Keymaster

by Sergey Zaytsev

  But Alan the Dark had plans for me.

  He intervened this time, too, as he’d done then, in the cave, when the threat of losing his only neophyte became apparent. But now, there was no invisible gigantic shadow crushing me with its presence. The newly acquired Shadow’s Edge activated on its own, and my perception of my surroundings instantly changed. My sight sharpened drastically, distinguishing even the smallest of fragments of debris that were flying in all directions, beating on the walls and floor of the trap. An invisible hand turned my face, forcing me to look at the only detail that stood out against the general background — the sleeping Guardian. The will of the deity encircled it with a red frame, changing its name to Synchronizer.

  There was no time to speculate on what this meant.

  Sheathing Flame, my heart pounding with excitement, I rushed to the ball, picked it up, and immediately came back, having spent only a couple of seconds on it. I kicked away the remains of the statue, stood on the cleared spot in the center of the elevator, and held the ball at chest level, mimicking the pose of the broken deity. Adrenaline rushing through me, I didn’t care about the Guardian’s weight, which was making my hands shake. The most important thing now was to survive. All of my attention was focused on that. I heard my companions’ concerned voices as if through water. If I misunderstood Alan, then nothing could save us.

  My clanmates gathered around me without any orders, realizing that I had come up with something. Fury clung to me from behind. The floor spun faster. Tinnie hovered over the Guardian and touched it with her hand, looking as if she knew very well what she was doing. And she definitely did something. A light shined from inside the Guardian and flared up, piercing my palms with electricity. The light spilled over my hands, chest, and body and I found myself enveloped in a glittering shell. A glowing circle appeared on the floor, encircling our entire group.

  The security zone has been activated.

  Feeling that something was going wrong, I turned my head. Marana remained standing aside, surrounded by a cloud of dust and rubble. Her shoulders sagged, and I saw despair fill her eyes. The ceiling was about to touch the tips of her horns...

  Did you condemn yourself to atone for something that you haven’t willingly done?!

  “To us!” I roared. “Move it!”

  Marana straightened in disbelief. And although she hesitated for a split second, she managed to, at the last moment, in one long jump, close the distance between us.

  The ceiling was closer...

  And we flew through it as if through water.

  A second of blackout...

  And we emerged in a different room on the floor above. Everything around us trembled from the heavy impact of the plate. And then silence fell. The light went out, and the inky darkness and total uncertainty enveloped us. Tinnie soared over our heads and shined as brightly as she could. Like vegetables from the ground, we peeked from the hole in the floor that was a step lower than the rest of it. A thick cloud of dust filled the completely empty room, raised by a wave of air that we brought along with us.

  “I nearly… Pissed my pants. Double true,” Mashta said between sporadic gasps. “It scared me to death. I could already feel our bones cracking.”

  “You know what? To the hell with elevators...” Stinger agreed without his usual grim smile; the near death experience shook him to the core as well. “Wait a minute... Are we in the Citadel?! Or am I imagining things?”

  I understood why he had come to this conclusion. Unlike the basement, this room was square, and its walls were made of stone the very red color of which I had seen from the cornice. There were no windows around either. Only one door led out, and it was currently locked. But what interested me was not the door, but the staircase leading along the wall to the next floor.

  The Synchronizer reminded me of its presence; it probably weighted around seventy pounds or so. Putting it on the edge of the pit, I got out in one quick move.

  “Don’t just stand there. What if it starts descending?”

  Chapter 57

  Spurred by the warning, my companions instantly jumped out of the pit. Fury leapt out softly and silently, and froze beside me, not taking her gaze off Marana who had immediately moved away from our group and closer to the door, and was glancing warily at us. Looking at her face it was impossible to understand what she was thinking. And yet, I knew. That mental exchange left its mark. Some things I understood immediately, while others came later — she was struggling and things were heating up. My companions were burning with righteous anger, and had to be calmed down urgently, lest the situation escalates.

  “She’s not our enemy, calm down! Let’s get down to business, we need to explore the tower.”

