“Yes, Master, we'll take care of them,” Uyu and Leil responded in unison, and then the brother added, “You rewarded us with an incredible tactical spell. We thank the system for sending you to us, Master.” Their images had disappeared.
“Me, too,” Yar whispered to them, turning the tactical interface into a small icon consisting of the letter designation TEM surrounded by foggy, torn circles.
With the help of the portal, Yar quickly went back fifteen yards from the edge of the forest and looked around, “This is a great place for the portal and, even if it is noisy, beasts are unlikely to hear them.” Leaning against a huge oak tree, Yar wrote similar letters to Taisia and Arthur:
Hello!
This is an urgent message. You have five minutes to pack. Call the swifts and come closer to the stone where we rested and swam. When the portal appears, jump into it without hesitation. After arriving, keep calm, don’t be surprised at anything, don’t talk, and don’t make a noise—no matter what happens. We have a military operation about to begin, and we are waiting only for you.
It’s time to act.
Yar Row Dark
***
“Maybe we will continue?” Taisia asked her brother. They were already well warmed up before the lesson on dwarven fighting styles, which Sass Creek had kindly taught them. In general, during the last days, the dwarves had surrounded Taisia and her brother with completely incomprehensible attention, even adoration.
“Let’s swim first, then get down to business.” Arthur smiled and then froze, happily telling his sister, “I’ve just received a letter from Yar.”
“Me too,” Taisia screeched and jumped, throwing up a whole fountain of white sand as she did so.
“Hurray! We were waiting for a change! Finally! Come on, Arthur. Call the swifts!”
They rushed at full speed to the indicated spot. The swifts happily squealed over their heads. They, too, apparently felt the closeness of their return to their homeland. Soon they saw a powerful, radiant portal before them.
“Great! What power!” Arthur shouted excitedly, lit by the bright light of the portal.
“Goodbye, Sass Creek! Thank you for everything!” Taisia shouted, and they disappeared in a powerful flash.
The famous dwarf, having heard the noise, was just leaving his home. He looked like an ordinary dwarven smith. His thick beard smoked a bit, he was wearing a well-worn leather apron, and his broad chest was decorated with a rune tattoo. The blacksmith brushed the sweat from his face and smeared black ash across it from the long work on his forge. Sass reached for the bulky flask on his belt in a measured and calm manner, taking a weak sip, he grunted and muttered in a bass voice, “Looks like our golden boy is back.”
This giant’s squinted eyes were radiant with contentment.
Chapter 12. Arthur and Taisia
T he portal flared brightly, fulfilling its purpose, and Yar felt the indescribable aroma of the blue lagoon and hot sand. First, a flock of swifts flew out of the flash, shrieking joyfully, the birds whirling around Yar before speeding off to their native nest. Then, the brother and sister appeared through the portal. They managed not to fall, but they were clearly shocked: for a moment, it seemed to them that they had fallen into a well-drawn cartoon. There was the fabulous beauty of nature that fascinated people with its wonderful smells. A lot of moths, butterflies, and glittering beetles flew around. They seemed to be made of faceted gems, from the sight of which, people wanted to squeal with delight and ask them to serve as a brooch for at least a couple of minutes.
Taisia didn’t dare to take a single step while looking at this unprecedentedly beautiful forest, though several troubling questions buzzed through her head. Where are we? Where did we go? Why is nobody here to meet us?
***
Yar enjoyed looking at his friends. He had a nostalgic feeling. He had moved one moment back into the past when everything was just beginning. He noticed mentally, They are tanned! Taisia was very beautiful before, and now she has completely blossomed. She can even compete with elf-girls in attractiveness.
The siblings stood and looked around dumbfounded. Taisia could not resist, and she carefully stretched out her hand to the amazingly beautiful butterflies that floated around her to make sure that they weren’t an illusion. Two velvet black butterflies with luminous patterns and diamond antennas sat on her index finger trustingly. Taisia laughed softly, so as not to frighten away these beauties, and her laughter was like the sound of tiny silver bells. When a small spotted roe steadily emerged from behind a huge tree and rubbed tenderly on Taisia’s thigh, the girl almost cried with pure emotion. Gently she embraced the animal with huge eyes and small branchy blue horns as she whispered, “Where are you from, honey?”
