Keymaster

by Sergey Zaytsev

  I could draw one conclusion from this fast-paced fight — Mousy was either the same or higher level than the Rakshasa. She wouldn’t have managed to bring it down with two shots otherwise.

  Is it even alive? Yeah, its HP bar is almost intact. This was almost a literally bloodless victory although there were a couple of bloody spots on the tigroid’s fur. But what a fighter it was! That jump was a marvelous feat... By the way, what was it that Mousy threw so skillfully?

  Looking down I managed to find the projectile; it was laying a couple of feet away from the body. I picked it up and turned it around. It wasn’t a stone. The dark metal casting weighed a pound or so. Was it lead? That would mean that they did have the technology for making it. Good. So, civilization was somewhere nearby. Things weren’t as bleak as they seemed at first. It would be nice to find out why she didn’t kill the thing but chose to capture it instead. What were the captives for? Slaves? Ransom? It was hard to believe in charity, given the harsh conditions in which they lived here. There were more practical options...

  Trying to keep the tigroid in sight, I went to the edge of the pond and kicked a mushroom. The surface of the muddy water started to bubble, as if it was boiling; the inhabitants of the depths weren’t picky about the offerings it seemed. The dark backs of the shimmering fishes seemed rather large, about six and a half feet in length. Wasn’t the lake small for such monstrosities? Maybe it was connected to a network of underground tunnels that led to a bigger water source? Like a well or something. Only a suicidal person would dare swim in this pond.

  I heard heavy, but quick steps, coming from the other side, where the Hobbit had ran off to. A ray of dim light emerged from the darkness. However, it wasn’t Mousy that stepped into the Fairy’s light first. I backed away and stood still behind the Rakshasa’s outstretched body. Using it as a barrier, I was ready to grab my sword at any moment. I still tried not to make any sudden movements so that the newcomer would not misunderstand my intentions, I ordered Fury to be still as well.

  A huge warrior stepped into the circle of light, his metal gear jingling. Eight feet high, his wide chest was covered with a convex, steel breastplate placed over a thick leather jacket. Massive shoulder pads visually enlarged his already wide shoulders. His head was unprotected. Seeing his face, I mentally swore. The chances of me finding humans here had fallen dramatically. Small and dense dark gray scales, like that of a lizard, covered his forehead that was a wide as an anvil, the flat, rectangular nose, and powerful, protruding jaws filled with dazzlingly white fangs. Its black mane reached its back. The creature’s eyes, too, were impressive. Resting in the bizarrely shaped sockets, they exuded a soft, yellowish light. Long and smoothly arched, they resembled curved blades. Going beyond the edge of the face, their outer corners were bent toward the lumpy temples. Such unusual eyes certainly provided a wider visual coverage than that of a human. But its gaze was like that of a cyborg — empty and illuminated from the inside by “LEDs”. One couldn’t read anything from them. My God, what race is that?! Some terrible crossbreed between an Orc and a Lizardman?!

  I immediately nicknamed it “the Bruiser”.

  Giving me an indifferent glance, the warrior picked up the Rakshasa, which was much larger than me, as if it were a toy, tossed it over its shoulder, turned around and silently stomped back from where it came, seemingly parting the darkness with its mighty figure. The fur cloak behind its back rose slightly as it turned, revealing a wide, sheathed sword. The warrior’s fingers ended in short, black claws. Between the shoulder blades, on top of the cloak, adorning the end of the black, fist thick braid was a dagger like ornament. Interesting fashion they have here...

  Mousy brought me back to reality. With a reassuring smile, she took the projectile from my palm and stuffed it into one of the many pockets on her baggy jacket. Thrifty. She then waved invitingly and went after the giant.

  “Tinnie, Fury, follow me,” I softly said and headed after her.

  The further it goes, the weirder it becomes. And the horror was catching up.

  Barely five minutes had passed when I started hearing excited voices and shouts that grew louder with each step. We stepped into a rather spacious stone hall that was no less than a hundred and twenty feet in diameter. The noise was coming from a crowd in the middle of the hall.

