by Paul Kite
Suddenly the black wolf sensed danger and cocked its head in search of its source.
Where? Who? What? the questions were racing through the wolf’s mind.
Then she realized that the danger wasn’t directed at her, but that it came from the elf in the tent, and to his interlocutors — the orcs. The conversation became heated, and the wolf perked up its ears to catch the words and understand what it was about.
She didn’t have time to hear anything. A roar rang out, then someone screamed, then a dull thud and then blades sounded. A sword cut through the nearest wall of the tent, and the blade abruptly went down, tearing the fabric open. The man slipped through the formed passage, and two wounded ran after him.
The wolf sniffed again, not believing its eyes.
No, this isn’t a man. This is surely an elf! Verlain thought.
The elf, hiding under a human guise, stopped and turned, disarmed his opponents, and then he finished them off with precise blows to their hearts. Cursing, he carefully looked around. There seemed to be no witnesses. Putting the sword back in his waist sheath, he hastily dragged the corpses into the tent and returned to the street.
“Who told you it was a good idea to pester me?” he sighed thoughtfully.
Trying to hide the traces of the crime, the elf pulled the edges of the fabric together and secured them with needles which he found somewhere inside the tent.
“It will do,” appreciating his ‘handcraft’, the elf turned away from the tent and at that moment a short crossbow arrow hit him right in the chest, but it hit something hard and fell to the ground.
The wolf was on alert, getting ready to escape the new fight, not wishing to be seen.
“Oh, you bastards …” the elf muttered. Verlain could finally see him because his mask began to dissolve and in the end simply disappeared. He tore the chain with a small amulet from his neck and threw it aside.
“You found me!” Drawing both his swords, he looked towards the nearest huts.
Five creatures clad in black light-absorbing armor jumped from the roof of one of the neighboring houses.
More elves? The girl was surprised, immediately catching the smell of aliens. This time it’s drow. Hmm, it’s as if we’re in the Orcs Wastelands, not in the Dark Forest!
One warrior separated from the group and walked up to the light elf.
“Master Dazrael, please lay down your weapons and don’t resist us! You can’t handle us all,” he said confidently. “The Derolighler of the guild would like to see you, and your teacher, Master Zorkhan,” the drow grinned. “They need you alive but not necessarily healthy.”
“Master Khairat?” the light elf grinned back, not intending to obey. “What an unexpected meeting! Why would you want to throw your life away in such a way?” he hinted that the drow was a weak opponent for him. “It would be my pleasure to assist you…”
Dazrael? Verlain exclaimed mentally. It can’t be true!
Checking how soon the potion would wear off — 18 more minutes, she decided to intervene, but only if the situation got out of hand. After all, Dazrael was unlikely to surrender. Master Khairat also knew this, and, without listening to the light elf, lunged at him, wanting to subdue this upstart as soon as possible.
Again, the swords collided in a whirlwind of blows! Of course, Kraven was stronger and more agile than his opponent was. When the four drow joined the fight, the light elf had to give his all. His overconfidence was gone instantly, and Dazrael was now thinking only about how not to miss a beat. However, he couldn’t defend himself endlessly, sooner or later he would get tired and then...
The elf didn’t have time to think about what would happen then. A big black wolf leaped out of the shade of a tree and jumped onto the back of one of the drow, clutching his neck. The course of the fight was altered and Dazrael took advantage of this, killing one of the warriors. He received a light wound from master Khairat, who managed to carry out a successful series of strikes and reach the light elf's side.
“Hmm,” Dasrael was puzzled, glancing at the wolf beside him, with bloody saliva dripping from its open jaws. “I’m not tasty and nutritious! The drow are much more appetizing.”
“Grrrr?” the predator roared inquiringly, watching the regrouped warriors out of the corner of his eye.
This great master of Shadows is acting like a clown! Verlain thought disappointedly.
The drow rushed to the attack again. Master Khairat attacked the light elf, and the three dark elves decided to kill the beast that appeared unexpectedly.
“Wooo!” bouncing off its opponents, the wolf howled.
The drow froze only for a split second, but it was enough for the predatory beast, flashing its red eyes. It leaped up like lightning. It struck with its paw and tore off the heads of two elves, and then, instantly turning around, the wolf buried its teeth into the side of the third elf.
At this moment, the wounded elf twisted in a completely unimaginable way and pressed the edge of his sword against Khairat’s throat. The drow's eyes widened in surprise, he tried to say something, but then the wound opened, and steams of blood covered the black armor. The dark elf reeled and fell dead to the ground.
The wolf heard the distant sound of bells, signaling that the level had been received, and then Verlain felt that the potion wearing off. Intolerable weakness swept her, she suddenly felt a throbbing pain in her head and... the dryad fell on all fours, groaning from unbearable distress.
Actually, my sensitivity was reduced to zero! Why the hell is it so painful? Verlain was asking herself.
“Here you are, cute little wolf cub!” Dazrael leaned over the girl. “Thanks for the help, ... immortal. I would gladly talk to you, but I’m in a hurry.” the elf got up to leave.