  “Not our enemy?! Then what the hell was that?!” Mashta blurted out angrily. “She nearly killed us! Why are you defending her? It was you who saved the day!”

  “Tearrr! Rrrend!” the Raksh growled, waving his daggers and spitting.

  “Rawrk, my friend, no one will neither tear nor rend anyone. Marana had plenty of opportunities to kill us. Moreover, her intervention, even though it was against her will, opened up a way for us, saving us a lot of time. Not to mention that she’s a source of valuable information about Demons, which will come in handy. C’mon, focus on the silver lining for once.”

  “I see you know more than we do!” Stinger grumbled, accepting my arguments and calming down. “But see, these unforgettable feelings we’ve received thanks to her won’t abandon me anytime soon. You can die in many ways, but this one is a rather unpleasant one. Did she bug out or what?”

  “Something like that. The Creepoars fought the local Goddess to death. This is something that they can’t forget. And then this statue appears, looking like Jeeva in the flesh. And that’s when our Succubus’s brain short-circuited.”

  “And how did you guess that it would be safe near the statue?”

  “It seemed odd that they’d put such an important statue in the middle of a trap. And Alan gave me a hint. And now I ask for a moment of silence.”

  I took out the pipe, lit it up, and walked over to Marana. She hastily grabbed the pipe and took a greedy puff, blowing blue smoke out of her nostrils. The buff was active once more. Her face relaxed, smoke driving away her tension and fear. Looking into her peaceful eyes, I took the pipe and spoke as confidentially as possible.

  “Listen to me, Marana. Everyone is important to us, including you. But you better stay here for now. You have to cope with whatever is that you’re experiencing. Your past managed to shake you up, but now you know what you’re dealing with. You are stronger than that. I believe that you can handle it. Agreed?”

  She nodded uncertainly, still tapping her ankles with the tip of her tail a little nervously.

  “When you feel ready to join us, catch up.”

  Once I rejoined the rest of the party, I passed the pipe around and we all took a drag from it.

  “Enough is enough, let’s not waste any more time. Stinger, move on.”

  We walked up the dusty stone staircase to the next floor. Stinger entered the room first, Tinnie followed, illuminating the path. Finding nothing threatening, we went after them.

  The light of the two moons poured through the narrow windows shielded by blurred glass into the dark and long-abandoned room. Tinnie went to the center of the room and flared a little brighter, trying to push back even more darkness.

  The outlines of the dilapidated racks placed evenly along the walls, densely packed with dusty tomes, appeared. Ten feet away from us was another locked door, right after it was another staircase leading to the upper floor, and to the left of one of the windows stood a massive stone table and a wooden chair with a high backrest.

  In this chair sat a silhouette of a man, above which was a name — Phoenix Shriek, highlighted the system.

  In person.

  I wasn’t the only one to notice the corpse. Stinger cautiously raised his hand and stepped closer, but then he caught himself and backed
away.

  “Seems to me that this guy’s dead, but... In any case, Wise, you brought us here, so it’s all yours. You’re the lucky one, so there’s less chance that you’ll screw up. I don’t want such responsibility.”

  “Same here,” Mashta said, seeming more humble and docile than ever. “My heart’s pounding like crazy. I can’t believe that we’re here. I was starting to get used to the idea that I would grow old in Lunar Rainbow. And then you appeared...”

  I glanced at Rawrk — he remained near the stairs, not daring to go further. He had managed to grab the Synchronizer, which I forgot, and was now frantically squeezing it in his four hands. His fur was on its end, and his eyes were bulging. I had never before seen our brave Raksh so frightened. Well, I could understand where he was coming from. He was quite literally standing on the threshold of the abode in which a legend lived, one that was responsible for the very existence of his kin. Centuries must’ve passed by the game’s standards. It was safe to assume that the Raksh were here long before the outcasts.

  Fury tried to stick closer to me, but I asked her to stay aside and be ready, not doubting for a second that she would rush into the fray as soon as the first threat appeared.

