The forest knight looked around and without thinking twice began to climb the thick trunk, clinging to the strong bark with hand hooks. The oak tree was too tall, even its lower branches were much taller than a man, so Ser Richard had to pant for a high vantage point.“You know, I thought that civilized magicians couldn’t,” he panted, finally reaching a branch strong enough to sit on, “be where the pagans make their temples.“You know very little about magic, Ser Richard. In other words, you are a layman.Tobius blissfully basked in the center of a magical whirlwind of energy, pure as the icy water of mountain springs, which filled his head that had stopped hurting with the smell of forest needles, resin, fresh rain, damp earth, moss and rotten leaves. He enjoyed getting rid of a heavy burden, blissful under the trills of birds, the chirping of crickets and the buzz of beetles flying back and forth.- I have not been to the south, but I was taught that there, even in countries loyal t
“It turned out… unbelievable, I was afraid that the amulet was weakened in the conditions of the astral anomaly, but this place of power nourished it!” Are you saved...“The God-Forge has protected us, unbelievable!”Berlobog stopped, and people froze like mice under the floorboard, on which the seasoned cat stood. The wizard's face was covered with perspiration."Ser Richard," Tobius whispered through quivering, bloodless lips, "you damned imbecile!" He's smart! He's smarter than both of us! We are in his house, we are strangers, and we remember the name of the one who once hunted him and his kind!“But… this amulet, it protects us…”The owner of the forest turned to the people, forcing them to be silent, carefully surveyed the mortal creatures with the gaze of blind eyes piercing eternity, and then suddenly pushed off the ground with his front paws. When Berlobog again sank down on all fours with all his weight, the earth shook so much that people, along with part of the soil and st
When Thobius Moth found himself on the walls of the walled city in the light of a magical flash, with his right hand firmly on the shoulder of Ser Richard Hoss, and in his left clutching the still warm wrist of the dead Zulan, the world shuddered from a truly powerful thunderclap, merged with a volley of artillery.The black clouds covering the sky turned the day into night, the belated thunderstorm broke out in earnest, as if trying to take revenge on all the forces that held it back, showing hitherto unprecedented fury. The heavens rumbled and roared like the stomachs of starving mountain giants, sky-high waterfalls poured onto the ground like a solid wall, and only flashes of dazzling lightning made it possible for the shortest moments to very clearly see the picture of the battle unfolding under the walls.Two armies fought there, but if you look closely, you could see that there were still three armies. Below fought the barbarians of the Savage Land, one-eyed man-eaters and chari
Opening the spell book to the right page, the wizard brought down a wave of fire on the selected area near the walls of Tephrask, after which he sank lower and, with several transmutations, turned the space dotted with charred corpses into a flat stone platform. He took out from the bag and with a sweeping gesture of the sower scattered around a dozen red crystals, which immediately turned into fire elementals and formed a protective circle that took the blow of the Zulan horsemen.Using the head of the staff as a stylus, Tobius drew a huge circle on the selected area, inside which he inscribed a regular heptagon and connected all its corners with straight lines, forming a complex star-shaped figure. On the outer circle, he drew a long incantation with a secret rim and placed a stabilization seal next to each intersection of the main circle and the corners of the heptagon. Reading unfamiliar word formulas from the book, he entered the spell inside the star-shaped figure, weaved the
With a loud roar, he announced his presence, and the ogre, as if forgetting his first enemies, answered with his own roar. The giants rushed at each other, Thobius was a third smaller than the monster, naked and unarmed, but a fierce fire raged in his body, and when he crashed into the ogre's chest, he was seared by a wave of hungry fire. However, the ogre resisted and pushed the wizard away, after which he brought hammers down on him. Tobius managed to intercept one of them by the hammer and set fire to the tree. The second hit him in the ribs, and the wizard rolled on the ground. One of the spells, Heal, began to splice bones, but it worked poorly due to the altered physiology of the wearer. Avoiding another blow, the magician rolled over himself once again, feeling a sharp pain in his left side. Raising himself on his right arm, Tobius belched out a torrent of fire and ignited the armor of the ancient monster.“Magi… I hate it!” I will crush!- Come on! You were born to live under
Alas, despite the fact that Wolferin never put on the crown, he continued to hold power, and for several years a very strange and dangerous situation had developed in the country. The legitimate king abdicated and went into exile without starting a civil war. And previously nicknamed the Wise, Beyeron the First won many hearts of his subjects with this strange act. The great lords, who also did not have to participate in this war and confirm their loyalty to anyone, were forced to follow the new ruler, although half of them did not particularly like it, and the other half became a bone in the throat. But the throne was empty, and the most noble lords of Riven continued to look at each other in bewilderment and watch how quickly the regular army under the command of Wolferin was growing.The usurper did not put on the crown, but was able to change some laws, raise taxes and put them into service with his soldiers. This created an atmosphere of wariness in Riven, people waiting for the