“Wait,” Verlain said hoarsely, trying to get up. “Dazrael! Wait!”
“What else, beautiful?” he said without turning.
“I need to find Kraven!” the girl mumbled, fighting a growing headache.
“You too?” Dazrael turned.
“Yes! I need to tell you something!”
“Wow!” the elf said thoughtfully. “One immortal has already told me something that made me leave my guild. What do you have to tell me?” approaching the girl, he helped her up and pulled her upon his shoulder.
“I know something that Livion is hiding from you.”
“Well, I’d love to hear it. First, let’s leave this inhospitable oasis. By the way, Kraven isn’t here. I’m late,” Dazrael said anxiously. “And so are you.”
Chapter 37
I found out how the armchair appeared at the lake. Besides being a battle wizard, Lsaeros knew the basics of teleportation and a whole lot more. He skillfully handled spatial magic, like an inventory bag familiar to everyone, where he kept many necessary things, including not only weapons, potions, scrolls and artifacts, but also household items. In general, he rightfully wore the proud title of wizard!
With his magical powers restored, Lsaeros could now use his space pocket again. In addition, of course, he used it to the fullest, got himself a comfortable armchair and prepared to wait with all the amenities for me to wake up.
When the debuff finally ended and I fully recovered, the wizard opened the portal to his castle in the dwarven lands with a simple wave of his hand. He was truly a powerful high-level NPC who was indifferent to the rules of the game! The black arch of the portal opened up in the sand, and Lsaeros waved me in. Noticing my emotions and a suspicious glance, the wizard entered the portal first. Lsaeros disappeared for a split second, and then returned to the lake and, not waiting for me to follow him, he grunted with displeasure and pulled me hard by the sleeve.
“Let’s go together if you’re so suspicious.”
Oh, I’m not suspicious at all! I said to myself.
Actually, I was wondering how he managed to combine the skills of a portal man and a battle wizard? It was unbelievable even for him! I promised myself I’d figure it all out soon!
The port
al led to a huge, well-lit and ornate rectangular room with two-leaved carved doors at both ends. The room was full of sunshine. The wide windows started from the middle of the wall and went up to the ceiling; they resembled medieval stained-glass windows, depicting strange creatures unlike any I’ve seen. It was a work of art!
An electric crackling sound above my head distracted me from enjoying the beautiful room. When I looked up, I closed my eyes in fear, knowing that I would be turned into a corpse in a second.
Oh, damn Lsaeros! I swore. He led me into a trap!
Lightning bolts branched across the ceiling, gathering at a point right above my head. They were about to hit me. This will hurt!
Though... I’d already counted to ten in my mind and was still alive! Opening my eyes, I saw that my body was shrouded in impenetrable protection, into which electrical discharges were beating without harming my health. Obviously, Lsaeros created this defense; he stood with a dull look in his eyes, moving his hands like he was twisting invisible threads, tying and unraveling invisible knots.
Irritation, anger, misunderstanding, that’s what I felt.
“What was that?” I asked rather rudely and impatiently.
Then I realized that my conversations had distracted him from an important matter, and my life depended on his actions.
“Don’t bother me now!” Lsaeros muttered through his teeth, grimacing in displeasure. “I’m setting up protection!”
I frowned, but said nothing.
Okay, I’ll wait!
After a couple of minutes, the wizard opened his eyes and looked at me apologetically,
“I completely forgot about the active protection system, Kraven. Everything’s fine now, you’ve become a guest in the castle,” the wizard uttered in a good-natured tone. “Look around while I visit the warehouse. I need to stock up on some scrolls and potions, and change into something more suitable for traveling to the barrier of Ilian. I’ll pick up equipment for you as well.”
The wizard went down the hall to the nearest double doors. Lsaeros was going to fill his spatial pocket with what could come in handy. By the way, I wouldn’t have refused it either, but the capacity of the inventory was limited, so I decided to read the system messages.
Attention!
Mok-Natal changes the essence of the Daggers of Chaos and removes the curse. Reputational penalties have been abolished. You are free to use this weapon among any race of the Realm of Noria.
Attention!
The 12-hour debuff has expired and the Daggers of Chaos take characteristics based on your level of development and the specification of the relevant combat skills.
Read the new data.
“What the…!” I swore obscenely. “Lsaeros! I’ll strangle you with my own hands now! Damned wizard!”
Frustrated, I sat down in one of the armchairs that stood next to the long table, materialized both daggers in my hands and peered at their characteristics.
Weapons: The Daggers of Chaos (full set - 2 2 items)
Quality: Legendary
Material: Moon Silver
Damage: Character level * 3 (for each item)
Permanent spells cast:
5% chance to immobilize target for 2.5 seconds
5% chance of life restoration equal to the number of damage
15% chance of dealing 200% critical damage
0.5% chance to get the casual skill of the killed enemy
Temporary spells cast: absent, when casting no more than 4 spells (two each)
Level restrictions: none.
