Chapter 1
"Does the Prophet desire anything else?"
As he looked at the bowed maid, Talik felt his irritation grow again.
"No. I'll let you know if I need anything. Go ahead."
The pretty girl in the cassock bowed even more deeply and ducked behind the tall, austere door, shutting it behind her. Talik leaned back in his chair with his hands behind his head. He felt like dragging his feet over the desk, but he couldn't quite do it. The furniture looked too expensive.
In fact, he drew this office himself. So did the entire Temple facility. Formerly part of the Royal Palace, the Temple was nevertheless a separate 'floor', the smallest of all. To enter it was possible only from two places, and how to say enter - to be transferred. Whoever entered the gate was transported to a separate location. At least, that's how it was supposed to be.
Yesterday it became clear that all mini-locations of the Dawn City had become one. The temple was no longer a separate 'floor' and became just a fortress inside the fortress. From the open windows, he could get out on his own, throw an object, follow the movement in the inner courtyard of the Palace.
It is not known whether things are the same with the other floors. It would not be very good, in fact, in terms of defense, it would be a huge disadvantage. Almost the entire defense system was tied to the limitations of crossing floor boundaries.
Experiments and research were required. Not only that, there were so many details to figure out. And it was impossible to say what was more important and what was less important.
"Yeah." Talik exhaled and looked at his surroundings.
Of course, everything here was familiar to him. But this was only the second time he really looked at his office. He'd only been in here once since he'd started the floor; there was no need for it guild's console functionality was still accessible from the throne room, the balcony room, and the meeting room, and it was far more convenient than having to move here and do the same thing alone. Decisions requiring the use of administrative functions were still made collectively, by the entire guild.
The console, by the way, didn't work. 'Processing the interface...'. Well, at least the display was on. The game menu, for example, was not displayed at all.
And now he came here, to get some privacy. To try, as in books and movies, to gather his spirit in solitude and appropriate surroundings. An octagonal room, twenty paces across, racks full of unique books and scrolls by the walls. A high vaulted ceiling with abstract frescoes. An exquisite stained-glass window scatters rays of light from outside, drawing subtle fairy-tale paintings in the air. A crimson carpet with gold pentagrams over lacquered parquet. Arching doors to the preaching hall, the bedroom, and the laboratory.
It seemed impossible to find a better place for seclusion.
Yep. Right.
The temple servants, originally just mid-level support units, also 'came' to live. They were indescribably delighted that the Prophet himself had come to visit his chambers. Yes, he didn't come around here very often. It was, by and large, just the last line of defense, the place destined for the final battle. Now these fanatically happy creatures - humans, elves, draconians - were obsessively eager to be helpful.
How did this happen? What happened, what caused all of these? These questions kept Talik busy.
Yesterday he sincerely thought he had lost his mind and decided to have one last entertainment. Now he wasn't so sure. Everything was too real, too tangible, and too detailed to be a hallucination. His memory worked perfectly and his consciousness did not feel the inaccuracies typical of a dream. It was unlikely that insanity could be so vivid, consistent, and detailed.
Everything around me was alive. It was real. Common sense protested, but the facts were stubborn.
Draga. I wonder how she feels now? Yesterday he literally felt her heartache, and he blamed himself.
They had a great night last night. Talik didn't know much about wine, but it tasted very good, though it was only tipsy for a few seconds. Berries and cheese caressed the tongue with previously unfamiliar natural flavors. A pushy, confident beauty. A short conversation about insignificant things turned into flirting, and a little later into an indescribably pleasant kiss.
And from that moment, he... Lost interest in what was going on. No, of course, he finished the job. Or rather, he let her finish the job because as a man he was very... inexperienced in the matter. But he felt sex was simply a mechanical sexual act. The pleasure was purely physiological. Emotionally, he felt nothing at all. Like with a doll, an inanimate object.
Oh, sure, Draga was trying very hard. And of course, she felt something was wrong. When it was over, she looked crushed and kept asking for forgiveness. The evening was hopelessly ruined, and Talik's attempts to recapture its charms were frankly pathetic.
