“Kay-Si!” Amoeba shouted. “Come out, friend!”
The biologist had managed to become good friends with the shaman and was therefore the most worried about his long absence. But instead of a friendly meeting of old friends, an unpleasant surprise awaited us.
A moment later, I heard a whistle, and a few seconds after, a cry. I jumped to the side, just barely avoiding a huge totem that seemed to fall out of nowhere. Clods of snow flew in all directions: the totem sank into the frozen ground, getting stuck in it. Despite the momentum, the carved log didn’t break into several pieces. It didn’t have so much as a crack on it. The shaman’s magic was as strong as ever.
For a while, the totem just stood there, leaning a little, giving us a better look at it. At the top of it was a strange, colorful mask with a snarling mouth and a frown. Under it was a throne, simple and inconspicuous. And under that were the twisted bodies of anthropomorphic creatures that occupied the rest of the totem. Their faces were set in a grimace of silent horror, and they seemed not at all eager to support the throne and the mask.
Suddenly, the totem activated. The mask’s eyes glowed scarlet, and a red circle flashed around it for a moment. Once it disappeared, something snapped inside the colorful mask, causing the glow in its eyes to get even brighter.
“Run!” Valkyrie shouted and jumped out of the fiery circle.
I had no reason not to trust her sense of danger so I immediately followed. And just in time. As if on the mask’s signal, dozens of stone shards erupted from the ground. Another second and my body would’ve been on one of them with my stomach ripped open.
Huge spikes rose from the ground exactly on the edge of the circle. Most of the party members managed to run away, but Rat wasn’t so lucky. He was pierced with three spikes and lifted off the ground. His attempts to break free resulted in more damage: his body simply slid down, and the wounds became wider and wider. Very soon, the blood-soaked stones turned crimson, as did the snow under them.
The only thing keeping Rat from dying was Ronin’s abilities. The latter also hadn’t had the time to run away but he had managed to jump up at the last moment, and was hovering in the air several feet above the spikes. In addition to himself, he had to keep the rodent afloat, which wasn’t an easy task as the pet was very heavy. Ronin’s face was red with effort, his hands were shaking, and the hide that he refused to remove had slid aside to reveal his skinny body dressed in a jacket and canvas pants.
“L-Loki... T-Tell him n-not to... move... I... I won’t b-be able... t-to... hold h-him...”
“Rat, freeze!”
The rodent immediately froze in place, and Ronin slowly began to pull him off the spikes. Luckily, he didn’t have to try long. A second later, the spikes disappeared underground, leaving the bleeding pet in the snow. Kay-Si’s startled voice came from the cromlech’s direction.
“Guys! Gods... I... I’m sorry... I... I didn’t mean to.”
***
Fortunately, Rat had a lot of HP, great damage resistance, and quick regeneration. The parasite inside him felt no pain, except for that of the pet’s injuries. The spikes hadn’t reached it, and the Rat, if we were being honest, had long died and gave up his body to the parasite. So as long as the latter lived, so would the pet.
While we were talking to Kay-Si, Spider was patching up Rat’s wounds with cobwebs, gradually increasing his HP. Soon, the pet was back on his feet and began to restore the lost blood. The stones had left a couple of ugly scars, but the rodent didn’t care for them.
“Again, I’m sorry. I didn’t know you’d be coming, so I set traps, and...” Kay-Si looked at Rat apologetically. The rodent was smiling, seemingly enjoying the sensation of Spider’s legs piercing his skin, which seemed to him like tickling.
“Who were you expecting if this was to be their welcome?” Amoeba asked, annoyed.
“Light mages,” Kay-Si replied vaguely. “I’ve been digging through some interesting things for the last few weeks... Let’s just say that what I’m doing will be a historical event. But I still have very little information... So I have to dig in places where I shouldn’t be digging... And... Well, you know how it goes.”
