The Beginning of Torment
Noisy. It is difficult to breathe because of the large crowds of people. The corridor we are walking down is clearly intended for fewer people. It made it damn hot. The shirt began to stick uncomfortably to the body, which made me wince every time if someone touched my back.
As soon as the other cadets and I got to the fifth floor of the first building, we were immediately met by the God and the Goddess. Because of what I had to stop and immediately line up in ranks. The gods stood near the open door to the auditorium. That's where all the young warriors went.
I immediately understood who they were, and there is no need to guess. A man, a huge giant, in scarlet armor, and a girl with pitch-black curls and her tunic of the same color. The average person obviously wouldn't dress like that. For sure ...
The man began to examine each cadet. His eyes even fell on me a couple of times. Not very nice...“Everyone lined up quickly,” the command rang out. - I am David, God of War, and now I am your teacher in battles, I will teach you how to kill the Gods.
Here is the irony, God will teach how to kill Gods. I immediately knew that he was the God of War by his armor. Usually the gods wear clothes corresponding to their divine names.
“Hello, I’m Minerva, Goddess of Wisdom, your god teacher,” the sweet girl said, “I’ll tell you about all the existing Gods and their weaknesses, from the Renegades to the Second Generation.
What? Renegades - okay, I know who they are. Second generation? For the first time I hear, probably, they will tell how and what. But judging by the appearance of Minerva, they all take a cue from Albertine. Or is it the usual outfit of the Goddess of Wisdom.
“Exactly, you don’t know that the Gods are divided into strata,” the Goddess gasped, “but that’s okay, I’ll tell you everything and…”
- Well, it's enough! yelled David, “you will teach them in the lesson!” Now I'm wondering where this god of death walks?
Suddenly I felt despair and cold all over my body. What's this? My heart felt so nauseous that I wanted to vomit. And I wasn't the only one who felt it. All the cadets, with their heads pressed to their shoulders like kites, looked around.
“Don't swear, David, I was at Albertina's.
I swear. I just blinked for a second, and David and Minerva were already standing with a man ... no, he was clearly not a man. GOD! If I recognized the God of War and the Goddess of Wisdom by their clothes, then it is different here. Power emanates from him. Dark ... as if he were the very fiend of hell. His appearance matched the Aura around him. The man had gray hair and eyes as red as fresh blood. He was dressed in black armor that looked like cloth. Strange armor. First time I see this...
"Amedeo, you've finally arrived!" David yelled. — Say your speech, we will finish with the greetings.
Is he the god of death? Well, man, I've never felt such a sense of danger in my life, and I've seen a lot.
The gray-haired man only slightly smiled at the words of his brother. He turned to the cadets, examining each. His eyes were like those of an animal. It seemed to be looking for a prey.Candidates, I am Amedeo, God of Death. I will train you to awaken the magic. Since your combat teacher wants to finish the welcome part quickly, we'll now move on to the Sphere of Life. As soon as you put your hand on it, it will show what class of mage you are. Minerva, tell me what classes of mages are.
Yes, of course, Amedeo. There are six types of mages,” Minerva began to explain. — First class — Elemental Mages, Elementalists, these magicians rely on the energy of four elements in their spells. They command the elements. Blood Mages are the second class, differing from Element Mages in that they draw their powers from within their blood. None of the classes is capable of influencing a living being in such a way, and not only on the magician himself, but also on those around him. Not only does blood carry and represent strength in a physical and material sense, a blood mage is one of the strongest among the varieties of mages. Third class - Werewolves. These people can turn into animals. They can also take the form of fairy creatures if they are well represented, but this will take a huge amount of magic. More used as scouts on the front line. Healers - fourth grade, they are able to heal a dying comrade in a few moments and regrow severed limbs. They can also show a person's memories. Amplifiers - the fifth class, use amplification magic. In most cases, they strengthen and protect the team. Very rare is the sixth class - God Slayers. People who, after opening the gates, have particles of the Gods in their bodies, and these particles make their magic look like the energy that the Gods fight with. Particles merge with magic. We can say that they can be any class. If you have such particles in you, and you hit God, then he will feel the damage much more than if he was hit by any other magician. There are five God Killers in total. So you have to understand how rare this is. It can be said that there are five types of magic, and the sixth is an addition to the capabilities of the magician.
