Zeratul
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So, colleagues, I'll continue...
"...The funeral pyre had died down, the women wailed, and the militia dug a huge pit outside the ruined palisade, where they dragged all the dead creatures.
The centurion gathered the survivors in the center of the village:
“Well, ladies, gather up what’s left of your belongings, put the children on the carts, and let’s go with us to the town. Our lord baron is merciful; he will find you shelter and food. We cannot stay here. Our town is defenseless. So, ladies, children, you, and your belongings, into the wagons; we will protect you on the road.”
...The Archmage, setting his staff in a special stand, pondered intently. What use were demons in a small, nameless village? To test their strength? But why in this village, and not, for example, in the town nearby? Besides, the arriving militia easily defeated the attackers with almost no losses on their side. This means that the theory of testing strength is incorrect. A reconnaissance in force? But for that, a small settlement is not the best target, but a town with a strong garrison. A diversion? But then why has no one reported a serious invasion? The news of the insignificant village quickly spread throughout all seven human kingdoms, carried on the swift wings of magical messengers and on horseback by couriers. Everyone was preparing for defense. Of course, there were many doomsayers predicting the imminent end of the world. But the Inquisition of the Church of the One fought against them. More importantly, they fought against unofficial witches who had truly devoted themselves to the forces of Evil.
The Archmage glanced sideways at the young hunter, who was sitting awkwardly in a chair nearby and looking around the private chambers of Lecius Calgius with suspicion. How could a simple village boy, who had spent his entire short life near the forest, sit on such a seat, intricately called a "chair," and see such luxurious rooms? Although the Archmage was not a hedonist, he never denied himself comfort, and especially in his old age, when his bones ached and his blood no longer warmed him, he tried to spend less time outdoors and felt best in the halls of his Academy.
“The boy is not lying,” Calgius thought, “he described the hydra in too much detail. He could never have seen this creature, but he speaks with such confidence that one must fully trust him. But he was not present during the battle with the demons, but he did see the dead creatures and his relatives. Or maybe he is hiding something. Could he be a secret agent of the demons? This means that I will still have to resort to Memory Reversal.”
The Archmage did not often use this spell – it took a lot of strength – but he knew that even the most well-masked spy would loosen his tongue without torture and without any fear of lying.
And then a thought struck the mage with such clarity that he almost swore out loud – how could he not have thought of this before? He had been racking his brain lately, wondering where to find a messenger with a piece of the Amulet of the Abyss. He perfectly understood that the messenger had to be both brave and cautious. A soldier is good in battle, but he is more likely to die in battle against superior forces than to retreat. The same applies to knights, who would prefer to die with honor than to take a step back to save their lives. But, unfortunately, dying will not save the Amulet. A peasant, on the other hand, is too cowardly. A priest – a missionary – is also not suitable: he does not understand the value of this artifact; for him, all magic is evil, committed contrary to the commandments of the One. Who should he send?
And here he is, the future messenger. A forest man, equally brave and cautious, able to navigate both the forest and the steppe. An excellent archer, a swift hunter, able to camouflage himself while waiting for prey. True, he is unfamiliar with magic, but this can be remedied – he can be taught to use the simplest basics of primitive magic, and he will develop everything else if necessary.
But will he agree? After all, common people are afraid of magic, and for the most part, rightly so. One could, of course, break his will with magic, but what good would such a puppet be?
What if he tried to convince him, to win him over, simply by telling him what threatens the world? After all, this is also his world. He saw what demons are capable of. But can he fully trust a commoner, a villager? After all, he is not bound by thousands of restrictions, oaths, as are noble people. They are more likely to die under torture, but they will try to complete the task if their honor is at stake. But the young man did not run away from the hydra, although he could have. He joined the fight, which was completely hopeless for him, which means he feels the incompatibility of the world and the monsters...
And the Archmage decided. He will introduce the young man to the astral plane, immerse him in virtual reality, and determine by his reaction whether the young hunter is capable of carrying out such a complex mission.
“Bryacheslav, come here!” Calgius called.
The young hunter approached the wizard, and after him, obeying the almost imperceptible movement of the mage’s eyebrow, the chair moved closer. The mage did not want to frighten the young man, who was uneducated in magic, and decided on such a small trick. The trapper looked at the chair with bewilderment. The Archmage smiled slyly in his gray beard and gently invited:
“Sit down. My boy, I want you to learn the history of our world and understand what happened to you recently. Long ago, when the sun rose differently than it does now, there lived in our world such terrible and wondrous beasts that they cannot even be dreamed of in a nightmare...”
Added 22 hours 10 minutes ago
Colleagues, we seem to be taking too long. Of course, everyone has their own problems, work, home, etc., but the time gaps are quite long. If you have lost interest in our idea, it would be good to let us know so that no one has any illusions and the idea can fail successfully. In any case, I will continue the novel, but it will be much more difficult to find new ideas. So?
