After a split second, the cut artifacts were in his hands.
“I hope you don’t mind if I take this metal myself? I think I’m going to need a lot of liritii.”
The Princess covered her mouth with her palms and blinked, apparently trying to hold back tears of joy. Goh searched for his collar unsuccessfully. Finally, he saw it in Yar’s hands.
“Damn it! Yar, how did you manage that? You did it so quickly,” the wizard asked, finding himself completely out of balance.
It seemed that he felt much calmer being chained to the couch. Yar reasonably decided that the list of questions from the pair could be endless, so he answered in his usual manner to put it off until later.
“Listen to me. I see that you have a lot of questions and, perhaps, suggestions, but we will discuss everything tomorrow in a more peaceful time and comfortable environment. We have no time now for explanations. The military operation of capturing the Palace is taking place right now. Let’s stop talking, okay?”
The Princess’s cheeks flamed while Yar spoke. She finally came to her senses, though, and the real dark elf Princess awoke in her. Heiro stared into Yar’s eyes and said in a confident voice, “We have only one question and one not considerably burdensome condition for the clan leader.”
Yar pondered, This is inconceivable! How can I refuse such a beautiful lady? She is a real Princess. I cannot send her to hell.
“I agree with everything, but please ask quickly.”
Heiro smiled smugly and radiantly.
“Firstly, where did you get the battle armor of the Prince of the Moon Shadow clan? The dark elves have been searching for it for centuries. Secondly, my condition will be as follows. I, Heiro Kamir, and my Mentor, Goh, want to accompany you from this time until the end of your operation to seize this Palace. You see, there has been no such precedent in history, so we would like to see everything with our own eyes.”
“One minute, Princess. I need to think this over,” Yar replied.
He reasoned as he admired the dark Princess.
First, I really need strong allies, and the dark elves are one of the strongest clans in the Belt of the Worlds. It seems they have long-standing unsolvable conflicts with the light ones. In addition, the Shadows are also dark elves—maybe it will turn out possible to make an alliance ... Well, what if?! I will soon go to the Academy, Heiro is also going there. Everything is decided, time is running out.
Yar nodded his head, saying, “Princess Heiro, I accept your condition. As for the armor, I, Yar Row Dark, have every right to wear it. The clan Shadow of the Moon are my vassals. Right now their strongest combat units are eagerly waiting for my order to storm the palace.”
One should have seen the eyes and faces of these elves. In any case, Yar would remember their surprised expressions forever. Then, as if he was not paying attention to this fabulous pantomime, he ordered the amorph, “Gelic, please, visit all the nearby cells that we have recently visited and tell the captives that we won’t forget about them. If you find an approach key attendant, let me know. Hurry, you need to move on swiftly.”
“Yes, Master,” the amorph gurgled, falling off and disappearing with the sound of the surf.
Chapter 26. Assault
T he uncontrolled sensation of falling, the subtle whistling of the spinning shell of the spindle overhead, the blinding flashes of incisors, and the strong circular wind ruthlessly tearing at the hair, created a very realistic feeling of being in some gigantic disastrous tornado that was running somewhere. It was as though either a god or a demon was yelling defiantly, “Aaaa! Hooray!”
Tunnels, warehouses, halls, aisles, and galleries all flashed before their eyes at a breakneck pace.
Heiro was indescribably delighted with the Spindle’s movement and their flight through the palace. The Princess almost screamed with delight, hardly restraining herself as she clutched at Yar’s shoulders. However, Goh the Gray Raven was gloomy and thoughtful with what he had seen. He had a lot to think about as, like a high-speed torpedo, they moved through the palace. When they almost arrived at their destination, Yar shouted, “Attention! There are six elves ahead!”
They came out of the wall unexpectedly with a flash of white light and large falling square sparks.
The elves in white, tight-fitting clothes, stood in a group not far from the main source and conferred about something. Yar’s enemies did not even have time to use their weapons, as they were knocked down and torn apart. At the last moment of their lives, they saw darkness itself with its fiery eyes and huge, transparent crescent claws that had come to kill them. Yar didn’t let them go to revival. Instead, he deftly threw the elven corpses into the Cage of Oblivion.
The Princess flinched, but she quickly put her hair in order: this simple manipulation had always helped Heiro to regain her composure. She and Mentor exhaled slowly at the same time and exchanged meaningful glances. Then the elf said quietly, “ He killed six high elves in one heartbeat. I haven’t seen such a quick death before, even on the simulator. It was a whirlwind of unthinkable actions.”
“I agree. It seems that I’m going to need to send a petition to join the Midnighters Clan before it’s too late,” Goh said.
He then added in a whisper, “You know, these technologies are very much like the magic of the ancients, but they’re even more complicated and seem to have been designed by Yar himself. Have you noticed the tattoos on his hands? Looks like he is a master of swords. This is really a terrible ratio of both strong wizardry and swordsmanship.”
The Princess nodded with understanding and asked what really tormented her soul, “Mentor, what do you think of the Moon Shadow clan?” The heir to the throne was whispering, deciding to discuss the question while she had the opportunity.
Goh glanced at Yar, who seemed to have forgotten about them and was fully engaged in studying the source of the Palace of Capture.