Is everything clear to everyone? David growled loudly.
God of War clearly needs to see a psychologist. He's not himself.
“Yes, teacher David,” the cadets barked in unison.
The gods entered the auditorium. Then all the cadets. The crowd was dense, not organized. Everyone wanted to quickly learn their class of mage. Yes, what to hide. I myself wanted to quickly understand who I am!
Having settled in a huge room, where in the center there was a small podium, and on it the Sphere of Life is a ball with stains that your class shouts out, the cadets froze in anticipation. The three Gods stood by the sphere and spoke quietly. I wonder where this sphere has a mouth or a speaker? ..
Amedeo waved his hand. He signaled to start.
Everyone fits and the ball tells them their type. If only I wasn't a Werewolf, I can't stand animals and I'm afraid of most of them. It turns out that if I turn and look at my reflection, I will catch a heart attack every time. Will not go. So, here comes the first one. The guy put his hand on the sphere. Second pause, and:
"Blood Mage!" shouted the Sphere in a woman's voice.
Damn, lucky asshole, how happy he is. I'll go somewhere at the end. For now, I'm just watching.
~~~
Boy, are you coming or not? Everyone is just waiting for you! the God of War said irritably.
I woke up from a thoughtful contemplation of the wall. I waited like twenty minutes.
“Yes, I am ready, teacher David,” I approached the sphere of life.
Reaching out his hand, he placed it on the sphere, and it shone.
This is the moment of my whole life. If I turn out to be a Werewolf, even if I survive the fear of animals, my sister will laugh at me when she finds out ... and when I come to Kendro, she will ask me to turn into a horse or someone else, and so I will be used until end of days.— …
Nothing happens. What? What the hell are you talking about, hey?! Hello, is anyone at home? Do not do it this way! Perhaps I am lucky, and it was on me that this miracle broke ...
“Elemental Mage…
Phew, relieve me, gentlemen. Psychic, how good. And then I tried to remove my hand from the sphere, but I could not. Something I don't like. After all, the ball seemed to be glued to my palm. It even got a little hotter.
“Master David, I can’t remove my hand,” I laughed in confusion.
“Boy, you got it, it can’t be tacos…”
“Godslayer,” said the orb.
There was a dead silence in the room, I myself was in shock from what was happening. There are five Godslayers, and they all fight on the front lines. Looks like the worst period of my life starts today. Maybe she's broken? Is there a crack somewhere?
“Minerva, tell Albertine about this,” David managed to say, moving away from surprise.
- Good. The Goddess left immediately.
— Cadet, what is your name? asked the god of war.
— Alester.
“Congratulations, Alester… Now you will become my favorite student…” his smile did not portend an easy future for me. - I hope you survive!
"Let it go!" I thought, looking at David with a grin. Such magic is rare. And I didn't expect it to be like that. My head is spinning, but in my heart I rejoiced. But why? I don’t even understand myself anymore… it’s too complicated.
“Don’t scare him,” Amedeo stood next to me. “So the sixth God Slayer… Looks stupid.”
- BUT?!
The death god just grinned like a snake. He spread his hands to the sides and said:
- That's all for today. Cadets, go to the dormitory, get enough sleep and at exactly 8:00 you have your first lesson. I hope everything is clear to everyone? David's subordinates are already waiting for you to be distributed.
~~~
Now it remains to get to the hostel and go to bed. The wind picked up outside. Cold and bone-chilling.
Leaving the first building and passing by beautiful columns with images of people engraved on them, I immediately went to the hostel. The building was dilapidated, somewhere even holes could be seen.As soon as I stood at the door, I heard voices. Lots of votes. He opened the door to the dormitory hall and found a lot of people in blue armor scurrying back and forth. The cadets, like me, were waiting for orders where to go.
- Go to your rooms! shouted one of the Gods in blue armor. - Two people will live in each room. There are signs with your names on the doors. Search.
David's assistants quickly withdrew. Apparently, there were enough worries. The cadets moved along the corridor. Everyone was looking for their own name.