Tobius really knew what an astral imprint is imposed on a person who has committed the worst of sins against his relatives. The curse falls on such a criminal with an eternal stigma and pursues him to death, even if he did this evil indirectly, with the wrong hands. Such a person will not know peace anywhere and never. And Radovan executed his relatives personally, which aggravated his fate many times. In Westerreich, the executioners could not even live among other people, they always had separate houses only for themselves and their families, so that no one would stay under the same roof with them. And the young wizard condemned the bloodshed, did not accept the paths that led through the bodies. Such ways that Radovan Karapsua came to power, having received several nicknames among the people. "Crimson", "Fierce" and ... "Executioner". The Gray Master remembered the day he saw Captain Zheloran,Nuagrimg is a strong and resilient alloy from which Dwarves forge elite weapons and armo
“You know, sir, I am not a very good rider. I'm more or less fine in the saddle of a racing squirrel, but horses ... no, I'm better here, in comfort.“I have to insist,” Richard Hoss ignored the nonsense about squirrels, “get on the croup, I was asked to take you forward.- No.“Lord Adrian Olenway made this request. He asked me to clarify this for you if you still refuse.Tobius frowned and, chewing his lower lip in doubt, nevertheless jumped out of the cart.“It was a pleasure to meet you, ladies and gentlemen,” he shouted to the convoy people, trying to climb onto the croup of the horse behind Ser Richard, “God willing, maybe we’ll see each other again!”"Take care of yourself, char Tobius!"— God bless you, the Blacksmith!And thanks for the fish!Richard the Two Woodpeckers drove the wizard forward, past the marching host, past the rolling cannons, armored wagons of gunpowder and ammunition, past the troopers leading their horses, to where the banners of the fire-breathing bear a
After Tobius Moth entered the Academy grounds in front of hundreds of wizards, everything went awry. After some time, many heard through the Astral the appeal of Tobius, in which he denounced the archmage Shivarius the Polyhedron, calling him a renegade, guilty of the war with the Zulans and sabotage of the Academy. After that, hours passed before the barrier that kept the magicians out of the campus began to lose stability, and they began to diligently hit it with all available spells, despite the constant interference in the form of the air element. In the end, the barrier was broken through, and, having risen to the top of the main tower, the magicians found the rulers of the Academy there in full force, alive and unharmed.The guilt of Shivarius the Polyhedron was confirmed by the words of the stewards, and the wizards of the Academy were ordered to immediately begin the search for the missing traitor. But neither Archmage Shivarius nor Magister Tobius could be found. They weren't
As the Polyhedron and the Free Gyenjoylin battled, Tobius chose the moment tensely. It was not easy, because, unlike himself, Shivarius effortlessly parried and counterattacked the magical creature. He was fast, deadly, masterfully interspersed with sword and staff strikes with magical attacks, pushing the gyanjoilin and lashing him with energy chains that appeared here and there from the air. Shivarius knew plenty of ways to inflict pain and injury on a creature that could disintegrate in smoke and reunite. The moment came, and Thobius did not miss it, dishonorably hitting the archmage in the back with the Ice Drill. The impaled renegade fell to the ground, and the Gyenjoylin immediately struck his chest with his blade. But instead of dying, Shivarius turned into a flock of asps that flew up to the ceiling, merged together, recreating the unharmed body of the wizard, and he collapsed on the back of the gyenjoilin's neck, plunging his sword into his unsteady flesh. Crying terribly, th
And Chaos."I'll tell you what, boy, let me out!" Let me out and I'll kill Shivarius! I swear I'll finish off this nasty bastard, I'll pop him like a stinky pimple and then lick the contents! Don't hesitate, I will! Of course, I'll kill you too, but at least your death will be quick... maybe... I don't know, I haven't decided yet! But you can believe me, I will make Shivarius suffer for a long time!“I came here for nothing.- No, wait, wait, let me out ... no, just loosen the fetters a little! Even a nobody like you can do it, come on, give me a little chance, buddy! Let's!- Never!— Like this, right? And you have no other choice! You can’t do it yourself, boy, the task is not up to you!I was hoping for advice!- What advice?! Do you hear yourself?! What advice were you hoping to hear, slug?! Do you think there is some workaround? Do you think there is a way for a nonentity like you to bring down a colossus like Shivarius?! You live in the real world, motherfucker! In real - not in