“It’s good that you’ve got acquainted the enchanted forest,” said a voice that came from somewhere behind Taisia and Arthur.
The brother and sister turned to the familiar voice simultaneously. They saw Yar sitting on the huge roots of a giant oak, as if on a throne. A huge panther, inspiring an exorbitant admiration as well as a wild horror lay nearby. Taisia and Arthur did not have time to blink as Yar approached them. He was tall, irresistibly beautiful, well-built—like the ancient Greek god—but his eyes were the same. They were those of a hooligan.
“Yar!” Taisia screamed, gracefully slipping under Yar’s hands and hanging on to his neck, as if trying to carry out painful reception of suffocation.
“Hush, quietly, Taisia, we have a military operation going on near here. Hi, Arthur.” They shook hands, despite the girl still hanging around his neck. She seemed like she was not going to loosen her grip as, in addition, she donated compliments to the Master.
“Look how tall you are! Powerful as a tour! Your body is like a stone, and you are fucking beautiful!”
Yar had an idea for such a case as this, and he took full advantage of it. Although he suspected that Taisia’s reaction would be noisy and uncontrollable, he still had to take risks.
“Gelic, take the newly arrived people here under your protection.”
“Okay, Master,” the amorph gurgled with a smile from ear to ear.
Only after that, the young but promising girl, flashing green eyes uncomprehendingly, relaxed her grip.
“Ugh,” Yar exhaled with relief, feeling as if Taisia fell from his neck as she saw another ‘victim’.
“Aaah, Gelic, you’re alive!” she screamed, completely forgetting about the warning. Fortunately, the amorph was persistent: he withstood everything, like a powerful breakwater. Gelic was also in seventh heaven with happiness. He executed the order of his master well and provided silence with his own methods ... He just covered her mouth with transparent tape.
Two seconds later, several portals slammed nearby. Uyu jumped out of the closest portal, her head bowed. She managed to glance coldly at Taisia and Arthur as she frowned. Gelic stopped the brother and sister, timely and carefully, as they snatched up their weapons. The elves looked at the ‘cursed artifacts’ with undisguised respect.
The incident which had just happened did not in any way prevent the Chief of Intelligence from clearly reporting, “Master, all units are at the initial positions. We are waiting for your order to begin the assault. These elves ...” she pointed to the four harsh Shadows, “... are the guards of your men. They will not let you down. They are our best warriors.”
Yar nodded.
“Wait! First, I need to go to the main object myself.”
“Yes, Master.” Uyu disappeared.
Yar turned to his friends with a finger attached to his lips and said, “I know that you have a lot of questions, but now I don’t have time to talk. We’ll share our memories later. I can only say that we are going to free the people of the North-West region. They are now at Pulkovo Airport, on the runway. These bastards keep people in corrals.”
The siblings looked puzzled, and their eyes were rounded with surprise. They are funny. How much I missed them, Yar thought, and he continued alo
ud to all present. “Your task is not to engage in combat. Your main goal for today is to maximize your levels, and we will try to increase your stats at the same time.”
Arthur could not be silent and spoke indignantly as Taisia clutched at Yar’s arm like a tick, “Yar, why? Why can’t we help? We know everything there! It’s unfair …”
“No!” Yar responded sharply before exhaling. “Okay, take it easy! If you do not want to be extras, I understand ... Therefore, I suggest you examine all the shopping centers and customs near to the airport for the presence of any valuable goods.”
Yar quickly reproduced the reduced layout of the adjacent territories and part of the Kiev highway, noting in one motion the objects of interest to the clan. He habitually looked at the ability of his friends to perform spells and realized, Not now. First I need to work on their magic component.