I had no idea why he thought we knew what he was working on but his project did seem interesting. He had been jumping through portals, looking for stories about the Game’s lore and history. He didn’t specify what exactly he was looking for, however.
“About everything that comes after,” he replied once we asked him to elaborate. “There are a couple of fundamental points that are still unknown to me. Where are you guys going?” he asked, looking around with interest at our group that was armed to the teeth and carrying a large number of supplies.
I filled him in about the Tower and the Mountain Valley. Kay-Si listened carefully, sometimes asking for details. He was particularly interested in Aslan and the Priest. But when I came to Ulter, he listened absentmindedly, his mind focused on something else.
“That explains a lot,” he said once I was done talking. “Seems we’re going to the same place. There are different ways to get to it, but the fastest one is through the Pit. You’ll see what I’m working on after we’re done there.”
“What’s there?” Ivan asked.
“You don’t know? Huh... Down there is the Abyss City, the abode of the light mages.”
***
I really, really didn’t like what was about to unfold. Judging by my experience with the light mages, the expedition to their abode didn’t bode well. Hell, the City’s residents could barely be called good anymore. Just take the Priest for an example.
On the other hand, it wasn’t like he had much choice. Perhaps he had been evil before he came here. I wouldn’t be surprised if it turned out that he was making a harem for himself or trying to make himself the ruler of all mages. Or both.
And what about Aslan and his warning that Heaven wasn’t what it used to be? He and his brother were also in exile. I wouldn’t be surprised if, for personal reasons, the Priest had imprisoned them in the desert, and that Archon had sent his brother to the Mountain Valley to get rid of him and rule on his own.
Whatever the story was, political games didn’t concern me. Our task was simple — retrieve the sixth fragment and get the hell out of Dodge. With the newly received Heavy Disguise mod, this should be easy to do. I’d pretend to be the Red Baron (that is, a gray mage) and have a chat with the City’s residents. Or, at the very least, I’d get in with the help of the Piper skill.
Still... I couldn’t help but be afraid that things would go wrong.
***
Six players, one NPC, and one former shaman, reborn as a demon.
The portal was located at the very bottom of the Pit. It looked like all the rest: a smooth, mirror-like oval surface sparkling with lilac iridescence. A soap bubble that didn’t want to burst as if in protest of the laws of physics.
The first to enter was Amoeba to check the weather conditions. A minute later, the biologist’s translucent head poked out of the portal.
“Take off your jackets. It’s like in Tuapse during ‘95.”
I couldn’t remember what was so special about Tuapse in ninety-five. Abnormally hot summer? Unlikely. It was probably related to Amoeba’s personal life, about which he hadn’t told us yet. All in all, I was glad to hear that it was warm, as I was getting tired of our area’s cold climate, so I gladly threw off the warm jacket and jumped through the portal.
I had barely felt the surface of the portal when I emerged on the other side. It was pitch black so when I heard Amoeba’s voice, I twitched, startled.
“It’s not deep. Stick to the left wall and get out quickly.”
The cave was indeed short. It wasn’t even a cave, but a hollow at the very base of a hill. The unknown location greeted us with bright afternoon sun. The biologist hadn’t lied: it really was warm here, hot even. We were somewhere south, where the air was fresh and the view wonderful.
The climate here was similar to the Medit
erranean. Greece came to mind. Amoeba’s comparison with Tuapse was strange. Although, Russian scientists had never been showered with money and couldn’t afford to travel abroad.
“It’s a shame... I doubt any of us had gone far before all this...”
The landscape really was reminiscent of Greece. Next to the cave, in which the portal was located, were several towering palm trees, their black ribbed trunks covering the entrance from the eyes of passersby. A little way off, I noticed figs and cypress trees. The atmosphere was wonderful. It seemed like at any moment a lyre would begin to play somewhere, its strings trembling under the slender fingers of a talented musician in a chiton. Having stepped from behind the trees, I expected to see a majestic commercial city built on the sea coast, gulls soaring the sky, and smell the salty sea air.