— Eishubeihwan.“Master wishes to give me a new name?” the gyenjoylin asked in a leaden voice.- The owner wants to give you this polyhedron. Take it somewhere where no one will see it, throw it as many times as you like - and put the fallen signs into your new name. By doing this, you will become your own master.The tiny wooden craft was in a wide palm, and the gyenjoylin stared at this priceless gift in disbelief.- Can't be…“I am an honest wizard and I keep my word.“Oaths given in the name of the Mage of Mages do not have to be kept before those whom he commanded to rule.“I have always fulfilled my oaths, to whom I gave them, to the king or the goldsmith,” replied the gray master.Gyenjoylin hid the ball in his belt and, materializing the sheath, hid the blade in it.“Shivarius will kill you if he catches you. Hide somewhere else... I don't know how you could beat him."Even with your help?" Tobius slid along the edge of the abyss. - I do not intend to change my decision, altho
The danger was warned by a sharp gust of wind, which was nowhere to be expected in a room devoid of windows or a second exit. Tobius jumped back just in time to avoid being hit by lightning. Directly under the ceiling, on huge bright wings, a giant butterfly soared, fanned by a halo of iridescent glow. This beautiful creature would become an appropriate guest in innocent children's dreams, if fireballs, lightning and deadly ice arrows did not rain down from its delightful wings, from which the wizard had to leave insane zigzags.He blocked part of the attacks, diligently answered, attacked, maneuvered, defended himself, attacked again, but the butterfly flew quickly, beat accurately and accurately and did not know fatigue. It was Bambaleska, one of Pongemonius' beasts, summoned to Valemar by Shivarius the Polyhedron. Saturated with her master's magic like nectar, she set up an ambush near the ipspiroch and patiently waited for the stupid young wizard to reach for the artifact. Fightin
Tobius tossed all three blueprints forward, energized them, and trapped the spirit in a triangular trap. Boards with luminous lines revolved around the pascantes, held together only occasionally by discharges of magical power running between them. Thobius cast a banishing spell, using the sharp knob of his staff to draw a polysyllabic drawing in the air with a septagram at its base. Pascantes pounded with his fists on the barrier that stopped him; He tore through the Gray Wall fairly quickly, but the second trick really gave him trouble. The revolving blueprints contracted as Thobius cast the spell, and the gray magister had only to “squeeze” a little to throw the pascantes somewhere in the area of the Arimead archipelago, when the spirit nevertheless split one of the typesetting wooden plates and freed itself.The magic system could not exist with less than three reference coordinates. The next blow knocked the spirit out of Tobius, he flew off into the open interior of the cabinet
— Open it, there is a lot of interesting things in this book, but the most important thing for you is now on the flyleaf. Come on, open it up and try to read it.Thobius obeyed, opening a sheet of the thinnest parchment, which had yellowed with time, and saw on it an even line drawn in blue, barely distinguishable ink. On a hunch, he touched the badges, pouring a drop of his magic into them, and they shone as if filled with blue flames.Jassar... Ansafarus? Something quivered in Tobius's soul and exploded.“I remember what it was like to hold for the first time something that Jassar himself once held before me. And not just holding on. He created this book, created the matter of which it is composed, inscribed everything in it, from the first to the last character. It's Jassar's book, Tobius. I went through the arms of death and great torment to get to it, entered the Wild Land with a dozen faithful, experienced, proven associates, friends whom I loved like brothers and sisters ... an
"What does that mean, charm?!" - the officer shouted, trying to block the screams of the indignant crowd.“It’s just that sometimes people need a little help to be human.But no one heard him. The guard held back the indignant, flying from everywhere, but rotten vegetables and insulting words did not reach; the irritated city fathers hurriedly retreated, accompanied by guards - they, too, could have been punished for a disrupted performance, although they were not to blame for anything. Tobius, on the other hand, looked around carefully and thought - people deliberately save rotten meat until better times, so that later they can throw it at someone, or some quick-witted hawkers go through the crowd and sell spoiled food for everyone, before some drunkard is wrapped in pads and it will be possible to use the sufferer's face as a target?The magician struck the ground with his staff, and his voice sounded like thunder, reaching the ears of all those gathered:It was my prisoner! I fough
He walked around the building, as he had done on his first visit. The walls of the inn were protected by prayers that warded off not only evil, but magic itself as it is. It was impossible to get inside, but Tobius was not used to looking at the world from the height of a chicken perch, he looked wide and far, like a soaring eagle. Mainly because he had a flexible, inquisitive mind, but the ability to fly also helped.Soaring on the Wings of an Eagle, the wizard climbed to the very top of the tower, to where Marin had an office. Having looked into the windows that had not been washed for a long time and making sure that the holy grace does not protect them, the gray master broke several glasses and got inside.Despite the fragments that scattered on the floor, the former office did not begin to seem any more dirty; a mess, mixed with desolation, already reigned inside. There was no doubt that someone, most likely experienced "sniffers" of Investments, climbed the premises far and wide