It was a terrible situation. Talik kept chasing those thoughts away, but they kept coming back, bringing back the smallest details of the fiasco. Something had to be done, but what?
"Yep."
Talik decided to finally get down to business at last. At least look at the reports provided.
The pages of papers with numbers, neatly bound in folders, were quite easy to read. Nice large handwriting, with symbolic monograms on the titles of the paragraphs. He wonders if Wilhelm wrote it himself, or dictated it.
He ran his eyes over the first folder, relieving his nagging anxiety. All morning, along with his worries about Drags, he'd been gnawing at his doubts about how things were going in this now-real world.
In Yggdrasil, you could describe such details as farming, cattle breeding, and so on. But no one really bothered with it - too boring and non-fantasy. Talik has not gone far from the general mass of players in this matter. The guild system simply consumed gold and crystal resources, deriving an abstract balance between the expense of general maintenance of the guild and its individual enclaves, and income. Income was passive, from 'household plots' and 'mines', and active - actually injections into the expenditure side of the treasury.
It was preferable to maintain a positive balance. Not necessarily, but preferably - who would be happy to quit for some reason for a month and come back to find services disabled and no NPCs, for which there was no money to support any more. In the worst cases, the system also deleted floors that had passed a certain loss mark. With everything that was on them.
Now, judging by the documents provided, the unknown event had filled in the logical holes in the supply. There were fields and cattle farms outside the city, iron and silver mines nearby, and even a few small fisheries were present. Grocery stores contained enough supplies that even in the event of an apocalypse, the city would last a couple of months without a problem.
Talik took note - make sure to check it out in person.
Next, there was a folder with a condensed report from Illadria. The sorceress reported that the current position of Dawn City was a valley deep in the mountain range. A reconnaissance of the area showed three possible paths beyond this mountain range. Deep canyons and clefts, difficult to pass, but quite suitable for road construction.
No further reconnaissance was conducted from this mountain valley, according to the order received. No living, sentient beings were found, but there are unambiguous traces of civilization. Destroyed structures of unknown purpose in the nearby mountains, and collapsed tunnels going into their depths. Abandoned, tentatively, four or five centuries ago. The nature of the damage indicates signs of war, with the use of explosives and war machines.
Animals are common, not magical, assumed to be level zero ('creeps', one-hit entourage) to level eight. Higher levels have local predators.
Animal habitats, ruins, and paths through the mountains are marked on the attached map.
Well done, Illadria. It's impossible not to understand, just like you did for an idiot.
A report from Warboss. Oh yes, it's impossible to assign this handwriting to anyone else. Little sloppy letters, uneven lines, savage entourage just oozes.
How many?! Eleven thousand ready for immediate combat, seventeen can be deployed in half a day, twenty-five in 24 hours with full mobilization? What the fuck? From where? And where are these hordes physically located right now? What are they eating?
Talik returned his attention to the documents from Wilhelm.
Yes, the king included the orcs in the expenditure part. He wonders how many 'royal' troops there are. The 'backbone' that started the idea itself.
Initially, low-level NPCs were simply automatically generated in numbers as the guild infrastructure allowed. Any losses among them were replenished by default after a few hours. Convenient and fast. So, how's everything going now? And what's the deal with higher-level NPCs requiring 'manual' generation?
There's so much to figure out. And I have to go to Marius to see how he's doing.
Talk to the undead of the highest rank, yeah.
It's kind of creepy, man. He wrote archlich a long time ago, and already forgotten half of his story...
Okay, there's a lot to do, no time to complain.
Talik stepped out from the table with determination.
Draga, I hope you can forgive me.
Chapter 2
In the Dawn City, in addition to the usual residences for 'ordinary mortals', there are several separately built buildings designed to house the guild's most valuable vassals. These vassals vary greatly in rank, strength, and occupation, but they all have one thing in common.