I passed the first floor... the second... and only at the end of the corridor on the third did I finally find my name. I was afraid that I had overlooked my sign on the first one.
"Alester Lambert"
There she is. Let's see who my neighbor is... Aran Adams. This is, if memory serves, the blonde who first came out to tell about himself. Hmm, he is an avenger, he came to fight for his parents. Commendable on the one hand, but on the other - too stupid. It will be very difficult for him to take revenge on God, this is not a person who can simply be pierced with a stick or beaten with fists. This is an immortal creature that can tear you apart with one finger. Okay, I'll go and meet my neighbor, I hope he's normal.
Opening the door sharply, I immediately met with Aran. He stood a stone's throw from the entrance, as if aware of my arrival. Although ... he already knew that I would come.
"Hi neighbor, I'm Aran Adams!"
Hi, I'm Ale...
"Alastair Lambert, Englishman," Aran interrupted me.
“Yes, you are right,” I nodded, and my neighbor looked at me with a fixed look. - Do you have any problems? I walked over and looked piercingly into the blonde's eyes.
No, no, I'm sorry if I offended you.
He tested how many nerves I have left? Believe me, a lot. Haven't endured these yet. But maybe he's just curious. After all, I'm from the epicenter, the first destroyed city.
- Nevermind. I'm going to bed," I answered, and went to the bed.
“Okay, I’ll do the same,” Aran nodded happily.
I lay down on the bed and looked around. The room was not distinguished by any interior, it was simple. Two beds against the walls, each with a wardrobe.
Let's sum up today. First, he quarreled with Albertina and her subordinate. Secondly, I met teachers Minerva, David and - brrr - Amedeo. As I recall his spectacular appearance, it becomes so bad. You can’t scare the people like that, this God has completely missed the balls for the rollers. Horror. Thirdly, I met Aran, this blonde seems to want to ask me about something, you can see it in his eyes and behavior. Okay, if you want, ask. Fourth - David promised to destroy me in training ... But there is the last, fifth ... I am the Killer of Gods! Could I dream about it? I don't know... I didn't even think about it. Everything is like in the movies. Like I'm a hero chosen from above.
The eyelids became heavy. Still, I didn't sleep all night. As soon as I closed my eyes, the darkness immediately devoured my world, and I passed out in seconds ...
***
Sharp cackle. The darkness in my eyes turned into a blurry saucer. Eyelids like cast iron. And I only heard one thing:
- Everybody get up.
- Rise, slugs!
- I said get up!The door was pushed open loudly, slamming it against the wall. Three men in blue armor ran into the room, and they brought the uniform of the Academy into the room. It was like a military one: a T-shirt, trousers, berets and a jacket, if we get cold outside. And everything is black.As soon as I opened my eyes, I saw “6:00” on the clock.- Stand up!!!Aran immediately jumped out of bed, while three of David's subordinates watched me wrap myself in a blanket.Horror, I can not get up, the body refused. Reptiles, I understand, to wake up at eight in the morning, but at six - this is chaos! I tried to get up, but my mind began to drift into sleep. Yes, they are crazy, now instead of screaming they blow the bugle.“Help him up and go out,” one of the wakers barked, and the trio went off to join the others.Aran implicitly carried out the command. He rushed to the bed and began to shake me in different directions."Alester, get up, we've got to go!"- I'm getting up... I'm
“Hello guys… I hope you don’t screw up like yesterday.“Hello, teacher,” I answered him with the same smile, “this will not happen again, but so far only with your subordinates, I’m not sure about you.”- You are funny. Good. Team number one, which one of you is the leader? Yesterday I told everyone to choose a leader.- The leader of the first team - Alester Lambert! Aran answered for everyone.- Then proceed, - nodded Amedeo and pointed where to look, - this is my Renegade. Defeat him or die.In the center of the training ground, out of nowhere, stood a man in his thirties, all in torn clothes. His skin color was as gray as if he had died long ago.- Renegade? What?! I was surprised.Yes, it's mine and I manage it. We have a couple of them to train beginners.The renegades have only tremendous physical strength, it is possible to slaughter him with our tactics, but it will be more difficult than with a person. But the main difference between the Renegades from man and God is that th
AwakeningTwo months have passed since I entered the Academy. During this time, my friends and I died eight times. Killed us, as always, Amedeo. I also went to the Goddess of Wisdom... or, I'm beginning to suspect, stupidity. Indeed, after my negative answer to the question “did I notice anything strange behind me,” she simply sent me back to the hostel. I went up to her for almost two hours ... I won’t forgive! I will pick up the right moment and take revenge! .. Well, okay, I digress. Everyone on my team was able to awaken their magic except for me. This is sad. I don't understand why my magic doesn't awaken. What am I doing wrong? After all, the catalyst for magic is the fear of death ... maybe I'm not afraid of it? It makes me feel like I'm dragging my comrades back. Amedeo did not order the use of power outside the training ground, even if they could acquire it. If the whole team could wake up, then she rested until the end of training with the God of death and the beginning of