Class restrictions: Shadow
Additional restrictions: paired weapon
Impossible to place them into inventory
Impossible to sell
Impossible to transfer
Impossible to lose
The daggers are bound to Kraven
The totem is the totem Black Wolf Zurval un Ra. It gains complete freedom of action with no limit on the distance relative to the owner of the Daggers of Chaos
“That’s awesome!” I appreciated the change.
I was upset at first. The system knew better than me what I needed! The quality of weapons had increased multiple times, and then the damage increased, as well as the number of permanent and temporary spells. The daggers turned into a mega-cool artifact! I couldn’t imagine how much they would cost if I could sell them. There was vampirism, immobilization, critical strikes and even a tiny chance to get the casual skill of a dead enemy. If I understood correctly, the race of the ‘dead enemy’ didn’t matter.
Incredible! Thank you very much, orc god! I adore you! Oh, if I knew that the orcs have such a great patron, I would have chosen a green-skinned character.
It took me about ten minutes to calm down and finally hide the daggers. I would have enough time to admire them later!
Well, the wizard hadn’t returned yet, so I thought I should take his advice and stroll through the castle.
There were stained glass windows everywhere. The master that made them was the best in his class! It seemed like the castle was filled with nothing but the best. I wondered how Lsaeros got hold of this castle.
Would he answer if I asked him? Most likely, he would keep it a secret.
It was very warm in here, despite the fact the castle was high in the snowy mountains. Was this a specific temperature support system? Or was it magic? Obviously, the building was permeated with household spells. There was active penetration protection with a setting function, and also room heating. It was time to stop wondering.
I decided to follow Lsaeros and see what was behind the carved door.
Pushing the doors open, I found myself in a wide, short corridor, at the end of which there were high... hm... gates covered with a multi-colored shroud, an aura of danger blew from there. There also were two doors on the opposite sides of the corridor, so I decided to examine them.
The staircase was behind the left door, it led downstairs, and there was a second staircase, leading up, behind the right door. Alas, I didn’t know where the wizard had gone, or where the warehouse was.
So I headed for the other double doors at the opposite end. Though I didn’t have time to look behind them.
“Kraven!” a slightly distorted, but quite recognizable voice, which seemed to be coming from all sides, made me jump in surprise, and I pulled my hand back from the door handle. “I’ll be right back, don’t go anywhere!”
It was an example of an interesting functionality of the castle — the ability to follow all who were in it. It was smart! Most likely, this function was associated with the system of protection and security.
I sat down in the chair and waited for the wizard.
“Have you seen how grandiose the castle is?” Lsaeros smirked as he approached me. The wizard changed into a dark red robe with a long cape and a deep hood thrown back.
“Yes,” I agreed. “But only partially,” I hinted that I’d like to see the rest of the premises.
“There are two floors down, and three up,” Lsaeros understood me in his own way. “There are many bedrooms, two kitchens, about five dining rooms, a library, an office, an observation tower. In the basement, there are warehouses, a laboratory, a treasury, and even a prison. In addition, the portal in the tower is configured for two points. The first leads to the ancient catacombs in the depths of the mountains, where I wouldn’t advise you to go, and the second teleports you to my personal house in the capital of the dwarfs.”
“The wizard lives quite well,” I whispered, but the wizard heard me and smiled, as if confirming my words.
“What about the key?” I asked.
“I trust you Kraven, but you’ll get the key after we open the barrier,” the wizard’s mood changed and he frowned slightly.
I couldn’t believe that he trusted me.
“By the way, try it on,” Lsaeros changed the subject and with a gesture of an illusionist, he pulled out a neatly folded fancy armor of dark blue leather from his spatial pocket.
“Here you go,” he also gave me two narrow, slightly curved swords in a simple wooden sheath.
Then the wizard laid out five amulets, a couple of dozen rings, four bracelets, some scrolls and bottles on the table.
“These are the best artifacts from my repositories. A difficult journey awaits us. And, despite the fact that you’re immortal, alas, I’m just a simple wizard who has only one life,” the wizard added pitifully.
Did he say ‘a simple wizard’? I was shocked. I’d like to be as simple as Lsaeros.
I was pressing the new armor to my chest like a child; I already managed to evaluate its properties and admired the weapon and other things. It was incredible that Lsaeros could get the extraordinary ‘armor of the sinrim’!
Without hesitation and excessive modesty, I threw off my clothes and happily donned my new armor.
Clothing: Ofil-Naysha is the armor of dawn elves from the ‘Renya di-ithil’ detachment (‘Wandering under the Moon’) (full set - 5 5 items)
Quality: Epic
Material: Leather of Helpsk Reptiles
Protection: 150
Permanent spells cast:
50 of Force
50 of Agility
50 of Intellect when wearing a full set
Imposed temporary spells: absent, with the imposition of no more than 3 spells (one for each item).
Level Restrictions: 50
Restrictions on the class: Moon Hunter (restrictions were removed by the will of God Edenis)
Weapons: Megil-Vlos are light swords from the ‘Renya di-ithil’ detachment (‘Wandering under the Moon’) (full set - 2 2 items).