The Lords of Dawn Mist deemed them valuable enough to appoint to positions of responsibility. Most of these vassals were created or summoned by the Lords from oblivion. They were empowered as they were, and initially best suited to their assigned tasks. There were also those who earned their place in the hierarchy by merit, assisting the Lords in their journeys through times and worlds.
Both were justly proud of their part in the lords' greatness. Especially the elder vassals, those endowed with the greatest powers and gifts in existence. Six of the most powerful - after the Lords - beings created and enlisted in the service by the Prophet Tallarius.
Each of them had a great responsibility, each had a great demand. And each had the highest reward - the right to serve the incomprehensible schemes of the Lords.
Marius is the Archilich, the eternal guardian of the guild's borders. The one who took the first blow of any invasion. Lord of the undead hordes, master of terrifying curses, master of time and space. One who kept a tireless vigil at his eternal post, even in the final hour of the world.
Illadria is the mistress of fields, streams, and groves, the lady of storms, and the head of the forest folk. She has accompanied the Lords on their journeys countless times. Her scouts, hunters, assassins, and minor wizards have kept watch beyond the territories of the Dawn Mists. Few adversaries had a chance to slip past her spies, and few events could escape her omnipresent servants.
Warboss is the head of the vanguard forces. The Lords did not take him on their journeys, but no worthwhile battle between the Lords of Dawn Mist and their allies against the lords of the other guilds happened without him. In any new lands, his armies were the first to go into battle, covering themselves in unfading glory.
Wilhelm - by the will of the Lords was given full power over the inner city. The legions that form the backbone of the guild's power obeyed him. While Warboss's orcs took on an unstoppable onslaught, Wilhelm's legionnaires and knights were known for their ability to fight as a single mechanism, maneuvering and adapting to any situation on the battlefield. Outside the war, Wilhelm ruled the provinces, sparing the Lords the need to get involved in the petty hustle and bustle of the world.
The Titan, an automaton that could rightly be called an absolute weapon, guarded the peace of the inner temple and treasury. A weapon was so destructive that even the Lords did not invoke its power without critical need. Only twice, when hostile Lords were able to break through to the heart of the guild, did he go into battle. And both times the immortal invaders cursed that day.
All the high vassals were important, necessary servants of the Lords. And when the Lords were gone, leaving only the Prophet and his closest associate, Katsuba-sama, the higher vassals became even more important to the fulfillment of their plans.
EXCEPT YOU.
Drega shrank into a ball, screaming silently, scratching the granite of the pillars in the basement of her tower. The web of darkness that braided the circular hall of the dungeon mocked her and her suffering in a many-voiced whisper.
YOU ARE NOT NEEDED.
Draga was not equal to the others. She was stronger than every one of the elder vassals, the Herald of Darkness, equipped with the best warrior gear in the guild, after Katsuba-sama. In one-on-one combat, she would have cut any of her 'colleagues' to ribbons. Though she had no armies of her own, she was worth more in battles with dragons, monsters, and hostile lords than any of the other elder vassals with all their warriors. But the Lords of Dawn Mist did not take her on their journeys and wars. Her creator, the Prophet Tallarius, summoned her only once. It was a truly terrible massacre, and the victory was theirs. Too hard a victory. After that time, she was never again ordered to leave the confines of the Dawn City
BECAUSE YOU'RE USELESS.
Her fate was an ignominious existence as an expensive toy. Her status as an elder vassal was unsupported by anything. But she hoped she would get the chance to be useful again. And that chance came.
AND YOU FAILED.
On the last day of the world, of all the Lords, only the Prophet remained with the guild. Even Katsuba-sama, the closest of the Prophet's friends, did not condescend to their shared brainchild to see it off with dignity into oblivion. And when the Prophet decided that it made sense for Dawn Mist to continue to exist, each of the elder vassals was assigned something important to the guild.
And she alone was entrusted with something important for the Prophet personally. To please him. The highest honor is imaginable. The deepest dream of every female vassal of the Dawn Mists.