  Mousy and the giant immediately turned to the right, carrying away the prisoner and leaving me alone. I carefully looking around, not forgetting to keep an eye on the Direcat to make sure that she remains nearby. At my mental request, the Fairy turned off Firefly and darted under the lapel of my jacket. The walls of the hall were slightly dented and dotted with dozens of openings leading into cramped spaces. Through the open doors of some it was possible to see some rather simplistic furniture — loungers or bedrolls made of skin were tossed onto the dusty stone floor, rough weapon stands forged from metal rods and lopsided chests for gear. It looked more like a prison cell than a dwelling.

  But the most interesting thing was in the center of the hall.

  The fans were huddled so tightly around the arena that it was difficult to see the fighters, but the sound of clashing blades betrayed what was happening. About fifty warriors in different vestments, mostly leather and fur, gathered to watch the fight. Almost everyone was shouting excitedly growling, and shoving each other with shoulders, elbows and fists, defiantly grabbing daggers and swords, but not joining the battle. Several metal “chandeliers”, filled with lit candles and supported by thick chains, hung from the stone ceiling. Falling onto the people and objects, the candlelight cast long and oscillating shadows, creating a peculiar, almost surreal, atmosphere.

  Did I say “people”?

  Too much wishful thinking.

  Trying not to attract attention, I slowly moved through the crowd in a vain attempt to find at least one human face, feeling my heart beating faster from the growing confusion. So, I’m supposed to get along with these…creatures? Damn it, now I’m starting to feel real bad.

  I discovered several other giants, like the one that carried the Rakshasa and a couple of Hobbits in the front row. Of course they are in the front row; they wouldn’t see a damn thing otherwise. But the main portion of the crowd consisted only of humanlike beings.

  The candlelight illuminated the bare yellow skulls and ugly, narrow faces that looked as if they had been crushed by invisible pressure from both sides, angular to the point of it looking as if the bones were breaking through the skin. Thin, bony figures covered in fur and leather robes, with shoulders disproportionately narrow for their height, were only half a head shorter than the Orcs’. They were completely hairless — no mustache or eyebrows, not even eyelashes. The faces of these creatures and their colorless, jelly-like eyes seemed completely impassive to me Thin lips, like scratches, tormented both my sight and hearing with repulsive screams. Two of these creatures fought in the arena. With their absurd alien physique, they moved with amazing dexterity and speed, exchanging swift blows with two feet, long swords. Bounces, attacks, and deceptive pirouettes followed one another with such intensity that it was impossible to follow.

  The sound of swords and screams drowned out the sound of footsteps, and I didn’t notice when Mousy and Bruiser approached me. They had already managed to get rid of the Rakshasa and I assumed that they were in a hurry to join the fun. But I was mistaken. Without slowing down, the giant parted the crowd, like a hot knife going through butter, stood inside the arena and spoke. The battle instantly subsided. A couple of more abrupt orders were given and, as if summoned by magic, a detachment of four fighters emerged from the crowd. Mousy, grabbed my hand and pulled me away with unexpected strength. The short ones stared with friendly curiosity, exchanging lively replicas, the giants looked at us silently and impassively, and the yellow-skinned people squinted with open contempt, as if I had done something to them. Damn, I hate such glares. Still, I had to bite the bullet and pretend that I didn’t care. Frightened by the excessive attention, the Direcat clung to my leg.
This was the first time that I ever saw Fury showing fear so clearly.

  Once Mousy hurriedly shoved an unpleasant and slippery fur bundle into my hands, the giant roared again and pushed me toward the four yellow-skinned creatures. I felt somewhat relieved when Bruiser led our team away from the hall. Anything to get out of that unfriendly crowd. Mousy followed as well.

  Our squad went outdoors, to the courtyard surrounded by a spacious U-shaped and twenty feet high wall without any signs of passage gate. The cursed blizzard fiercely attacked me yet again, blowing away all of the warmth accumulated in the caves and piercing my skin.