“Nothing shines for you,” I put my hand on Aran's shoulder. “Now KEEP WASHING THE FUCKING WALLS!” Fucking fireball!***I'm on the stairs. I'm covered in sweat and suffocating. I was again summoned to the tower of the Gods... only now I'm standing in front of the door with the sign "Amedeo - God of Death". And the funny thing is, Albertine's room is opposite.There is only disappointment in my heart. Amedeo killed us again, and all because of me. How many times do I and my friends have to die for my power to awaken? What the hell am I doing wrong?!Alester, come on in.No sooner had I knocked than they called me. Do the Gods have cameras built in somewhere?Opening the door, I went in. His room is luxurious, everything is decorated with paintings, Persian carpets. The golden statues of the Griffins were pleasing to the eye. Social life in all its glory.God was sitting at a wide table, covered with papers and seals. He didn't have the usual snake smile on his face. Why did I feel unea
Her hands were shaking from adrenaline, and a crazy smile appeared on her face. Joy, happiness, that I could. I managed.“I didn’t expect this,” God said in complete confusion, but immediately coming to his senses, he looked at me. - You're awake. And now. - Amedeo broke my ice spike, as if nothing had happened - it's time for me to revive your comrades.- What does it mean?God dusted himself off and went to my comrades. The barrier was asleep, the doctors are already there. As if they knew everything in advance.- Was it a performance? Full of anger, I asked.“Yes and no,” Amedeo gave an incomprehensible answer.The God of Death took his severed hand and pressed it against the stump, the limb immediately fused. Not even a scar left.“If you hadn’t awakened, your comrades would indeed have died. You're a Godslayer, do you think we'd kick you out of the academy just like that? Moreover, do you think you could easily defeat me, the second generation of Gods?- Of course not. But not by
We entered the classroom and collapsed on a free desk. All the candidates were whining in pain, and I could see in their eyes how they were cursing everything.“Al, if I die, don't send my corpse in this armor to my parents. If they also bury me in them, my spirit will definitely not rest,” my friend asked me.— Aran, calm down, we will survive. Look, it's hard for Vanya and Eve too, but they hold on. We will endure everything, brother,” I said with hope in my voice.The Goddess entered the classroom. Her black hair was blowing in the wind even though we were indoors. Some kind of magic...Hello candidates! Let's start the lesson." Minerva smiled at the whole class.Ah, a ray of light in pitch darkness. We listened carefully, this knowledge will keep us alive. She explained that she would teach with us for five months and would hammer all the necessary knowledge into our heads. Today's lesson was dedicated to the Renegades and the fourth generation. Everyone knows everything she said
The New WorldThe sun lazily rolled over the huge massive mountains. It was damn hot, so Aran and I crawled into our room and lay silently on our beds. A month passed, and we got tired of suffering garbage. I was ready in a week to go to either Amedeo or David. I even already missed the blue armor that woke us up every morning. The body was filled with energy that you no longer know where to put. After all, the God of War clearly specified that magic cannot be used. Dot.There was a knock on the room. Aran rushed like lightning to an unknown guest. I opened one eye and watched. A man in blue armor stood in the aisle. He gave two bags to Aran and closed the door.Rising up, I inquired about the contents of the package.- It's armor! Aran shouted joyfully and threw one of the two packages in my face. - They said to put on and go to the second training ground.Frowning, he thought of swearing at his friend, but finally he wanted to see his armor more.- Let's see ... Wow, how light, I ca
“Okay, but your friend won’t come with you?” she looked at me.Aran, oh you are a semi-finished store product. That's betrayal! No, this is different, this moron laid eyes on her, you can immediately see how he sticks to her. At the same time, winking at me so that I would go to him, and not refuse ... Okay, what to do with him, I won’t leave him."Oh, I'll be right there.Here is our trio from the second squad of Elementalists assembled again. Catherine stood before us like a teacher before the youths.“Show me a couple of times, and that’s enough for us,” I sighed. “Otherwise one comrade forgot the word friendship,” I looked at Aran.- I have one question - how to control the flow of magic in the legs? Because I took quite a bit, but it didn’t turn out the way I wanted.Amedeo kept looking askance at our trinity. But apparently, he understood that Ekaterina would teach us. So, it makes no sense to come up to us and show how it's done. After all, the first detachment was just as scre
