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Fortress of Hope 8
Chapter eight.The first harbinger of trouble.The next morning was sunny and warm. Clear weather was overshadowed by only one incident - Leni broke loose. Shortly before that, I was just standing nearby and discussing with Drevin the question of the speedy construction of a canopy over the entrance to the cave, when I discovered that the master did not listen to me at all and, with his jaw hanging to the ground and glazed eyes, stared somewhere behind me. Intrigued, I turned around, and that's when it happened. A small figure fell off a sheer wall, frantically waving its arms and emitting a heart-rending cry, in an instant covered the distance to the ground and inelegantly crashed into it, raising a high fountain of mud. Glory to the Creator, this momentous event took place at a height of only fifteen cubits from the ground, and Leni escaped with a broken arm in two places, a bruised back and numerous scratches and abrasions. Lucky. Of course, we learned all this later, and at the
Fortress of Hope 9
Chapter nine.Way to home.And again from all sides we are surrounded by an endless and majestic forest. If I had been here at another moment, I might have admired its pristine beauty. Now I have no time for this - the leather harness of the dragger unbearably cuts tired shoulders, sweat rolls down from my steamed face, flooding my eyes. For half a day now, I only looked at my feet, only occasionally tossing my head to make sure that I had not lost my way, and then again staring at the withered grass. I was exhausted so much that if we stumbled upon the Shurds now, I would be enough for no more than a couple of swings of the sword. The rest felt no better - for the third day we stubbornly moved towards the house, dragging heavily loaded sleds behind us. One of the drags was occupied by the smallest of the children, the older ones walked on their own and even tried to help to the best of their strength when the drag got stuck in the interweaving of branches.We filled the remaining t
Fortress of Hope 10
Chapter ten.Dark deeds of a bright church.Accompanied by the brothers of the masters, I examined the settlement - bursting with pride and consumed with impatience, Drevin and Drovin raised me at dawn to show me everything that had been done during our absence.And I, naively, hoped that I could sleep off for the whole last week. Where is there ... who would let me ... The first rays of the sun barely had time to break through the dense clouds and fall on the walls of the gorge when I was unceremoniously awakened. As usual, Ricard, who was sleeping next to him, opened one sleepy eye, grunted something impartial about the restless brothers, and, straightening the slipped blanket, continued to sleep. He certainly didn't want to wake up. With burning envy, I got up, groaning - the workload of the last days had an effect, my muscles ached mercilessly - I made my way to the stream, sprinkled ice water on my face, threw on a tattered leather jacket and waved a doomed hand to Drevin, showi
Fortress of Hope 11
Chapter Eleven.Encounter with an enemy from a forgotten past.Seated at the head of the long table, I surveyed the assembled gloomily, and turned my gaze to the smoke of the funeral pyre billowing over the wall. Shurd and the spider calmed down forever, which could not be said about me. Despite the fact that the rays of the sun still illuminated the earth, darkness reigned in my soul. It didn't take the smartest of people to figure out what had happened. The crippled shurd who came to our house is only a scout. Eyes and ears of an unknown enemy. Moreover, the shurd was looking for not just a human settlement, but ours. Looking for me. At the same time, he had significant information about me. - Shurd was looking for me - I voiced my thoughts aloud, without addressing anyone in particular - Why? Who sent him?- Sir, maybe he was just scouring the district in search of settlements - the namesake objected uncertainly, - Why did you decide that the goblin was looking for you?- Namesa
Fortress of Hope 12
Prologue- Cap, move to the right! Nick's ringing cry echoed through the intercom.Mark twitched in surprise, wincing at the flashing ringing in his ears, but clenching his teeth, obediently followed the advice.“Watch the tunnel panels on the right. You will see gray with a blue tint, beat! - the youngest member of the team continued in the same boyish voice. - I know what I am saying! Chicker drove here last month, complained about how he got into it! ...Well, everything. The talkativeness of the whispering boy has always been on top. And now, on emotions, Nick just went into a rage, excitedly telling the team all the details of his bosom friend.But Mark was not at all up to talking. A blue tide against the monotonous gray background of the tunnel flashed almost immediately after the warning, and the team captain barely managed to hit the right panel at top speed with his fist.- Forward! Forward! Nick added in a cry, abruptly cutting off his emotional opus. - Do not be scared! Mo
Fortress of Hope 13
1. Great things start small.… In a month…… The Anomaly Research Institute, located on a space station orbiting Saturn. Meeting in a small conference room…The further the Inspector of the Council of Nine for Scientific Relations listened to the report, the more gloomy he became.- It's clear. Thank you,” he nodded to the speaker, who had finished his presentation on the small screen. “I can tell at a glance how the Council will respond to your request.The scientists, gathered at the round table in the small conference hall of the Institute, exchanged worried glances. They did not expect the Inspector to take their request so gloomily.The Inspector continued:- So that you do not suffer in ignorance for an indefinite period, according to old friendship, I will say ...The director of the Anomaly Research Institute nodded in satisfaction. An imposing man, with a noble gray hair at the temples, immediately understood what his old acquaintance meant to say, who by the will of fate had