After Malikriss' betrayal, the Prophet lost interest in carnal relations and now wished to remind himself of them. And she disappointed her creator. He was bored with her.
YOU'RE NOTHING.
The darkness in the hall was no longer whispering, but shouting with a thousand cursing voices, and there was no way not to hear it. Draga's heart convulsed, her tears dried up, and now blood flowed instead. Instead of tears, though? Trying to numb the inner pain, she clawed her immortal body, bringing tangible pain. But it did not help. She wanted to disfigure, to mutilate herself, but her body was the Prophet's creation, and she could not have such right.
He ordered nothing more, demanded nothing more, and even tried to comfort her. All she deserved from her dream was pity? All she is capable of is suffering? What does she exist for? Oh, how she wished she could go mad or die to drown out this monstrous pain.
But she was not given such an order.
[message]
"Lady Illadria, this is a scout from the east canyon. On the edge of my line of sight, I see movement, looks like some kind of caravan. No obvious threats."
"Stand by."
[message]
"Prophet, please forgive my impertinence and listen to the report. Scouts from the east canyon report signs of intelligent life. Looks like a caravan, with no sign of a threat. What should we do?"
Hearing the melodious ringing and followed by the soft voice of Illadria, Talik looked around in confusion and reflexively folded his fingers to invoke the menu. It was the first time he had received a [message] since the Event, and it was hard to comprehend that an NPC could use it.
Although there's a lot of things he can't comprehend.
Talik felt like an idiot. [Message], man. It's more convenient than personally running after NPCs, although now they, not NPCs anymore. It just didn't even occur to him that this simple magic could work properly without a target player.
Actually, he needs to deal with magic. Obviously, it works now, but how can he use it without a game console and voice macros? He had, of course, planned to look into the matter, but a little later. Now that he knew for certain that there were other sentient beings here, the question became critical.
"Prophet?"
"Ah, sorry, I was thinking. Send a 'tail' after them, I want to know the type of creatures, their approximate level, and intended goals. Also, send more scouts to those areas. I want to have as detailed a picture of those territories as you provided this morning."
"The order is clear, Prophet. I will carry it out."
"And, Illadria, I want to hold some sort of meeting. After sundown, I'll wait for you in the Prayer Hall, and I'll inform the others myself."
"In the Hall of Prayer itself?" There was a reverent shock in Illadria's voice.
"Yes. That's it, see you tonight."
I'm sorry, Marius, but I have the perfect excuse to postpone my visit to you. Ah, [message], yes... Let's just say "I forgot, forgot". I'm sorry.
[message]
"Scout, pursue the caravan, or whatever it is. Scout the lineup and see if you can figure out the levels. If you show yourself, retreat immediately and report back."
The scout was surprised by the strange notes in his mistress' voice as if she could barely control her happiness.
"Copy that, Lady Illadria. I'll keep you informed."
Talik stopped at the door of his office and pondered.
Checking the work of skills is not just shouting the name of a spell and seeing what happens. No, of course, you can do that, too. But a good, thoughtful test isn't done that way.
He needed a large open space. A city square would be fine, but there were two strong arguments against it.
First of all, there are a lot of people there all the time. It is, in fact, the center of the city, the point at which most of the streets are united. He could ask Wilhelm to get everyone out of there and block off the square; he's not likely to say no. He is a Prophet or a pig-tail? After all, He could tap his shoe on the table. But he didn't want to inconvenience a bunch of people like that. It was the Elites who saw in him something great and inscrutable. But the ordinary inhabitants might see him as a small-time employee of an out-of-state engineering office.
Second, if he failed, it would be the embarrassment of the century. Just the thought of embarrassing himself like the last chunibyo (I think that's how Katsuba called his problem) in public view in the center of a densely populated city... Nah. And if the Elites also realize that someone here doesn't fit the standards for the wise and all-powerful Prophets, it's scary to imagine what will happen. No, no, no. We're not going to the square.
Where else can he find a lot of space, and with fewer spectators? That's right. If you can't solve a problem, dump it on somebody else.