Taisia nodded and shook her four fingers, pointing to Gelic’s tapes, which fixed her jaw again. It seemed like she wanted to say that she had four questions.
“Ask only four, but quietly. We shouldn’t unmask ourselves at the very beginning of the operation,” Yar warned the girl with a smile.
Taisia agreed, and the amorph removed the elastic tapes from her lips with a guilty look.
The girl whispered, “What happened to Gelic? Why don’t we see the stats of others—even their names? Where are we, Yar? Who are these … um … creatures?” She pointed at the shadows standing impassively nearby.
Yar nodded, then answered calmly, “ It’s simple. You are at home in the Pulkovo Forest, however, it has recently changed, becoming a magical, sacred place. It can be said that it turned into a huge rational community of magical creatures that are spiritually energetically, and intimately connected with all those who belong to the clan of the Midnighters and their friends. It is deadly for enemies to be here without permission. As for Gelic, I accomplished a global achievement and unlocked an ability to revive any creature in the game after the transformations once in a hundred years. I took advantage of this reward and revived Gelic.” Yar looked at the amorph, who was smirking terribly, monotonously nodding his head at Yar’s every word like a clockwork toy.
Yar also smiled and continued, “You cannot see the characteristics of the shadows and others, because there is too much difference in between your levels. For example, Gelic has a level of about eight hundredths,” Yar said, and for his friends, these answers increasingly took the form of something unreal.
It seems to me that their state of mind is called ‘a knockout’ in Russia, Yar thought, watching the reaction of his old friends.
“It’s amazing,” Arthur spoke, barely above a whisper.
Transparent Gelic lifted his thumb up, which was of the size of a bat, and said, “We’ve leveled up greatly in the Dark World!”
“Now for the ‘these creatures’…” Yar looked at Taisia and Arthur reproachfully. “You can’t refer this way to the representatives of the legendary dark elf fighting clan. They are the Moon Shadows, who joined my clan and are no doubt the most efficient unit on the entire Belt of the Worlds. Believe me when I tell you, this is the deadly sting on our common spear of hatred towards the enslavers. They have no fewer complaints about the light elves than we do.”
Everything had changed, and Taisia almost cried, looking at the frozen Shadows, and Arthur lowered his head guiltily, obviously not knowing what to say. Oddly enough, the Shadows themselves found a way out of an awkward situation.
Yar admired how an elf named Tiel Gon responded elegantly and intelligently. He bowed immaculately as if he was at a ball, and it looked harmonious enough in a fairytale forest, then he spoke very calmly and kindly,
“Don’t be upset, miss, we aren’t offended. I have a small request, though. Show us your cursed weapon on your halt, please. It is beautiful, as well as its owner—Taisia the Blizzard, the murderer of the Highest.” Tiel bent even lower, like all the other Shadows.
Taisia wanted to answer something, but Yar stopped her, feeling that he could not postpone the operation further, and realizing that everything would now be all right here.
“Let’s get down to business. It’s time to catch up. By the way, the Dark World is waiting for you and other earthlings, however, it also waits for all the youth of dragons, lefars and, possibly, dwarves.”
Before leaving, Yar stepped up to the kindly elf and, so that only Tiel Gon heard, said, “Great. Your speech’s beyond praise. Keep in touch.”
Yar presented Tiel and three other elves a set of spells, which he had already installed in the elven centurions. Yar looked at Blacky silently. He didn’t need to say anything. The most dangerous creature in the Dark World knew in advance what to do.
Leaping through a short portal, he heard Tiel’s trembling voice.
“I thank you most sincerely, Master! I am honored! I will justify your faith in me.”
Chapter 13. Scarlet Guard
A light, warm rain was falling on the border of the fairy forest. It was pleasing.
That’s good. Nature helps us. Well, shall we go, my friend? Yar said to Blacky mentally and received a charge of its adoration and confidence in response.
Yar quickly reached the human corral, though he had to jump seven times at pre-marked points, clearly falling under the cover of various obstacles such as thick blooming bushes or a pile of iron barrels.
