The Citadel (Mirror World Book #2)

by Alexey Osadchuk

  I wasn't quite sure yet what exactly I had to watch out for and what to take cover from, but I had a funny feeling that staying out in the open wasn't a healthy idea. A few more players ducked into my lane (quite high-level ones, too), convincing me that I was thinking in the right direction.

  I dropped to the ground and covered my head with my hands, checking out of the corner of my eye if anyone would laugh at my behavior. No one did. An Alven guy even gave me a nod of approval. Judging by his gear, he was one of the magic classes. With his level 160, he had no need to grovel in the road dust. He was probably going to magic a force shield for himself any time soon.

  For a few moments, the street fell quiet. The air rang with silence: not a shouting voice, not a single sound. The proverbial lull before the storm. Nothing was happening, but I had a strong desire to shrink ever deeper into the ground.

  A whooshing hiss, unexpectedly loud, ripped through the silence. I could feel every hair on my virtual body stand on end.

  The hiss grew closer, transforming into a roar. Now I could hear that the sound was comprised of dozens of similar ones... hundreds maybe, merging into one blood-curdling wail produced by something very scary and undoubtedly lethal.

  I pressed my hands to my ears, my eardrums about to explode with the roar. I didn't look at the other players. They must have felt the same.

  The spine-chilling wail stopped.

  Once again the air rang with silence.

  Then it collapsed on top of me in a torrent — no, a tsunami of dreadful noise. The cracking of wood and the crunching of stone, the tinkling of exploding glass, the clanking of metal and the screaming of human voices.

  A God-awful earth tremor resonated through my body.

  And another one.

  And yet again.

  The walls of surrounding houses swayed. Somewhere behind me the stonework must have collapsed, bringing part of a building down. Dust choked the lane.

  A muffled voice came from within the gray haze,

  "The Calteans have moved in their trebuchets. These houses make it a perfect trap. One direct hit, and we'll be buried alive."

  Obeying the words of the invisible player, I scrambled to my feet and took a peek round the corner. I could barely recognize the street enveloped in dust and smoke.

  I peered through the suspended gray haze at one of our unwelcome "guests". A huge chunk of rock the size of my country cottage had ploughed through the street, leaving a long ragged trench in its wake. It now hung dangerously over the bakery where only a few minutes ago I'd witnessed the players' hopeful voices. Another one had landed about fifty feet away like a misshapen bowling ball, knocking several buildings over in its traject.

  Screams for help came from within the clouds of dust. Somewhere close, stonework continued to collapse, judging by the sounds of falling masonry, woodwork and glass.

  A shove on my shoulder threw me aside. My comrades in misery surged out of their shelter. Thanks a lot, guys, for not trampling over me. I checked my clothes. The push had been strong — but luckily, it hadn't affected my gear's Durability. Big sigh of relief.

  I cast a quick look around me. I was about to use this momentary hiatus and make a dash for the barracks when a hand lay on my shoulder.

  "Don't rush."

  The voice was calm and confident. I turned around. The Alven wizard stood at my side, peering into the dust cloud.

  "This is only the beginning," he nodded at the ravaged street. "It's true what the experts say: you should never take cover from bombs in a built-up area. Still, this is probably the safest place to sit out what is about to happen."

  I wanted to ask him what he meant when more shouts came from the ruins,

  "Watch out!"

  "Get down!"

  "Hedgehogs coming in!"

  The wizard gave a shrug as in, I told you so. "There it comes. I strongly advise you to step back and resume your position on the ground."

  Silently I obeyed. If I were so lucky to have run into an experienced player, I'd better use the opportunity.

  The wizard peeked out, then stepped back and crouched next to me, leaning against his fancily carved staff.

  "If I understood you correctly, we're about to be assaulted by some hedgehogs?" I used the brief pause to pick his brains.