[message]
"Illadria, this is Tali... Tallarius."
"There is no greater happiness than to hear your voice, Prophet. How can I serve you?"
Talik grimaced.
This is way out of line. Does she have no self-respect at all?
"Your groves are within the current guild territory, right?"
"Yes, it takes up part of the interior territory. Should I remove it?"
"No, I don't. I need to... Do you have a clearing about 100 feet in diameter? And not too many people hanging around. I want to test something."
"Yes, Prophet, I know such a place. Would the Glade of the Old One's suit you?
"Is that the one with the Stonehenge in the center? Yeah, I guess that would be okay. Oh, by the way. You must know some portal magic. Try opening a portal to the clearing at my coordinates."
"I obey, Prophet."
Talik crossed his arms over his chest in anticipation. Nothing happened for a few minutes.
[message]
"Prophet, I beg your forgiveness, it's not working!" Illadria's voice had an anxious tone in it.
"That's good. I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but I'm in a temple where all teleportation of any kind is blocked. I wanted to see if this restriction works now. It's okay, relax. Try opening a portal to the common chambers of the palace."
After a moment's pause, the relieved voice of the elf woman was heard:
"The two-way portal between the common chambers and the Glade of the Old Ones is open, Prophet."
"That's good. Keep it open for now, track how much power it will take. I'll use it soon. And, yeah, make sure no one's at the clearing, okay?"
"Yes, sir!"
Talik disrupted [message]. He was a little ashamed of his impoliteness, but the thought of having to hear Illadria sing undeserved dithyrambs to him again was too embarrassing.
He opened the door and peeked sneakily out of his office. His hope of slipping in unnoticed was immediately shattered.
The Hall of Prayer (the design name 'Chapel' didn't stick - the guild members demanded pathos) was impressive in its current state. As part of the game's universe, of course, it was also very beautiful, but you quickly stopped paying attention to the game's setting. You just remember what's where and how to move around, and that's it.
And now... Now it was real, every detail of it, and the difference between its past appearance of scenery through the interface, and the current one, was staggering. In some ways, it was similar to Talik's office, at least in the shape and vaults of the ceiling, but it was many times larger. The turquoise-blue marble of the floor flowed into the pale gold of the twisted columns, decorated with crystal patterns, reaching up into the dizzying heights of the ceiling. The ceiling itself consisted almost entirely of multicolored crystal plates that filled the entire hall with pure, lush color combinations. Always different, depending on the time of day. Quiet choral chanting flowed in a smooth, whimsical melody, scattering with barely audible echoes.
In the very center, on a small pedestal, stood a carved altar. Of course, in an ordinary religious building, one would never place an altar in the center, for that would cause a part of the audience to have to look at the back of the preacher. But here such a position was due to two rational factors at once. First, from an aesthetic point of view, it was symmetrical. Second, it was equally easy to reach both allies and enemies with spells from the center, and there was no need to move around the hall to cast aura effects. And, in fact, the altar itself served as a protection for Talik in battle. As long as the altar was not destroyed, the Talik could not be harmed, and under its protection, for a short time, it was possible to deliver the ultimate healing efficiency without worrying about self-defense. It's extremely valuable in a hot PvP environment.
Talik could hardly tear himself away from his contemplation and sighed. Of course, the temple servants were here. On either side of the door stood beautiful girls in cassocked robes. Figures in ceremonial robes were also standing beside each of the columns. And all this fraternity was now looking at him with adoration and reverence.
What's the matter with you people? Seriously, this is not natural.
Talik exhaled and, trying to keep an important look, silently left the office and headed for the exit. The feeling of being stared at was not relaxing, and every step required intense concentration.
The last thing he needs is to stumble in front of everyone, damn it. Something must be done about that.