Fortress of Hope 14
. An unpleasant surprise at the start.- Well, how are you feeling?The first of his people, whom Mark saw in the foyer of a glass skyscraper, was Nick.The blond shone like a neon lamp.“Which of us is already here?” - instead of a greeting, Mark asked, holding out his fist for a ritual greeting.Nick touched his fist with his and smiled with all his thirty-two snow-white teeth.You are the fifth.- Frets. I'll go and check it out.Mark walked to the terminal, which, in his opinion, the queue was smaller. Despite the early morning, before the competition crowded in the lobby immeasurably.For the qualifying round, the organizers rented the entire huge high-rise building. And Mark and his friends were lucky to get the whole team into the third wave.Over the past two weeks, we managed to collect a maximum of information about the first round.The organizers of the competition did not bother and took the old virtual game Arkoland as a basis.And the condition of the first round was: to
Fortress of Hope 15
4. Entering the game.On the floor where the elevator took them, they had to spend three days without the opportunity to get out. The game was to be played for three days with breaks for lunch and sleep.Before finding his room, Mark followed an employee through a crowd of others just like him.The guide quickly led them down a long corridor, commenting on the doors flying past.- Signs are everywhere. Dining room, gym, living room, - he also quickly broadcast along the way. - Leaving for lunch at exactly two. Dinner and bed at nine sharp. If you do not go out yourself, we turn it off automatically. Keep in mind that you don't accidentally end up dead in the game, he warned. - The timer is built into the main menu, - he immediately answered the emerging question. “Now take your rooms according to your numbers.” The entrance to the game is exactly at nine.And Mark understood why there were only numbers on the doors now. It remains only to find your room.The modest appearance of the r
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- Fortress of Hope
65
Evening of the same day.Sitting on a computer chair in my own room, I thought about how to dispose of the coins I earned today. My Intelligence and Luck indicators are above average, so I see no point in rushing to increase them. Attractiveness? Now this is much more interesting. Who would refuse to make themselves more attractive in the eyes of the opposite sex? Even followers of the philosophy “a man should be a little more beautiful than a monkey” would hardly miss such a chance. And I won’t miss it either, but I don’t see the point in raising this characteristic right now.My priority is still the task of bringing the physique to average values. Well, I can’t feel like a frail man, whom you can knock over with snot. Therefore, without thinking any more, I invest two out of three coins in the physique indicator.Luck: 35Intelligence: 15Attractiveness: 11Physique: 9 → 11Like last time, a pleasant feeling of strength spread through the body, only this time the physique was incre
- Fortress of Hope
64
Satisfied with her answer, I roughly pull on the leash, forcing the girl to get up and immediately kiss her on the lips. I was in the same room with a scantily clad beauty for too long, which could not leave me indifferent. Any endurance will leak when the dream of the entire male half of the school is on its knees and with a depraved expression asks to become its owner. Ask any guy what he's willing to do to date Sayuki and he'll tell you anything, even become her obedient dog. I am in exactly the opposite position, because now this girl is my slave and is ready to fulfill any of my wills.Intellectually, I understood that it was simply stupid to think in such a vein, what difference does it make who is popular with whom. But the instincts wired into my body just scream with delight that I have acquired such a valuable prize for personal use.Such reflections, without my desire, inflamed my lust even more. My tongue entered Sayuki's mouth and began to claim territory. And her tongue
- Fortress of Hope
63
New day, school again. This time, it was incredibly difficult to sit through all the lessons. And it's not about the complexity of the material being taught. Already today Sayuki and I will meet, where she confesses her feelings. The task will be completed, and I will receive another coin, which I will spend on improving my physique.So, this is all, of course, wonderful, but in anticipation of my own strengthening, I did not at all think that I would respond to the feelings of the president. As selfish as I am, I don't want to hurt the girl's feelings. Do I have rights to date a schoolgirl? Somehow it ... No, you need to wean yourself from thinking in past categories. Now I am a schoolboy myself, this body is now mine and my life, which means that it is up to me to decide what to do.After finishing the last lesson, I said goodbye to my friends and told my sister that today she would have to go home without me. And he went to the calligraphy club."Hello, Keiki-kun," Buchou greeted m
- Fortress of Hope
62