That’s all, Yar decided. I can’t move on through the portal: the beasts will find me quickly.
He looked around with interest, trying to find his black pet. Well, it seems that even I can’t see Blacky if he wants to hide, he thought in admiration.
The corral was already in his line of sight.
Yar thought, I must try to design a special portal spell, one without noise and flashes of light. I’ll do it when I have some free time.
Well, let’s go. He quickly turned on his duplicate source to its maximum, then extinguished his main one and activated invisibility. Yar sat for a while, making sure that his activity did not strain his backup source, then he reached the first plane carefully. There, sitting at the landing gear, he paused. A huge, careless detachment of beasts passed dangerously close to him, then Yar slowly moved on. Reaching the old burnt-out giant Airbus, he hid in its shadow as if under a blanket.
Yar looked closely at the corral. There were about fifty people or a little more doomed to become nothing more than meat for the beasts. All were dirty, covered with a torn tarp or burlap. Most of them sat with their heads in their hands, the rest settled at the far end of the grid. The rain’s assistance became stronger, and Yar quickly passed through the open space, examining the security system as he went. It turned out to be embarrassingly primitive and consisted of intersecting thin lines of force of the security dome and the control unit installed in the handle of a red narrow knife. The crystal of power, on which everything was held, was mounted in the pommel of the handle, having the shape of a ball and the size of a little less than a walnut. It glowed slightly. The power dome itself covered the entire corral.
Although he had already matured a plan for how to overcome this defense, without paying much attention to himself, Yar still did not take risks and improved two of his skills, having received the following notification:
The Burglar Master of the 12th category, 1 200
The Wizard-Hacking Master of the 16th rank, 1 600
The message from the system came with many new features and tools. Having quickly read the list, Yar did not find what interested him most. Unfortunately, nothing new was added, and the original energy probe was now listed as:
The MU Energy Probe
As soon as Yar wondered on what this ‘MU’ could mean, the following decipher appeared: Multipurpose Universal.
Well, I guess I proceed, Yar thought with satisfaction. Keeping complete calm and composure, he came close to the dome and, after reading the characteristics of the artifact, he involuntarily gritted his teeth.
The Scarlet Animal Guard
> Coverage: diameter of 100 yards
Attempt on perimeter violation (sound signal, power push, low power shock, transient paralysis)
Charging 120 days
Coverage: diameter of 300 yards
Attempt on perimeter violation (sound signal, power push, low power shock)
Charging 60 days
He decided to act according to the original plan. So, Yar entered the Constructor, having approached the grid lines with probes, and he ordered, Turn on the energy probe for maximum sensitivity.
The thinnest web probe, which was barely visible to the eye, stretched from the right manipulator to the energy contour of The Scarlet Animal Guard. It hesitated for a moment, then its edge imperceptibly, like a speck of dust, touched the nearest power line, instantly reading all the parameters.
Wow! Yar said mentally, shaking his head and admiring the mass of information he had just received. He got everything: the detailed characteristics, the status of the protection against hacking, the creator's name of this Artifact, the name of the one who had installed this Guard, and even all the information about its previous operation and violators.
Oh, yes. I have chosen a great skill. It’s going to come in really handy for me!
Yar went further, ordering the next steps for the Constructor to follow: Establish on the probes an identical energy component—such as the Standard Scarlet Animal Guard—with the identification number GM25013.
Without leaving the Constructor, Yar pushed the lines of force to their optimum width with probes and came into the dome, returning the magic dome to its original shape.
It would be interesting to see how this looks from the outside because time flows differently in the Constructor. I need to experiment in my free time. It seems that this knowledge could be useful.
The rumble of thunder was heard and the rain finally turned into a heavy downpour. Yar was a little worried that from outside, because of the flow of the water, his magical invisibility would be noticeable, so he hurriedly pressed close to the cage, calling the inner guard.
Dark Legacy Page 6