“I can’t believe it, of course, but I see no reason for him to lie. Glory to the system that led us to this genius is all I can say.”
***
While excited by the ongoing events, the former prisoners were whispering and literally gazing at the Cage of Oblivion, where the dead light elves were being revived as toy soldiers. Yar, grinning like a real predator, was methodically going around the energy source of the Palace.
The reactor room itself was impressively large, perfectly white, round and solid in its construction. The dome was the same perfect white sphere. In the center, there were several steps, and then Yar noted a small platform, five yards in diameter. Two matte black obelisks tilted towards each other as they protruded from its base.
A bright, fiery core—the size of the heart of a white rhino—was beating between them. It seemed that this fiery substance was moving in several directions at once.
Yar was inspired. He was truly shaken in anticipation. This was a real challenge. He had never met a source such as this before; it was a completely different level. The source that rushed before his eyes was clearly the most powerful thing that he could ever imagine, and as he understood it, it absorbed energy from great distances. A crazy thought immediately came to his mind.
What if I don’t use the EWIS group, as I planned earlier, but instead, I try to influence it with the Magic of Affects.
The idea spurred him into early action.
Stop! Stop! Wait a minute, man! You obviously need to prepare and approach this source more respectfully.
Yar took a few deep breaths, calmed himself down, and took a moment to look closer at how much negative energy had spilled here. He smiled after a few seconds: The Palace of Capture had justified his hopes fully.
Wow! It seems that I can pump out negative emotions without stopping for a whole month—like in a large gas storage facility. Well, since the amount of energy is large. What else will I need?
First, Yar needed time. He had an hour maximum available.
Secondly, he had to block the entrance just in case. He couldn’t afford to be dist
urbed.
Thirdly, the larger Cage of Oblivion would be necessary.
Fourthly, Yar should warn his associates and guests to put their power shields up and not interfere in the process, under any circumstances.
Lastly, he needed to distract these two dark elves’ attention. Goh seemed to be a very significant wizard, so it would be no small task.
Yar immediately noticed his surprisingly developed and unusual nodes of power, especially on his hands. They all had zigzag branches. Yar had not yet understood how they worked, but he decided that now was a good time to find out.
Hey, hey, it’s time to act, Yar hurried himself.
“Well, let’s start with the first item,” he said aloud and went to fulfill his plans.
Yar found a passage in this white monolith dome that was no more than a thin crevice as thick as a human hair.
Well, well, I didn’t doubt it at all. It was originally done taking into account maximum security.
He walked closer to the dome and pressed his palms against the slab. The thickness turned out to be more than five yards of solid granite enhanced by magic. The opening mechanism was a simple mechanical lock in symbiosis with magic. Most likely, this stove moved out and went to the side. Yar decided to play it safe and used the Monolith spell twice as he patted the slab with satisfaction.
“What a phenomenal case of merging! I didn’t think this was possible. Is Monolith yours?” Goh the Gray Raven asked quietly as he looked at the wall.
“Yeah, it’s mine,” Yar acknowledged.
“Then can you explain to me what your spells are based on? I don’t understand the principles of your work.”
“You’ve defined everything correctly. This is the Magic of Affects,” Yar said simply before continuing. “Sorry, Goh. Three and a half thousand Shadows are waiting for my actions, and I need to work. I can offer you tea according to my own recipe and a good cake. They will brighten up your wait and are good for your health.”
“What is ‘tea’ and ‘cake’?” the Princess asked, looking out from behind her Mentor.
Yar shrugged. “Try them yourself.”
Heiro’s Mentor had chic camping furniture, and the table was laid literally in minutes. Yar set the tea set ‘Cobalt net’ of the Imperial Porcelain Factory on the small table. Then he pulled out a hot teapot and some nice-smelling Mikado cake with some stunning stats.
Yar commented, “You’d better eat this cake with small spoons. Oh, and the tea is hot. Help yourself. Please also set up your energy shields. It is better to set them alternately, and layering will not be superfluous here. One more thing ... don’t interfere in the course of the process I will be undertaking under any circumstances.”
Yar winked at Gelic and Blacky, who were already in their positions, covering the dark elf with their shields.
Yar felt that a lot would depend on these two dark elves, on their words, and on their actions in the future.
I would have liked Alice to be here. She would have explained the situation, Yar thought once again, remembering the young girl prophetess.
“Well, I am satisfied,” Yar muttered to himself, looking at the resulting huge artifact before him. “We will assume that the third point — the creation of the Big Cage of Oblivion — has been completed, and it is a warm-up before the hard work commences.”
He was in a good mood. It could be said that everything went smoothly with the cage; they spent a little time. However, unfortunately, Yar had used all the liritii he had on him.
Turning away from everything, Yar settled on the steps opposite the source. By tradition, before the obviously complex works, Yar drank mineral water and lit a cigar. It was an idyll. At first, he swung his sources almost to the limit while noting significant progress in both their volume and speed.
It was quiet and cool in the Constructor, however, as always. Yar did not hurry. He calmly processed as much energy as he could hold, and only then did he attack the source of the Palace with an impulse. It turned out beautiful, but, unfortunately, it had no effect. With his energy kick, he managed to knock down the top bright shell, revealing an incredible matte-black object. In a split second, everything returned to as it was.