"...The funeral pyre had died down, the women wailed, and the militia dug a huge pit outside the ruined palisade, where they dragged all the dead creatures.
The centurion gathered the survivors in the center of the village:
“Well, ladies, gather up what’s left of your belongings, put the children on the carts, and let’s go with us to the town. Our lord baron is merciful; he will find you shelter and food. We cannot stay here. Our town is defenseless. So, ladies, children, you, and your belongings, into the wagons; we will protect you on the road.”
...The Archmage, setting his staff in a special stand, pondered intently. What use were demons in a small, nameless village? To test their strength? But why in this village, and not, for example, in the town nearby? Besides, the arriving militia easily defeated the attackers with almost no losses on their side. This means that the theory of testing strength is incorrect. A reconnaissance in force? But for that, a small settlement is not the best target, but a town with a strong garrison. A diversion? But then why has no one reported a serious invasion? The news of the insignificant village quickly spread throughout all seven human kingdoms, carried on the swift wings of magical messengers and on horseback by couriers. Everyone was preparing for defense. Of course, there were many doomsayers predicting the imminent end of the world. But the Inquisition of the Church of the One fought against them. More importantly, they fought against unofficial witches who had truly devoted themselves to the forces of Evil.
The Archmage glanced sideways at the young hunter, who was sitting awkwardly in a chair nearby and looking around the private chambers of Lecius Calgius with suspicion. How could a simple village boy, who had spent his entire short life near the forest, sit on such a seat, intricately called a "chair," and see such luxurious rooms? Although the Archmage was not a hedonist, he never denied himself comfort, and especially in his old age, when his bones ached and his blood no longer warmed him, he tried to spend less time outdoors and felt best in the halls of his Academy.
“The boy is not lying,” Calgius thought, “he described the hydra in too much detail. He could never have seen this creature, but he speaks with such confidence that one must fully trust him. But he was not present during the battle with the demons, but he did see the dead creatures and his relatives. Or maybe he is hiding something. Could he be a secret agent of the demons? This means that I will still have to resort to Memory Reversal.”
The Archmage did not often use this spell – it took a lot of strength – but he knew that even the most well-masked spy would loosen his tongue without torture and without any fear of lying.
And then a thought struck the mage with such clarity that he almost swore out loud – how could he not have thought of this before? He had been racking his brain lately, wondering where to find a messenger with a piece of the Amulet of the Abyss. He perfectly understood that the messenger had to be both brave and cautious. A soldier is good in battle, but he is more likely to die in battle against superior forces than to retreat. The same applies to knights, who would prefer to die with honor than to take a step back to save their lives. But, unfortunately, dying will not save the Amulet. A peasant, on the other hand, is too cowardly. A priest – a missionary – is also not suitable: he does not understand the value of this artifact; for him, all magic is evil, committed contrary to the commandments of the One. Who should he send?
And here he is, the future messenger. A forest man, equally brave and cautious, able to navigate both the forest and the steppe. An excellent archer, a swift hunter, able to camouflage himself while waiting for prey. True, he is unfamiliar with magic, but this can be remedied – he can be taught to use the simplest basics of primitive magic, and he will develop everything else if necessary.
But will he agree? After all, common people are afraid of magic, and for the most part, rightly so. One could, of course, break his will with magic, but what good would such a puppet be?
What if he tried to convince him, to win him over, simply by telling him what threatens the world? After all, this is also his world. He saw what demons are capable of. But can he fully trust a commoner, a villager? After all, he is not bound by thousands of restrictions, oaths, as are noble people. They are more likely to die under torture, but they will try to complete the task if their honor is at stake. But the young man did not run away from the hydra, although he could have. He joined the fight, which was completely hopeless for him, which means he feels the incompatibility of the world and the monsters...
And the Archmage decided. He will introduce the young man to the astral plane, immerse him in virtual reality, and determine by his reaction whether the young hunter is capable of carrying out such a complex mission.
“Bryacheslav, come here!” Calgius called.
The young hunter approached the wizard, and after him, obeying the almost imperceptible movement of the mage’s eyebrow, the chair moved closer. The mage did not want to frighten the young man, who was uneducated in magic, and decided on such a small trick. The trapper looked at the chair with bewilderment. The Archmage smiled slyly in his gray beard and gently invited:
“Sit down. My boy, I want you to learn the history of our world and understand what happened to you recently. Long ago, when the sun rose differently than it does now, there lived in our world such terrible and wondrous beasts that they cannot even be dreamed of in a nightmare...”
Added 22 hours 10 minutes ago
Colleagues, we seem to be taking too long. Of course, everyone has their own problems, work, home, etc., but the time gaps are quite long. If you have lost interest in our idea, it would be good to let us know so that no one has any illusions and the idea can fail successfully. In any case, I will continue the novel, but it will be much more difficult to find new ideas. So?