The Rancia empire prospered. Those terrible times when the Ransians fearfully expected the birth of their own children are far behind. With the accession to the throne of the new emperor Claude re Tigras the First and Empress Daisyre re Tigras, the people stopped living in fear and excitement. Now every Ransian, human or not, had the same right to life and happiness. The persecution of non-humans stopped, because the ruling family also did not belong to the human race, mixed marriages began to appear more often, and cities grew. Life became calmer, now the imperials were not afraid to travel between cities, risking being in the mouth of some monster. All creatures, of course, did not disappear, but as a result of a number of innovations introduced by Claude from the experience of his mercenary life, they greatly facilitate the fight against these creatures, forced them to go away from human habitation or hide deep in their holes. Man again became the dominant race on the planet, and e
- Oh, those boys. Alita purred as she slid off her man's lap and sat down on Claude's bed. “In general, sweetheart, when we burst into the hall, we only made it to the finale, when you, with completely wild eyes, rushed towards the door until you stretched out on the floor, not having reached us a few steps. And then Alexander quickly stepped forward, ordering that you be lifted and taken to the imperial chambers and called for a doctor, and then he explained to everyone present that according to some ancient law, I don’t know where he dug it up, you become the next emperor, taking the place of the deposed you ruler. We didn't even believe what we heard. You are Claude and the emperor. It sounded kind of unbelievable. And to be honest, they also managed to catch this cold, so they thought it was the result of a fever. But as it turned out, no, they heard right and you were really glorified as the future emperor. He cleverly organized everything here. So even the few dissatisfied witne
- Infections... It's people like me that you call an infection?- Yes. To be honest, I even liked you a little, not often non-humans managed to hide from my eye for so long, and your stupid principles ... naive, frankly childish, but noble, made me smile. However, the fact that you are a monster cannot be changed and you have no other destiny than to die.“It’s like seeing which one of us is a monster.— Ha! Have you ever looked at yourself in the mirror?“Appearance says nothing about a person. Yes, my eyes and ears are different from human, but there is much less blood on my hands than on yours.- What are you talking about. Turn around. All these people could live if not for you.“My fault for their death is no less than the one who set them on me. At least I was only defending myself, not sending them to their deaths.They died because they were doing their duty.Or because they were left with no choice.This conversation did not lead them anywhere, without bringing clarity or sat
And now only three of them remained, the horses carried the tired mercenaries forward, whipping dust into the air and crumbling the age-old stone into the sand. Two hot streams of steam escaped the air from the wide, nervously quivering nostrils of the driven horses. No one believed that they would catch up with the warrior, only hoping that the emperor would not realize his terrifying plan immediately upon the arrival of his assistant. On the horizon in front of them rose the towers of San Pen, brightening up the dull landscape with each kilometer growing higher and higher, delighting and frightening at the same time. Claude did not know what awaited them in the capital, for the first time he did not have at least some slightly thought-out plan, only one desire to be in time, not to be late, to stop. Inside, everything was shrinking from a bad premonition, but the guy drove away uninvited thoughts. You should never take on a job with a gloomy attitude to its failure, otherwise, every
Leata's voice broke through her rage-clouded consciousness. "Finally!" the guy exhaled, looking at the best thing to do in order to retreat without consequences for his health and life. It was not far to go, the creatures had already almost pressed him to the failure, from which the mercenary was separated by several steps, he needed only a couple of three seconds to get the coveted vial and jump over to the other side. Taking a step back, he seized the sword more comfortably and threw the dagger at the creature closest to him, slashing the blade across the entire expanse available to him and forcing the creatures to retreat a couple of steps. Here are his seconds. Rushing back, he removed the blade with one hand, and with the other he felt for the coveted cork. Which is specially marked so as not to be confused with others. The previous experience of using this remedy in the battle with sectroses taught him decently, but there was no time to sip drop by drop. Let it be what will be.