  He chuckled. "Not just any old hedgehogs. These are Rock Erezes. They're mobs. Other guys may call them hedgehogs but they're anything but cute. All they might have in common is sharp venomous quills on their backs. So I don't think it's a good simile."

  "Can they fly?"

  "Oh, no. The Calteans trap them in the mountains, then hurl the traps over here with trebuchets. The traps deactivate on impact, releasing these furious spiky monsters."

  "And the Calteans, who are they? Are they some Dark clan?"

  The wizard grinned. "Some players could use a bit of catching up! The Darkies are players just like ourselves. The Calteans are a race inhabiting No-Man's Lands."

  "Does that mean they're mobs?"

  "Not really. They're NPCs. Mirror Souls, if you want, only that they're hostile to both Light and Dark. No-Man's Lands are very densely populated and none of their inhabitants stay neutral. And I don't think it's going to change in any foreseeable future."

  With every new piece of information offered, I felt less enthusiastic about my potential trip to retrieve the Ennan treasure. That's provided it even existed and that the whole story wasn't some demented programmer's cruel joke.

  More warning shouts came. The earth shuddered again, its impact on my body much weaker this time. But considering the fact that these were the echoes of "hedgehogs" landing, I dreaded to contemplate their size.

  "That was close," the wizard said, relieved.

  He was about to add something else when a lump the size of an elephant landed directly in front of our temporary shelter. The impact sent me trampolining through the air.

  The lump rolled on. I glimpsed a coarse-meshed net left at the site of its landing. It wasn't made of nylon or thread but of thick steel links.

  A few heartbeats later, I heard the monster's furious roar followed by screams for help.

  'That's it. Suppose I spoke too soon," the wizard chuckled and stood up to his full height.

  His staff and his armor turned sky-blue. He downed two vials of something or other and stepped forward. As he was about to walk out of our lane into the open, he turned back to me.

  "You'd better get out of here," he said.

  I nodded. "Thanks for your help. I owe you."

  "You do," he said, then darted toward the sounds of the melee.

  I took a deep breath. For the umpteenth time, I peeked around the corner. No one seemed to be lying in wait for me. The dust had settled enough for me to get a good eyeful of this "hedgehog".

  Oh. Nothing good. The level 270 creature didn't look like a hedgehog at all. If anything, it resembled a Komodo dragon with a long head and a jawful of crooked fangs. His back was covered with long spikes from his neck right down to the end of his long tail. Despite the creature's seeming clumsiness, it moved very quickly.

  Several players had already engaged the creature, including my wizard. I counted seven in total — the wizard being the highest-level of them all.

  Three of the fighters hurried to put all of their combat training to good use. Judging by their coordinated actions, they must have been a group. But in general, the melee didn't seem particularly well-organized. The players must have teamed up in a hurry using whatever skills each of them had. A level-150 Rock Rhoggh was doing the tanking, expertly focusing the mob's aggro on himself. Problem was, even I could see he was no match for it.

  Despite being outnumbered, the hedgehog seemed to control the situation. It may sound weird but the creature seemed to attack and defend itself by the book.

  Its long spiky tail lashed about, meting out blows. Each such hit stripped the mob's opponent of quite a lot of Life; every other hit also added some nasty poison debuff to the damage. That
's not forgetting his fangs and his powerful legs.

  Even I could see that if the cavalry didn't arrive pretty quickly, these brave seven would die a valiant death without really dealing much damage to the monster.

  Very well. It looked like I'd outstayed my welcome here. Time to leg it.

  Just as I activated my bot, another couple of players darted out from around the corner of a crumbled house. Their vital stats were in the red. Both were hung with the familiar nasty debuffs. Their eyes were wide open, their mouths contorted by fear and desperation. The two miserable excuses for warriors dashed past me, gasping and screaming for help.

  What happened next I'd probably remember for the rest of my life. It was like watching a movie in slow motion. No idea what had saved me: it could have been the warning growl of the approaching behemoth or the aforementioned corner of the demolished house that the giant spiky Komodo dragon had swept away in its stride. Could be a bit of both, I suppose. I leaped awkwardly aside, saving the local road builders the trouble of picking my miserable remains out of the cracks between the cobblestones.