Next to me, Rat snorted as he came out of the cave. He seemed to like it here as well.
***
The Compass was pointing toward a rather steep hill hidden in the northern part of the location.
As soon as we climbed to the top, a fresh salty wind blew in our faces, and somewhere on the horizon, tucked between the green hillsides, was a flash of wonderful azure. In addition to the sea, we also saw some ruins.
I adjusted the Visor, zooming in on the image.
I could call what I saw a developed seaside town that had once been full of people and a bustling trade spot. The ruins were in a much more neglected state than the remains of the Greek polis and in dire need of restoration.
“Friends,” Kay-Si said thoughtfully, squinting to the left (apparently looking at the mini-map). “I guess this is where we part ways. The City is up north, right at the precipice. I’m interested in these ruins.”
“We were hoping you could help us find the fragment,” Amoeba said. “I’m also a fan of architecture, but we have more important matters to attend to.”
“As much as I agree with you, my friend, I must insist that you go on without me.” Kay-Si smiled, squinting against the sun, causing wrinkles to cover his pale face. “Deceiving the System is one thing, but deceiving the mages... If they see me... Well, I’m not really the most inconspicuous person, am I? They’ll kill me on the spot... Believe me, I know. I’ve felt their hatred toward anything and anyone with the adjective ‘dark’ in their name on my own skin.”
“But... What about Loki?” the biologist asked, turning to me.
At that moment, I assumed the form of the burly Red Baron with a silver beard, dressed in presentable aristocratic garb. I didn’t do anything to actually alter my appearance, just created the illusion of the Red Baron, which should be enough to deceive even the most advanced mages. I had the Priest to thank for this.
“I have an equally important job ahead of me,” Kay-Si said. “The object of my study is very ancient. The information I need may be in these ruins — the original base of the white mages... I wish you good luck. I’ll be waiting for you at the top of this hill in a day.” Kay-Si bowed elegantly and started walking toward the ruins that were disappearing on the horizon, but suddenly stopped, turning around. “Beware of the white mages: the ones I’ve been able to talk to have told me rather... strange stories about the City.”
***
It’d seem that the Abyss City was just another metaphor that barely coincided with reality. This was, unfortunately, a common occurrence in the Game.
Screeching Mountain, Noisy Pit, Bright Valley, Uncharted Lands — these were few locations that lived up to their names. The nasty sound in the Screeching Mountain was made by the wind rushing through its numerous tunnels. The Pit “made noise” only when the Pilgrims appeared. The Bright Valley was well lit even in the evening, but to a reasonable extent. The Lands was indeed wild, at least in its concept. Unfriendly as it was, in the middle of it was the peaceful Progl-Log.
But Abyss City truly lived up to its name.
“But what are we going to do if we don’t...” Spider stopped, not finishing his sentence.
We had just reached the top of another hill that offered an even more impressive view. As far as the eye could see there was... nothing. A vast sea of darkness. From the quiet Greek landscape, we walked right into a gigantic sinkhole. To the east, the chasm disappeared below the horizon; to the west, it disappeared under an old mountain range, overgrown with yellow bushes. The bottom of the chasm wasn’t visible. It was too deep; so deep that the sun’s rays were consumed by eternal darkness.
The abyss seemed to cut through the location. No. It seemed to cut through the planet itself, like a deep scar.
“Like the Grand Canyon,” Ronin said softly.
I nodded. The comparison was more than valid. Compared to the chasm, we seemed like ants who had falsely felt like the kings of their little hill and had forgotten that the only thing they could count on was a higher position in the food chain. Nature dealt with pseudo-kings very cruelly. Ants were crushed by people. And people were crushed by the Giant.
The question was: was there anyone who could crush the steel titan?
Mesmerized, it took us a while to notice a white semicircle surrounded by stone walls. Like a coin next to a highway. The eye refused to focus on it, preferring to follow the cars passing by. And this “coin” was a city. The city at the precipice, built on a ledge that slightly protruded into the crevice.