Aiyana, hurry up. Something is not happening.- One more second. Here it is! - the girl purred enthusiastically, pressing the lever near the capsule, and completely not noticing what was happening around.- We have no time. It's time to go.- Not! Until I find it, I won't leave.- Crap! Is it worth your life?- Yes!Discouraged by the answer, the mercenary fell silent for a few seconds. That's devotion! She could be admired if he and his comrades of life did not depend on her.Tell me what to look for! - finally, unable to stand it, he grunted, finally entering the room and feeling the cold enveloping from all sides.- You don't know the language.But I can see. I'll find it by sight. Show me or we'll all stay here.She did not argue further, obediently showing what symbols she had to find. There were few of them, at most four, of which one was a letter, and the rest resembled modern numbers. It was not even a name, but rather a code. He moved along the nearest shelving unit, running
At Leata's remark, Claude only shook his head, as they approached the ruins, Leatrice became more and more irritable and angry. He did not know what was eating her, most likely she was also afraid. After a quick bite, they hit the road. The sounds that accompanied their breakfast didn't help their appetite, and neither did their conversation. In anticipation of a meeting with the owners of these voices, people unanimously grew gloomy, but walked, carefully looking around. It gradually began to get light around, mischievous rays gently ran across the grass, reflected in drops of dew, flashed on people's weapons, playfully looking into their eyes and blossomed with a gloomy rainbow, reflected from the surface of the lake. The one that Leata called the "Lake of the Dead". For what it received such a name, no one knew, but the assumptions were different. Maybe the ancients drowned their dead in it, or maybe this is due to some mysterious story, since the lake was no different from its cou
- What the hell! cried Claude with a loud splash as he went under the water. The turbulent river picked up its prey with the joy of a small child who discovered in his power a toy he had long desired. The big man was twisted and twisted, sometimes hitting the side of the shell. Water clogged in his mouth, nose, forcing him to spit, smearing haze before his eyes. You can't give up! Claude remembered that he was not alone in the water, but he did not have time to really see the creature that had so cleverly discounted him. However, this did not give a reason to underestimate her. Ripping up the water with powerful strokes, he forced himself to swim up. Thank the Gods, he did not have time to take aside. The shell, like a native, clung to him, dragging him along, trying in vain to pull him under him. The body already almost did not obey him, bound by a terrible cold. Pushing off from the surface of the water, Claude desperately jumped up in an unsuccessful attempt to grab the edge, feeli
— Falcon. Daisyra prompted, following his gaze. For her, this distance was not a problem. - Beautiful.- Yes. And lonely.- How are you!- What did you get?“This is how we met you in that tavern.- When it was. Seems like another life.- Yes. And I'm glad we met.- And I.They had a strange conversation, they seemed to be talking and at the same time not. Pictures of their meeting floated before his eyes, taken apart by the words of the girl, and seeing himself, he looked and did not recognize. Now he was no longer the same person. Claude has changed. Becoming somehow something ... more integral, but still in his chest did not want to melt a tight lump that appeared there in childhood, as if not allowing him to free himself from the cage created by himself.- For me, he is not alone, but strong. Rolk muttered thoughtfully.— Who are you talking about? Caer joined in, also following his eyes sparkling in the rays of the sun, following the bird circling above them.- About both.“We wi