  “Have we not fulfilled the quest conditions yet?” Stinger sheathed his daggers and scratched the back of his head in bewilderment. “Here he is, Phoenix Shriek. So what if he’s dead? We found his body, so the legends must be true then. Good God, where the hell is our reward?!”

  “I suspect we need to find another clue,” I replied, shrugging with demonstrative calmness, although I was as worried as much as they were. “Remember this moment, boys and girls, because this is the moment of truth. We’ll finally get to see the fruits of our labor. Tinnie, let’s take a closer look.”

  Cautiously circling the chair, I stopped to look at the mage’s face. Tinnie hovered closer to his head, spreading yellow light around.

  So that’s how you look, Phoenix Shriek...

  Despite the centuries that had passed, he looked almost alive. His eyes were closed, and his pale, rigid face was adorned with a hawk-like profile and a short beard. You could think by his looks that he was in his forties. His dark, curly hair reached his shoulders was stuck to his scalp with a thin golden hoop, decorated with large gemstones, and named by the system as Diadem of Binding, without any additional stats. His hands were folded on his knees, his fingers clenched into fists, as if in great tension. From underneath a spacious robe that reached the ground and was clearly made from expensive cloth, peeked cloth shoes. Despite the room being covered in dust, not a speck of it was on his face or clothes. Mages.

  “So, what’s our next move, Wise?” Mashta impatiently broke the silence.

  “Hold your horses,” Stinger interrupted her. “The boss’s gonna come up with something. Let him think.”

  “Yeah, I’m on it. The gears are spinning,” I chuckled involuntarily. “My guess is that we should, for starters, examine everything. I’ll deal with the mage; you walk around the room, but don’t touch anything. Look for any key items, or secret levers, anything worthy of attention. Rawrk, you better stay there, watch the stairs.”

  “Rawrk likes listen to Wise,” he agreed hoarsely, still hugging the Synchronizer as if it were his favorite toy.

  So, what do we have here on this table…? Several parchments made of gray leather and twisted into tubes, a triple candelabrum with dusty candles, a dried inkpot and a writing pen next to it… Something seemed odd — all the objects on the table were arranged and laid out so that the empty spot of about two feet in diameter remained in the center. I hoped that whatever had been there before hasn’t disappeared without a trace.

  Bending over the tabletop, I cleaned a thick layer of dust with my hand, using gentle and slow moves, trying to keep it from rising into the air. No one wanted centuries old muck in the lungs. It took a couple of minutes to clear the whole spot, but a familiar pattern soon emerged from the grime — a circle with nine deep slots for Crystals in it. Luckily, I had accumulated a decent stock of them; more than enough for experiments.

  They fit into the slots like a glove, but, alas, nothing happened. There was no visual reaction, nor were there messages of any sort. My gaze fell on the candelabrum. The shape of the notches under the candles seemed similar to the one on the table. I inserted Crystals into it, too. Nothing. Maybe I had to read some of the parchments? Could I even read them? I reached for the nearest scroll, but it crumbled into dust the moment I touched it. Heck…

  A loud creak made me flinch. Turning around, I saw Stinger looking out of the half-open door leading out of the room.

  “Good God, there’s a bridge here,” the tank reported with the joy of an adventurer discovering a hidden treasure. “And there’s another door on the other side, it connects to the second tower. I’m going to see what’s there...”

  “Stop! You take one more step and I’ll show you the power of not such a good God! You can’t simply wander around! We could be killed off one by one!’

  “Don’t worry about me, Wise, I’m worried enough as it is.” Grinning, Stinger gently closed the door and approached me, cautiously looking at the table and the mage.

  “Nothing interesting on my end,” Mashta reported, ending her tour through the room and stopping near me as well. “There are only books and scrolls on the shelves. I’m scared to touch them as they might fall apart like these on the table did. Maybe we should check upstairs?”

  “No. I’m telling you — don’t wander alone. If you stumble upon some slumbering guards, we’ll be neck deep in trouble.”

