“Get up…” Alester said in a resonant voice.- What…? Ranm asked in a trembling voice.Alester pointed at the black sky with his finger.“Excalibur… bring it down on me…”"Totally mad," Ranm soared into the sky. “Even with your strength, you won’t survive this attack!” And don't tell me what to do!!!Ranm was going to use Excalibur anyway. But not in the battle with Alester. After all, God wanted to kill him personally, with his own hands. But… the situation is hopeless. As much as Ranm would not like, but Alester's strength surpasses him at times.The sky starts to sparkle. Lightning appeared and then disappeared.Ranm can only cast five Excaliburs. He is one of the strongest Gods of Wisdom, who has a huge supply of God's energy. Given that he used two, one of which was destroyed, and that he spent a lot of energy fighting Alester, he only had...Two tips of giant swords began to appear in the sky. Lightning lit up the entire sky, as if it were a clear day.The Artifact of the First G
- He woke up!Loud cackle. A bright beam of light hit my eyes, and I squinted, opening my eyelids. At first, dark silhouettes ran in the eyes. The picture became more and more clear. Until I saw Aran and Eve with Vanya. They jumped on my bed, sobbing and screaming like crazy.- Hey!!!I did not understand their op, but I clearly understood that I was in the infirmary. There are many wounded around, doctors tried to save everyone, everyone was covered in blood. The last seconds with Katya froze in my eyes, the war with the Gods, Ranm ... and something that awakened in me.Friends unhooked from me when they saw my pale face.“Katya…” Aran sat down next to Eve and Vanya with a sullen face. - She died?..That's right...they didn't see her. I became the last person to see her last seconds of life. This made my heart ache. I didn't want to talk or see anyone. But they must know what happened to her..."She's dead," I croaked. “Saving my life…and then…then…”The image of a pale creature in a
Gray tobacco smoke enveloped the room in wide curls, plunging the already dark room into even greater darkness. The old walls, which had seen a lot in their time, were decorated with spots of something unknown, once thrown into them, there were no other decorations, like paintings and other things, in this room. And the place itself left much to be desired. A leaky roof, a floor shabby by thousands of pairs of feet and a creaking door completed the image of this dull, but at the same time no less popular institution. In such taverns, lost to cultured people, one could find anyone. Mercenaries, vagabonds, and bandits preferred to rest here - not the most trustworthy contingent of the city of Rigva. However, the authorities preferred to turn a blind eye to this disgusting old ulcer on the body of the city, since monsters, a gift from past times, spinning around, frightened the mayors more than the rabble gathered in institutions like this tavern. Such degenerate or adventurous people
With a satisfied smile, remembering the mayor's rounded eyes when he laid out all three carcasses in front of him, he will never be able to forget. Yes - it was true that not everyone was willing to look at these creatures of the past without a shudder or hiccups, even though the suscrosses weren't the creepiest creations in existence. The mayor then was very accommodating, gladly paying for all three trophies, if only they were carried away, and even so that the mercenary himself would clean up after them. Which he did with considerable pleasure, tossing a decent bag of coins in his palm, and throwing the carcasses over his shoulder. Why did all the other people on the way already shied away from him, thus giving him no small pleasure. So what?! His life was hard and dangerous, so he sometimes allowed himself such childish antics, Taking another sip of the bitter drink from the huge mug, he closed his eyes. I wanted to sleep pretty much already, but there was no point in sittin
As soon as these sonorous birds sang their "Ku-ka-re-ku", the mercenary opened his eyes and yawned loudly, scratching his stubble that had grown over the night. "M-yes" - he could not defeat this monster in any way. Having neatly and cleanly shaved, washed and rinsed his mouth, the guy began to dress in the clothes laid out on the eve. Trousers, undershirt - this, of course. Under the main jacket, he always put a shirt on, this often saved his body from chafing, and life from wounds, when the claws of monsters got stuck in its folds, the fabric for it was not chosen by chance, and although it cost Claude fabulous money, it was incredibly durable and soft . It was not easy to find a good thing in their time, and even at a reasonable price, and if you turned up such a thing, then consider yourself lucky. Do not snooze. Here the mercenary did not yawn. Do not skimp on the really worthwhile things. Next came the leather vest. in the summer it was a little hot in it, but it protected the
- Here's what you asked for. Ten gold. - the man said in a lily voice, looking benevolently at the mercenary. Mercenaries were not very favored among ordinary people, but for such a jackpot since the beginning of the day, the merchant was ready to fall in love with at least the devil, even a mercenary. The prices were fabulous, but Claude did not argue with the merchant, laying out ten gold coins near the man’s hand, he took his purchases. He preferred not to give or take money into or out of his hands, so as not to bring misfortune upon himself, especially today, when he was to meet with the babbler. Alone, he had not yet had to go to this creature, and the only time he participated in the hunt for this monster was a long time ago, even at the time when he was learning the wisdom of a fighter against evil spirits. Next on his list was an alchemist's or herbalist's shop, depending on how the owner of such a place preferred to call himself. Claude especially liked these shops, th
“Thank you,” the merchant croaked, finally coming to his senses. - I already thought I was finished when the ground suddenly left from under my feet. Claude contemptuously looked at the man lying near his feet, he really didn’t understand how it was possible to be so stupid, this man apparently didn’t have enough meeting with a swag on the road, instead of running towards the city along the highway, for some reason he rushed into the swamps, right into the clutches of the creature, and if it were not for the quagmire that he did not notice, he would have been in the arms of a swagger, much faster than a mercenary could have overtaken him. - What did you forget here? he muttered impolitely, ignoring the words of gratitude. Now they were worth nothing but wasted time. His harsh tone made the man embarrassed, reminding the mercenary even more of a suskros. Claude himself did not understand the reasons for such an association, but the wet look of the merchant, the mound of tousled h
- Not! No, I won't stay here alone! - Sit here! - Claude ordered in a confident voice that did not tolerate objections, causing the man to plop down on the ground and frightenedly pressed himself against the roots. What he saw in his face, the guy did not know, but it had a sobering effect. That's just how much?! Convinced that the trader was sitting in a shelter, Claude turned around and headed away along the barely noticeable path left by the swagger, the previously clear bloody trail had partially disappeared and only traces of brown spots remained on the leaves, confirming the right direction. The unfortunate fool has taken too much time, and the sun has already decently bowed over the horizon. A couple more hours and evening will come, and the surrounding area will gradually plunge into darkness. Should have rushed. Having more comfortably intercepted the bags that pulled his shoulder, he increased his pace, and behind him came a suspicious crack and squelch. Blazing with
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