  The monster rumbled past, roaring its fury as it caught up with the hapless players. Not only had they failed to stop the creature themselves, they'd pulled it toward us, as well! Now the Alven wizard was toast, that's for sure.

  The screaming players never reached the scene of combat though. The hedgehog caught up with them. Even I, snuggling in the dust on a pile of debris, heard the snapping sound of its jaws. The dead players' bodies promptly faded into the air, leaving behind two neat trunkfuls of various gaming goodies they'd earned with their own hard labor.

  I wondered if grave robbing was common in the Citadel, imagining the two hapless players — barefoot and in their white starting underpants — scurrying back double quick to pick up their stuff.

  In three long leaps the hedgehog reached the scene of combat and joined in the fight, making the situation much worse for the seven players. After a couple of minutes, the two monsters had brought their number down to three. Surprisingly, the last men standing were the tanking Rhoggh, the Alven wizard and a gnome crossbowman. Despite his seemingly cumbersome armor, the Rhoggh fluttered around like a butterfly over a meadow, dealing powerful blows right, left and center. Admittedly, it cost him a great number of Life points. Had it not been for the wizard busy healing him non-stop, the fight might have already been over.

  The wizard had it rough. Ignoring his own protection, he poured all of his own mana into the Rhoggh's life support. The gnome looked the healthiest of all three. His Life was firmly in the green. Not a single debuff. He just stood behind the wizard's back, methodically loosing off bolts.

  Even I could see that the moment the Rhoggh went down, that would be the end of them. Neither the gnome nor the wizard would last a few seconds without him. What a shame. They were giving it their all. I couldn't take my eyes off them even though I was supposed to be hightailing it for dear life.

  I was about to scramble to my feet when the inevitable finally happened: the Rhoggh died. His body dissolved into thin air. The wizard attempted to redirect the leftover mana to his own defense but also flew into the air, struck by a powerful blow from the mob's spiky tail. He landed amid the ruins of the building: I clearly saw some of the brickwork collapse on top of him.

  Seeing their luck finally turn, the gnome darted toward the main square. The two hedgehogs didn't appreciate their opponent's behavior. Their disappointed roaring echoed through the streets as they set off after him. Judging by the gnome's impressive head start, he had every chance of avoiding the sad fate of turning into a chestful of goodies sitting on the cobblestones.

  Finally, the whole cacophony of the clattering of weapons mixed with the monsters' deafening roar, all the screaming of players and the noise of buildings collapsing died away. Silence enveloped the street. The dreadful sounds of battle still reached out from a distance.

  It might be a good idea to stay put and sit it out — or should I say hide out? There was still fifteen minutes left until the magic shield restored. The earth wasn't quaking anymore which probably meant that the Calteans had stopped shelling the fortress. That was good. Pretty good.

  While I was still lying about with nothing better to do, I decided to take in my surroundings. The street had been hit hard. It would take a good six months to restore it. Lots of work for the builders. Then again, they shouldn't complain: they'd be looking at a nice growth in skill levels plus all sorts of bonuses.

  Actually, I really should seek the Alven wizard out and repay him in kind. He'd saved my bacon, after all. The lane where I'd been hiding was now a mess of rockfall: the house walls had succumbed to the aftershocks. I dreaded to think what might have happened to me had I lingered there a little longer.

  But what was that? The Calteans' hedgehog trap was still there. How interesting. Should I take a peek, maybe? If I moved along the walls, lurking in the shadows... The street looked deserted but I already knew from experience how deceptive could this silence be.

  Right, what did we have here?

  The trap looked like a cluster of cobwebs made up of chains instead of threads. Judging by the thick layer of rust, the trap's owners didn't care much about its storing conditions. It was approximately six by six foot in size. How on earth had that enormous hedgehog even fit within?