  Without stopping, our squad began to climb the stone stairs leading to the peak, crowned with battlements that resembled a row of jagged teeth. I had to look around on the move as I ran up after them. Mousy walked behind us, unceremoniously poking my back when she thought I was hesitating. Above, the wind blew even harder, tightening the skin on my bald head like a stiff crust and scratching it with its icy talons. During the time spent traveling through the mountains, the wind outside seemed a little weaker. And although there was still plenty of circling in the air, we were presented with an impressive view of the huge valley far below us, surrounded by mountains, that was slowly disappearing in the raging storm. Beneath the fortress, the snow-covered slopes pierced the picturesque scene like rocky fangs, at the foot of which were dark, frozen lakes. Further away were the remains of a destroyed city littered with distorted ruins that disappeared into the distance...

  What did all of this mean? Was I being sent on patrol duty?! How would I survive such cold weather without warm clothes or at least a lousy hat?!

  Alas, I panicked prematurely.

  Everything turned out to be much, much worse.

  Obeying Bruiser’s overbearing commands, the yellow-faced “ascetics” picked up a packed rope ladder from the parapet and rolled it over the wall. The frozen knots clattered as they hit the stone. Then, one by one, they began to skillfully slide down. When they were at the foot of the wall, Mousy shoved me in the kidneys and pointed at the ladder. I looked at her incredulously and then looked down at the yellow-faced, who were busily unpacking their fur cloaks, and then I looked at Bruiser in dismay. Having met my gaze, he barked imperiously again, and, with a threatening look in his eyes, stepped toward me, looming over me like the fortress itself. Oh shit...

  Now was the time to start panicking.

  Chapter 5

  I sat onto the cloak and used it to slide down the slope. Driving my heels into the ground, stopped abruptly, leaving deep furrows behind me. I then jumped up, put the cloak under my arm and ran after my group, falling almost knee-deep into the snow.

  The four “ascetics” were jogging around the next obstacle, a massive rock formation that looked as if the slope had been parted by a giant’s fist. I didn’t want to be left behind. As I was at the back of the line, the gusts of icy wind threw the snow particles raised by the feet of my squad into my already frozen face, causing my eyes to tear up.

  It was easier for Fury as she was light enough to run across the snow without falling into it. Tinnie was sitting on her neck with her body buried into the fur. Sadly enough, but the Fairy had to abandon the warm spot under my clothes as she could easily get crushed should I fall. That almost happened while I was getting adjusted to my guides’ extreme methods. It was hard to even look at Tinnie. I had no clue what I would do once the energy runs out...

  Using the cloak as an improvised “vehicle” threatened to turn me into an icicle myself, but the intense dashes in between the rides helped me warm up. My “companions” seemed to have decided to test my strength and paid almost no attention to how well I was coping with the entire situation. They weren’t openly hostile, but neither were they helpful. Not a single word or a helpful gesture. However, sometimes, one of them would cast a quick and scornful glance in my direction in order to check had I broke my neck yet. You wish. I had to give it my all not to fall behind. I could do nothing else until I figure out what was happening. The further we went, the more I suspected that this campaign was taking place due to my appearance at the fortress. I had some guesses about the purpose of our journey.

  What was the first thing that a player should do in almost any game upon discovering a new location? Especially after a difficult and dangerous journey or, in my case, after a spatial translocation from “God knows where” to “not even God knows where this place is”? That’s right; the player should find a safe spot so that he could return to it in case of dying and avoid having to go down the same path again. But that was a rule applicable to ordinary games. What would happen if I failed to do so in Universe ICS? Maybe I would “fall into Lethe”, that is, disappear into oblivion forever? I didn’t even want to think about it. Since portals were most often used for registration, I really needed to go to wherever these guys were dragging me off to. Hopefully to the nearest center of civilization that had a Replicator and where I could input my personal data into the local database. That means that these unflattering personalities are putting some effort for me! Screw manners then. The only thing that matters is the result. First thing I’ll do when we get there is go straight to a barber. I desperately needed one of those. My brain will freeze in my skull otherwise... Although, maybe I could get used to it. My hairless guides didn’t seem to feel any discomfort. Perhaps it was a racial feature, distinct to this location. I wouldn’t object to having something like that...

  We finally got around the rock and came upon another 200 foot long descent. Enough of thinking, it’s time for action.

