Heroist
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Somehow managing to muster his dexterity, Klin manages to dig himself out from under the pile of papers that had recently cluttered his desk. Having finished filling out the invoice, he set the document aside and pulled a stack of overdue payment receipts closer. On the other side, he faced a pile of incomplete tax returns, which, fortunately, he didn't need to send out right now, otherwise Carneol would have already become an apostle of tax evasion. "They consume so much..." the secretary thought, mentally calculating the thousands of gold pieces spent on the elite special forces.
Fortunately, being undead had its advantages, and soon the abandoned office began to take on a more business-like appearance. The Crydearian had often wondered what his former colleague had been doing in that position, but it was best not to speak ill of the dead. He had already outlined a few proposals for the leader, but there was no point in focusing on them when the fate of the entire empire hung in the balance. Approaching the cabinet, he pulled out another box and placed it on the table. Judging by everything, a certain "Ayko" had been in charge of accounting in Carneol, which was clearly evident from the old, neatly tallied balance sheets and income-expense statements, based on which the knight decided to continue the work. After all, barely scraping by from paycheck to paycheck, closing each month with zero balance for the entire squad, and even having to borrow from a destitute knight of death, threatened trouble in the future.
Klin thought about how much easier it would be to deal with such paperwork at the villa: in case of any problem, Naria would simply add a couple of zeros from the imperial treasury. Thoughtfully turning to the window, the knight greeted the gloomy autumn day. He was somehow reminded again of his distant homeland, hidden in the depths of the misty mountains. Never mind, he and Sanex would be there soon.
"Klin"
An otherworldly echo of a familiar, native voice resonated in the knight's chest, causing the Crydearian to jump to his feet and look around the empty room. Everything remained the same, only the noise of the storm outside had subsided slightly. The undead was about to return to work when the speed of sound finally carried the shock waves to the walls of Margel. A terrifying explosive roar reverberates through the port area, heavy ships sway on the disturbed water, frightened seagulls soar into the sky, and a few passersby stare around in fear.
Klin rushes out into the street, instinctively looking for a flying comet in the sky, but in vain: the city was once again plunged into a peaceful slumber. The next thought takes the knight to the outskirts, where he heads at a brisk pace. Rounding a stone wall, his attention is drawn to a group of onlookers, intently staring into the distance. Catching up with the residents, the knight somehow pushes his way to the top of a small hill, from where there is a good view of the surrounding area. Directly in front of him, through the autumn haze, he sees a horizon engulfed in burning darkness, in the direction of places that were painfully familiar to his heart.
"What's going on over there?" a curious passerby asks.
"Looks like the Crydearians did something," someone mumbles beside the black knight.
"Come on, stop talking nonsense! It's days away from here. You can't see anything from here," the second replies.
"I'm telling you, there's nothing else there! They leveled the mountains, see how dark it is! Look through the telescope!"
"Well, that's good. There's nothing useful there anyway."
"Yeah. It's better that they and the other newcomers are being taken care of, rather than us."
Even through his undead aura, the knight feels his anxious soul plummet into the abyss.
Descending the hill, he turns and walks away in deep thought, his steps aimless.
He returns home only the next night.
Fortunately, being undead had its advantages, and soon the abandoned office began to take on a more business-like appearance. The Crydearian had often wondered what his former colleague had been doing in that position, but it was best not to speak ill of the dead. He had already outlined a few proposals for the leader, but there was no point in focusing on them when the fate of the entire empire hung in the balance. Approaching the cabinet, he pulled out another box and placed it on the table. Judging by everything, a certain "Ayko" had been in charge of accounting in Carneol, which was clearly evident from the old, neatly tallied balance sheets and income-expense statements, based on which the knight decided to continue the work. After all, barely scraping by from paycheck to paycheck, closing each month with zero balance for the entire squad, and even having to borrow from a destitute knight of death, threatened trouble in the future.
Klin thought about how much easier it would be to deal with such paperwork at the villa: in case of any problem, Naria would simply add a couple of zeros from the imperial treasury. Thoughtfully turning to the window, the knight greeted the gloomy autumn day. He was somehow reminded again of his distant homeland, hidden in the depths of the misty mountains. Never mind, he and Sanex would be there soon.
"Klin"
An otherworldly echo of a familiar, native voice resonated in the knight's chest, causing the Crydearian to jump to his feet and look around the empty room. Everything remained the same, only the noise of the storm outside had subsided slightly. The undead was about to return to work when the speed of sound finally carried the shock waves to the walls of Margel. A terrifying explosive roar reverberates through the port area, heavy ships sway on the disturbed water, frightened seagulls soar into the sky, and a few passersby stare around in fear.
Klin rushes out into the street, instinctively looking for a flying comet in the sky, but in vain: the city was once again plunged into a peaceful slumber. The next thought takes the knight to the outskirts, where he heads at a brisk pace. Rounding a stone wall, his attention is drawn to a group of onlookers, intently staring into the distance. Catching up with the residents, the knight somehow pushes his way to the top of a small hill, from where there is a good view of the surrounding area. Directly in front of him, through the autumn haze, he sees a horizon engulfed in burning darkness, in the direction of places that were painfully familiar to his heart.
"What's going on over there?" a curious passerby asks.
"Looks like the Crydearians did something," someone mumbles beside the black knight.
"Come on, stop talking nonsense! It's days away from here. You can't see anything from here," the second replies.
"I'm telling you, there's nothing else there! They leveled the mountains, see how dark it is! Look through the telescope!"
"Well, that's good. There's nothing useful there anyway."
"Yeah. It's better that they and the other newcomers are being taken care of, rather than us."
Even through his undead aura, the knight feels his anxious soul plummet into the abyss.
Descending the hill, he turns and walks away in deep thought, his steps aimless.
He returns home only the next night.
Whatever