As time went on, Yar lost count of his attempts to switch the source. Each time, he increased the power of the impulse, always trying to pump up emotions and diversify the charges. He did everything he could: he got angry, screamed, cursed, lost his temper with rage, sang patriotic songs, and even begged on his knees. Alas, everything was in vain, and each time the result was the same—the source was instantly restored, completely absorbing and digesting all his futile attempts.
Yar had to retreat, lie down, calm himself a bit, and then think carefully about a new approach. He would need to start all over again. He shook the source as much as possible.
The EWIS spell worked perfectly. A white glowing worm squirmed in the manipulator. Yar thought, It’s obviously prettier and fatter than the elven one. That’s disgusting!
He looked at the stats.
EWIS (Erk’s Worm Infirmity of Source) 1,243 level
Finding a vulnerable point 2,486
Implementation of 3,729
Disguise 2,486
Survival 6,215
Weakening 14,916
Chapter 27. Symbiont of Aura
“W ow! I’ve created a monster again! What if I try to improve it using the Sower’s bag? I completely forgot all about that.”
Yar took out his bag, opened it, and immediately slammed it shut. “What a fool!” he cursed.
Three fiery queen bees lay curled up in a ball on the seeds of the Daar tree and the primroses. He immediately remembered the incomprehensible noise, tangible next to the tower and cursed again. Suddenly, he came up with an idea.
“I will create my own energy-eater!” The manipulators creaked loudly, destroying the EWIS.
“I have been eager to try it for a long time, but I haven’t had the time,” Yar continued as he dived into the raging ocean of energies provided by the Palace of Capture.
Yar, like a gold miner, rushed to wash away the mud of pride and greed, the purple sand of carnal passions, and the coarse rock of hatred and fear, in order to wash small pieces of gold, of love, and compassion—a shade of blossoming cherry flowers.
Yar gathered the positive energy into a ball the size of a high noonday sun. It radiated an incredibly gentle light, almost like a pink supernova. He didn’t invent anything and, on the basis of this energy, he passed through all the stages of spell creating. He woke up only at the very end of the process when he was sobered up by the last message: ‘ Give a name .’
Well, finally, he had made a breakthrough in the Magic of Affect. He had managed to create something not so terrible in appearance. A small glowing pink tadpole hung in the air, and it was smiling, cartoon-like and mischievous. Yar saw the stats of the object, created by him, and they made him think deeply.
Attention!
Name Energy symbiont?????????? Level 1,825
Search vulnerable points 3,650
Implementation 5,475
Disguise in the aura 9,125
Survival 18,250
Reformatting 21,900 (Based on the Magic of Affect)
Possible additional features (depending on the host’s development)
Guardian Attacker (Random)
Absorption of negative emotions of the host (Random)
Reflection of mental attacks (Random)
Optimization of the host's aura (Random)
Reproduction (Random)
Collaboration and Redistribution (Random)
Cultivation (Random)
* Addition: a possible manifestation of hidden features
“Okay. So it looks like I created a cool thing using only love. I will give it its name through analogy: Yar Dark’s Symbiont of Aura. The YDSA for short.”
Yar entered the name and clicked ‘Approve’.
He then decided to check the spell’s working out on himself. He immedi
ately created one more symbiont and removed his protective shield. These creatures appeared to move with the speed of a bullet.
Pop! Pop! they sounded as they entered his body. Yar staggered and almost fell away from a new feeling—it was something between inexpressible pleasure and a fierce desire to do good things.
Amazing! They have had to affect my aura and not my body. That’s amazing!
Yar instinctively looked at his chest and didn’t discover any holes. Then he used magic to look closer at his aura.
“Woo-oh, wow …”
Whatever was happening was in full swing—two symbionts, like predatory piranhas, simultaneously drilled and tore into Yar’s aura with their invisible teeth. It seemed that the very pieces of his aura scattered sideways, and then it became denser, smoother and very clear.
Yar’s alert system rang with its familiar tone and a new message appeared.
“Wow, a global achievement!” Yar cried out, but he stopped short of reading it as time was running out.
He shook himself ready. He discovered his effort and energy were enough to create three symbiontes. He was a bit worried, though, because the spell was more suitable for sentient beings with a soul rather than powerful stationary sources.
“Okay, I’m going to try. Help me, Mother System,” he uttered as he launched these tadpoles-piranhas at the ever-annoying source.
“Have it!” he screamed.
The very space around him seemed to be shaken, and he felt a sharp sound strike. It seemed as though a few trucks had simultaneously jammed their wheels at high speed. He fell to his knees, feeling terrible pain and covering his ears with his palms. Oddly enough, there was no blood.
A loud system sound brought him back to his senses.
Wow! Another global achievement! This is one hell of a charitable distribution. What the-
Some seemingly endless list, printed on a gold leaf with floral ornament, came up before his eyes. Having read the first few lines, Yar found himself stunned.
Attention!
The White Branch Clan loses all rights to the Palace of the Capture
Dark Legacy Page 14