  The ascetics handled themselves quite impressively; this descent was neither their first nor last. Having jumped onto their “fur sled”, they rushed down the slope, leaving a trail of snow dust behind them. I unfolded my cloak on the run and jumped onto it with my feet facing the descent. The Direcat landed onto my stomach, forcing me to fall backwards onto the coat. My sword stabbed me between the shoulder blades. It was my idea, so I had to endure the pain. It was important for the pets to not fall behind, and that wouldn’t happen as long as they were my passengers. The snow creaked beneath us as we gained speed. The wind was attacking us vindictively, whipping the frozen cheekbones, and forcing me to squint in pain once again. Without slowing down, the four ascetics dove one after another, like dark shadows against a white background, into the gutter between two rocks that were protruding from the ground in front of us like a pair of giant fangs. We were accelerating, and recalled the scene from the old “Ice Age” movie in which the characters were rushing headlong into the ice caves... Let’s hope that I don’t end up breaking my neck for real.

  The stone wall on my right appeared and disappeared so fast that it had my head spinning. I barely evaded tearing my shoulder to shreds. The improvised “sleds” whizzed through the rapidly narrowing passage, and shot out of it into an open area… I was happy to see that our journey had come to an end. The ascetics had already reached the foot of the slope and were shaking the snow and ice off of their cloak and putting them on.

  The Direcat jumped off me and ran off with a satisfied grunt. I feel you, buddy. Freed from the burden, I stretched my legs and habitually dug my heels into the slope, spending a couple of seconds to look back and evaluate the distance traveled. The snowfall had stopped completely, but the fortress was barely visible from this distance — a dark spot on the horizon. I followed the rock covered slope to the very top, up to where the fang like formation was. The half a mile descent from the mountain to the valley turned out to be a serious test, but I managed.

  Worried, I thoroughly inspected my pets. Fury was okay, but Tinnie looked exhausted. She must’ve gotten tired grasping the Direcat’s fur for so long. She was losing heat and her body was barely glowing at this point. Her wings were almost translucent as there was no longer enough magic for them too. Even though she was a magical creature, Tinnie’s endurance had its limits. Fury snorted anxiously when I carefully took the Fairy off her nape and returned her to her rightful p
lace under my jacket. The Direcat was perfectly aware of her tiny rider’s condition. I’ll make pockets inside of my jacket the first chance I get so that Tinnie could hide in it better else she ends up slipping all the way down to my belt. Even that was better than keeping her on this cold...

  I looked back at the road and realized that the ascetics didn’t bother waiting for us and were already some three hundred feet away. Snow whirled behind them, like from behind a speeding snowmobile. Was the devil at their heels or something? Being in a hurry, I removed my sword, tossed the fur cloak over my shoulders, and then put my sword back to its place. I hoped that the additional fur layer would not reduce the grip of the energy lock as I would have to carry the sword in my hands otherwise. Pulling the hood over my head, and finally feeling somewhat warmer, I rushed after our guides.

  And right away I spotted the first oddity — the layer of snow covering the valley was thinner than the one covering the mountainside, although it should have been the other way around. Though, it did make it relatively easy to run. That, and the ascetics choosing the smoothest possible road; they were trying to make their own lives easier after all.

  The wind that had been tormenting us on the slopes had almost subsided, as if it were finally giving up. Considering that it was winter and that the snow was ankle-deep, we covered the first mile of the road in a ridiculous amount time — less than five minutes. My heart was pounding like a mechanical piston. The fatigue bar was filling up slowly; walking across the plain felt like running on a treadmill. Once again, I was convinced that being an avatar was much better than being an ordinary person with ordinary human physiology. Not to mention that an ordinary person dressed as I was would have long ago died from frostbite. Fury was also enjoying herself and getting used to the new climate. She scurried around, running ahead and waiting for me to catch up with her, and then falling behind. She studied everything she saw or smelled. Ruins of ancient buildings could be seen scattered around the rocky hills. They were potential treasure hunting location, but there was no time to examine them. Feeling the beast’s tranquility, I calmed down, but continued looking around and making sure that there wasn’t anyone who wished to prey on a careless newbie.