  Jesus, what was I talking about? What rust? What size? Wake up, Olgerd! This is a game!

  Casting wary looks around, I ventured closer. How very interesting.

  Name: A Magic Steel Net

  Effect: Thanks to the ancient magic lore of the Founders, it can trap a wild animal and keep it inside for an indefinite period of time.

  Restriction 1: Only for animals below level 310

  Restriction 2: Only for animals inhabiting No-Man's Lands.

  Player's level: 0 and above

  Status: discharged

  Warning! Binds on pickup!

  Warning! The item expires in,

  01:49...

  01:48...

  01:47...

  Would you like to pick up the item? Yes/No

  I cast another look around. Would picking it up make me a scavenger? I didn't have any right to it, after all. Then again, the hedgehog that it used to confine was still out and about. It was probably out at the main square now, busy laying down the law together with the other monster.

  I had very little idea of the game's rules in this respect. Who had the right to this trophy? I'd never thought I might ever need to know things like that. But still, if anyone wanted to claim it, they were conspicuous by their absence. Besides, whoever deserved it must have been busy by the Altar now. No way they could make it here within the remaining minute and a half.

  Finally, I came up with a plan. I would wait till the last second, then pick the thing up. It was going to disappear, anyway. Why should I waste it, even if I had no idea what I might need it for? My bag had already become a collection of useless objects. If it went on like this, soon I would look like a walking flea market full of weird artifacts.

  I diligently waited another minute, then took a look around. No one. My conscience was clear.

  I clicked Yes.

  With a jolt, the net curled itself into a tight steel ball and disappeared inside my bag.

  Let's have a look. Predictably, the item's countdown timer had disappeared. Now the Caltean trap was safe in my inventory until I could use it. Alternatively, I could always discard it. Not necessarily... but if push came to shove...

  Talking about using it: I immediately received a new system message informing me that I could only use the net once. No idea how and when that was going to happen, but it was good to know. And I still had to recharge it! All in all, it was going to cost me a good 2000 pt. Energy.

  The item's charging scheme was different from that of the Replicator I'd assembled. The system suggested I synchronize my energy source with the magic network. To put it simply, I was expected to become the item's power supply by channeling some
of my daily allotment of energy into the thingy until it accumulated enough to function properly.

  So it looked like I'd got myself another leech syphoning off my powers. Having said that, I could now afford to part with a couple hundred points Energy.

  I pressed Confirm Synchronization. Let the thing charge up. Little by little... you never know, something might come out of it.

  I couldn't help thinking about the Alven wizard. Was he already dead — or was he lying somewhere bleeding to death, buried under some collapsed building? I really needed to go and check on him. Of course, the most logical decision would be to switch the bot back on and continue looking for Captain Gard, but I couldn't just leave without first finding out what had happened to him.

  As I walked, I kept coming across weird-looking piles of stones. They looked identically neat, each stone like the next. They weren't big: if you topped them with a cross or a tombstone, they'd look just like a proper grave. How interesting.

  Finally, I came to the place where, in my estimation, the wizard must have landed. I saw the collapsed wall — and underneath, another one of those piles of stones. Could it really be a grave? Even though, as I already knew, if a player died in battle, he left a chest containing all his in-game possessions behind.

  When I walked closer, I could finally see what it was.

  Name: A Pile of Brick Rubble

  Type: Simple

  Name of the casualty: Marcus

  Expires in: 2 days

  I began reading a rather longish list of item restrictions but was distracted by a voice from behind my back,

  "Cool grave, eh?"

  I turned round and grinned to the wizard. "You look different."

  "This is what they call a birthday suit," Marcus pointed mockingly at his white starting underpants.

  "Mind telling me what this is?" I pointed at the grave.

  "This is a Pile of Rubble. One of Mirror World's signature tricks. The moment I hit the wall, I got buried by bricks."

  "Is it a trap?"