Talik thought longingly about the teleportation rings. These were truly lacking. However, to be able to create one for guild members required the Symbol of the Guild. A stick, to put it bluntly, of two ends. On the one hand, it increased the power of the guild NPCs in the guild, expanded the possibilities of the treasury, decreased the expenses on all services, and allowed unlimited teleportation within the guild's bastion with the help of the Rings. On the other hand, it made the guild vulnerable. If they had such an item, there would be no need to atomize every 'floor' in order to destroy the guild, spending several days on each. For the guild to cease to exist, it would be enough to destroy the Symbol. Of course, such an item would be kept as the apple of the eye, but it's still a big risk. They'd been taken out twice, and if they'd had the Symbol, the guild would have been gone in the first six months.
This is if you ignore the fact that the Symbol is not something you just go and order. To only get the necessary materials for it, the entire crew would have to epically grind for months. And then perform an extremely hardcore quest.
Anyway, the Symbol wasn't worth it, though, of course, greed about the rings was stifling. Especially now.
On his way from the temple to the common chambers (the part of the palace where not only guild members but also allies could gather before large campaigns), Talik could hardly resist the temptation to touch and almost lick everything in sight. With his perception no longer limited by game possibilities, he felt like a tourist in a fairyland. It took a lot of effort not to be distracted by everything. Keeping a poker face and an indifferent look on his face as he passed the bowing servants was even more difficult.
In the center of the common chambers, designed in antique style (Talik was already full of impressions, and did not dwell on the furnishings here as well), shimmered purple teleport oval, smoky blurred at the edges. Talik didn't use nonstationary teleporters very often, even his own (he was a master of this magic at its lowest rank), and he walked around it in a circle with interest. The portal's vortex felt as if it were turning to follow him. It was like in the game.
[message]
"Illadria, this is Tallarius. I'm near the teleporter, about to go through, is the exit area under control?"
"Of course, Prophet. I humbly wait for you on the other side."
"Have you roughly estimated the cost of mana for support?"
"As you commanded, I monitored mana consumption. Its regeneration in my domain exceeds the consumption of the portal."
"Okay. Would it be difficult for you to open a few of them at once sometime later and hold them for a couple of hours? I'd like to have an idea of your capabilities."
"I will get right on it."
"No, let's do it later. I might need you now."
He interrupted [message] again.
Damn, this could become a habit, it's not good.
Upon entering the portal, Talik habitually waited for the three-dimensional loading screensaver. The loading of locations in Yggdrassil could take entire seconds, and the developers were careful not to bore players too much in the process. Short scenes of battles or particularly spectacular magic, views of grim ruins and majestic castles, there were a lot of random choices. But the transition was instantaneous, Talik felt nothing at all - stepping into the mouth of the portal, he was immediately in another place.
He appeared from the portal in the center of an oval field the size of a baseball stadium, covered with soft emerald grass. At the edge of the clearing stood in a bizarre arrangement of ancient mossy stones many meters high. On top of some of them lay transverse stone beams of similar scale. XxxDeFoexXx - the author of this place - called it Stonehenge, it was sort of a copy of a very ancient structure from former Britain. There was no way to verify the truth of these claims, nor was there any way to make sense of such a structure - the part of Britain that contained these ruins had gone down with a third of the island during the last Great Economic War, long before Talik was born. Except that it seemed to be a much smaller place in the game.
The border of the clearing was an emerald green forest - immense trees, thin tender grass, everything exactly as it was in the movies and in ancient encyclopedias. To see a real forest was a luxury that not everyone could afford. But even so, the guys had done a great job - the forest looked real, inviting, and mysterious, even better than the work of Yggdrassil's artists.
Illadria, who had changed her dress for a more regular robe, was waiting for Talik, kneeling and looking down. The ridiculousness of that attitude aside, she looked even cuter than she had yesterday.
"Get up off your knees, please. There you go, thank you. There's no one around, I mean, not even NP... uh, guild servants?"
"Yes, Prophet, I sent everyone away. Now it's just You and me."
And how does she manage to say even a simple 'you' with a capital letter?
"Okay. I want to test some spells that might be... A little dangerous. And you go to the edge, okay?"