The next morning, dressing in a school uniform, I suddenly discovered a problem: the shirt was a little tight on my shoulders and chest. Certainly not a critical situation, but it is better to refrain from careless movements. Apparently, one of these days I will have to go to a clothing store for a new shirt. After another increase in physique, this one will obviously become small for me. Hmm, but a jacket, trousers and T-shirts will also need to be purchased. In the end, I will not rest until I put my new carcass in order, which means that I will have to change my wardrobe several times. So it is better to immediately purchase several sizes for growth.Looking in the mirror, I did not find any special differences from my former self. It seems to have become a little wider in the shoulders, but not so much that the changes are conspicuous."Brother, are you coming soon?" Mizuha suddenly entered my room.“Ah, yes, I’m sorry,” I said, pulling myself away from the mirror.Is that a new s
- Fortress of Hope
61
I decided to understand the system, which finally made itself felt, already at home, with a cup of tea in my hands. Therefore, quickly closing the door of the club room, I hurriedly headed home.After changing clothes, I brewed high-quality Japanese Hojicha green tea in a teapot. Mm, really delicious. No wonder Keiki loved him so much. However, because of the same taste buds, I just can't help but like what he liked.While enjoying the fine tea and walking away from the first day at the Japanese school of another world, at the same time I mentally gathered my strength to deal with my personal glitch after all. To myself, I can admit that I deliberately delayed this moment.It is one thing to get into another world, the existence of which is fully allowed by modern science, another thing is a system, the scientific justification of which I find it difficult to give. Of course, one can assume that a chip has been implanted into my brain, with the help of which inscriptions are projected
- Fortress of Hope
60
After numerous attempts to get through to the system, I went to wash my face without salty slurping. Cold water allowed me to cheer up, and therefore I went to breakfast with a clear head. In the kitchen, Mizuha was already waiting for me, dressed in a pink apron.“Brother, everything is ready. Please, come to the table,” the sister said politely, taking off her apron.“Good,” memories suggest what place in the family is assigned to Keiki, and I sit down on it.I draw attention to the table, on which there were plates with a variety of dishes, most of which I see for the first time. Of the really familiar here, only sushi, which I was fond of in the past.Closest to me is a bowl of... miso soup. There are just no spoons. Oh, yes, in this country only chopsticks are used. I look at the miso soup, then at the chopsticks, then back at the soup. No, in a past life I knew how to wield these cutlery, and even more so with the newly-minted muscle memory. However, the remnants of common sense
- Fortress of Hope
59
It was extremely difficult to regain consciousness. His head, as if squeezed in a vise, was bursting with dull pain, his eyes were watery, as if someone very kind had poured sand into them. Throat, lungs, muscles - everything hurt. When I was already desperate to get rid of this agony, the pain, as if at the snap of my fingers, disappeared. It immediately became easier to think, I wanted to understand where I am and what is happening, but remembering recent sensations, I decide to wait a couple of minutes in order to make sure that the painful state does not roll over again.My fears were not justified, on the contrary, the body began to feel even better, even the slightest discomfort disappeared. It's like I'm in my own soft and familiar bed. I open my eyes and see a white ceiling. I carefully turn my head and start looking around. A small but bright room, with a desk, a wardrobe and a computer. Well, I'm not in the torture room - that's good. However, I didn't have any questions. Th
- Fortress of Hope
58
The morning met with a riot of colors and a wonderful mood, yet waking up in a soft bed, when the sun is shining outside the window and the leaves are softly rustling, is great, but after the caves it is indescribable. Since breakfast wasn't ready, I went to the backyard to do some warm-ups. Already after I announced my desire, I saw an unhealthy gleam in my eyes, and when I started warming up, I noticed peeping faces through the curtains, well, let it be, I don’t feel sorry, that’s just the warm-up will be standard, which Sergey taught, training scorpions is not for public. Charging took about thirty minutes and only raised the already good mood, especially the faces of the girls who were furtively looking after me were amused. I will not hide, the attention of beautiful women flattered me, but I did not lose my head, having breakfast in a pleasant company,The road was not close, so it’s better not to linger for a long time, at least for no apparent reason. You never know what force
- Fortress of Hope
57
The morning came quickly as always, but, surprisingly, I slept well. I had a quick breakfast and sat down to wait for seven in the morning, nevertheless I promised, suddenly the support group was still sleeping. To have something to do, I began to re-study the guide about the undead. Unfortunately, I did not find anything new, but I passed the time. At precisely seven I stood at the entrance to the next cave. As far as I could see, of the opponents there are only dead, but all of the seventh rank and the level of the eightieth, these are not opponents for me, but there are many, really many, you will run around. And I’ll have to run, the only battle option that I’m seriously considering is to run along the corridor in a zigzag, cutting down the heads, otherwise you’ll just get stuck in this crowd, they’ll fill up with corpses both literally and figuratively. Thinking a little more To begin with, I calculated the preliminary trajectory of my movement, to my great joy, this
