsi siblings lay nearby, talking quietly. Uyu periodically looked at her hair, while touching her head gently, and she smiled like a little girl who’d received a gift from Santa.