We were spotted immediately.
Four white dots popped out of the city — White Pilgrims and their riders.
***
They were silent. My attempt to speak with any of them was met with failure: the tanned faces of the anthropomorphic creatures showed no trace of emotion. I wondered if it was because my Linguistics was still too low but I doubted that was the reason.
The mages were dark-skinned and bipedal, clothed in white robes, the same kind worn both by Graybeard and the Priest. In their sinewy hands they held whips, with which they beat their horses mercilessly.
The White Pilgrims were unkempt, their manes stained in places, and open jaws with several missing teeth. It was as if they had participated in some battle, from which they emerged victorious, but not without consequence. They struggled to breathe but obediently endured their riders’ beatings.
Kry
Novice
Level 45
He rode in front and motioned for us to follow. Surprised, we headed after them toward the Abyss City.
***
The city walls turned out to be fake.
Visually, they looked very strong, vaguely reminiscent of the fortress walls of a medieval castle, with their battlements and turrets but served only as decoration. I struggled to believe that the carved walls, framed with marble inserts, had ever been attacked. I doubted that anyone had ever attacked the mages. We had barely managed to kill the Priest with Scar’s help, and I doubted that Archon, the current ruler of this city, would be weaker than his brother.
But what about the ruins by the sea, the former base of white mages? Who had turned that city into a ruin?
I wouldn’t call this city big; it was quite small, especially by human standards. I’d compare it to a city from the Middle Ages — centers of trade and craftsmanship, where residents of the surrounding villages gathered to sell and buy goods, have fun, and defend themselves from enemy attacks. The white mages probably played the role of such rural residents, only occasionally visiting the City. But that was just my guess.
As our group passed through the ornate gate, we were met by a distinguished-looking mage named Claudius, clad in a clean white robe. He was smiling and had a potbelly.
He glared at the acolytes escorting us and then boomed:
“Greetings, travelers! Archon is waiting for you.”
Chapter 21
ARCHON
Archon? Just like that?
It was obvious that travelers weren’t an unusual sight here, but to send strangers directly to the person in charge? Why not send them to someone in administration first? Why send them to an ancient mage, the brother of the Priest who’s been runnin
g the entire “white block” (as I called the light mages) for several millennia?
There was a look of surprise on everyone’s faces. Amoeba’s voice came over the comm channel:
“Something tells me that they’ve been waiting for us...”
Claudius scratched his big belly, which was slipping out of the tightly-knotted wide belt, and boomed:
“Well, Graybeard? I take it you’re in charge here? Well, lead your group! You’re expected but that doesn’t mean that you should linger.”
It took me a moment to realize that Graybeard was me. But Willow caught on, nudging me with her elbow (which was pretty painful, by the way). I waved her away and nodded respectfully to Claudius.
“Greetings, Claudius. It’s a great honor to meet the Archon. Will you show us the way?”
“Why else would I be standing here?” He chuckled and headed for the central part of the city where a tall building with a tower could be seen between three and four-story buildings made of white stone. I was willing to bet that that was where the head of the mages lived.
Despite the fact that I had little confidence in the reliability of my disguise, I wasn’t afraid that I’d be figured out. But I was almost trembling with anticipation. It wasn’t even about meeting Archon, but the fact that we were here, in the abode of the white mages, that we were being taken to negotiate with the head of the “white block,” and that we were being treated with respect — all this seemed to hint that the trip to here wasn’t just another trip for a fragment. We were expecting answers, conclusions, and explanations to many mysteries and questions that have been tormenting me since the very beginning of the Game.
Our surroundings only enhanced the effect making us feel like we were in another world. It wasn’t like passing through a Portal to die in the heat on the way to the Tower, or being subjected to new challenges in the Mountain Valley, no! This was a whole new world.
Reborn: Evolution: A LitRPG Series (Warlock Chronicles Book 3) Page 24