  “I think you should take a look at the dead man’s chair,” Stinger suggested.

  “I suspect the case isn’t just with the dead man,” I said thoughtfully. “It was said that the mage didn’t evaluate his power well, and evaporated when he used the spell. The ritual, which was never completed, went astray, giving rise to two Spheres, Inner and Outer, instead of just one. To restore the ritual, according to the logic of things, we needed a mage the same level as Phoenix Shriek. But there’s no such mage here, which means that players have to figure something out on their own.”

  “There are nine gems in his Diadem,” Stinger said and looked at the table. “And you stuck nine Crystals into the tabletop. There’s definitely some sort of connection...”

  “So you’ve also noticed,” I said, pleased that at least one of my companions started using their head, helping me with finding a solution. “Yes, and the Diadem’s name is an obvious hint.”

  “Just don’t mess it up, I beg you,” pleaded the Lowling when I reached to touch the mage’s head. “I’m out of patience. I don’t know if I can handle another dud...”

  “Noted. Now shut up.”

  As soon as my fingers touched the Diadem, the corpse began to fall apart right before my eyes. Hair fell off, decay ran across the face, exposing the bones, and then the bones themselves fell apart with a quiet rustle. At once, his entire body turned into a pile of dust on the chair. Even his garments fell apart, leaving only tatters. But the Diadem remained in my trembling hands; I was scared that everything else would fall apart in the same manner.

  “I beg you...” Mashta moaned, frightened to death by what she had just seen.

  “Quiet, you!” Stinger hushed the girl, though he turned pale himself. “Don’t panic! The main thing is that the Citadel itself hasn’t yet collapsed...”

  “Bite your tongue,” I muttered, eyeing the Diadem.

  “What are you waiting for, Wise? Don’t stop now. Sit on the chair.”

  “Calm down, Sting, we’ll test your theory.”

  Brushing off the remains of Phoenix Shriek to the floor and frowning in disgust at having to sit on the dust, I sank into the chair and gently put the Diadem on top of my head. It zapped me briefly, as if with a weak electrical discharge.

  A minute passed, and nothing napped. Everyone was silent; they even seemed to have stopped breathing. In search of a solution, my gaze went over to the
table again. I couldn’t get my eyes off the circle.

  “Rawrk! The ball!” I commanded. “Put in the center.”

  “Rawrk loves...”

  “Hey, furball, less loving, more walking!” Stinger snapped. “Speed it up!”

  Mashta gasped.

  I guessed it right this time. As soon as it touched the tabletop, the ball flared up, and so did the Crystals behind it. Both Stinger and Mashta cautiously retreated a couple of steps, just in case, and Rawrk jogged back to the stairs. Rawrk likes to jog... I caught myself thinking. I’m already spouting nonsense. But Mashta and Stinger had a point — it was better to be afraid from a safe distance. I felt the Diadem get warmer... And then the Crystals began to move along the tabletop, but left no marks on its surface. Each of them gradually shifted to a separate orbit, moving around the Synchronizer, like planets around the Sun. Five of them lined up, rotating synchronously, but their formation was incomplete — the other four didn’t match them in rotation speed and location.

  There was a flash, and the Citadel was gone.

  Time seemed to stop again. My consciousness suddenly left my body and rushed somewhere upward. The boundaries of my visible surroundings instantly spread apart, as once before, in the Cradle, when my matrix was being saved. From a great height, I saw the world of Lunar Rainbow stretching below me. On the ground, nine luminous dots were scattered among the valleys and mountain chains, marking the location of the Seals — five green and four red. The green ones were active, and the red were damaged.

  Cunning: +1 (12)

  Bonus: + 20% of current level XP (27,550); Intelligence + 2 (57)

  Quest complete: Shriek Citadel

  Epic quest

  Objective: Confirm that the legend of Phoenix Shriek is true.

  Reward: 100% of current level XP; 1 save; 1,000 reputation with all races of Lunar Rainbow