Illadria bowed and walked away to the edge of Stonehenge. Actually, he wanted to send her away at first, but then he had an idea that required her presence.
Talik stood and searched his memory for the available spells. Despite his concerns, there was no problem; every spell came to mind as soon as he thought of it. Along with a description of the effect, the cost in mana, and the timers of the cooldowns. Minus one problem.
Talik tensed up and tried to force his will to turn on the aura [good presence], one of his favorite abilities. It reduced the duration of negative effects and their power to allies in the area of action by a third. It didn't work.
That sucks.
Talik closed his eyes and tried to concentrate again, to visualize himself clicking an icon in the virtual interface. Again he failed.
It sucks. Okay, last call...
He looked around to make sure he wasn't being overheard and whispered:
"[good presence]" Trying to hold in his mind the mental image of the icon with the skill.
And yes, something happened this time. A fuzzy feeling of mental lightness appeared. The weakness of the feeling did not matter - the very fact of a positive result was unspeakably gratifying.
Well, let's run all five levels first. Oh, there's so much to test.
Illadria was truly happy. When the Prophet approached her and asked for a place to test his great ideas, she was glad to be useful, but that was quite normal. But she could not have imagined how majestic a spectacle she was about to see.
The mighty streams of power shook the world, forming by the will of the Prophet into inexhaustible sources of life force. In bright letters in the sky and on the earth, the signs that commanded the universe itself blazed and succeeded each other. The riot of pure energies at His will turned into indestructible walls and resilient winds. Pure golden light braided everything around, becoming either dazzling rays or a caressing ligature. Some of the spells were already familiar to her, but that was only a small part of what she saw today.
He did not draw power from the outside. His very essence was the source of this unimaginable power, and He generously shared it with the world. Earth and heaven gratefully accepted this great gift, absorbing without a trace all that He no longer deemed necessary to His mystery.
Illadria didn't know how long she'd been watching this incredible act - she didn't care. She was ready to spend all eternity contemplating and only dreaming of touching this miracle even for a moment. But the Prophet finally dispelled what he had created with his whim, and the universe returned to its usual state.
He turned to her and, with his usual easy spontaneity, asked:
"How's that?"
She couldn't find the right words. It was always very difficult to answer Him with grace. He is stronger than any god, as wise as time itself, and as carefree as a child. An absolute being.
"It was incredible, Prophet. I don't know the words to describe what you showed me."
"Get off your knees, please. Thank you. Now, we're going to try something together."
Illadria felt her heart skip a beat. Had He found her worthy? Without daring to hope, she clarified:
"What is required of me?"
"You're obviously thinking something weird now. I want... I guess you could call it a game. Summon some weak creature."
Illadria, frantically putting her thoughts in order, summoned [little unicorn].
"Oh, he's a lot nicer than I thought he'd be, and I kind of feel sorry for him. Now we'll go to different sides of the clearing, and you try to kill him with magic, and I'll protect him. Start with level one spells, and go to the limit. You can use absolutely any combination you want."
Illadria was taken aback.
"But how can I try to confront you?"
"It's a game. Any game is a confrontation. It's fun, believe me, you'll love it."
Seeing her doubts, he added:
"Illadria, don't make me talk you into it. Come on."
She resigned herself to her strange role and stepped back to the edge of the clearing. The little unicorn looked at her trustingly, as if to remind her that she had nothing to fear - after death its soul would simply return to the cycle of the elements. Illadria began.
[ice needle]
A thin, sharp icicle flew out between her palms and headed for the animal's heart, but it stopped and fell into the grass three paces from its target.
[ruthless wind]
The air, obeying her spell, swirled around the unicorn, trying to lift it up and spin it through the air - unsuccessfully. The vortex of the little tornado couldn't come within the same three steps. Illadria felt a slight interest
"Let me help you out a little bit for the sake of interest."
The Prophet whispered something, and Illadria felt a rush of power. This had happened to her before when she had accompanied Him on his adventures, but, as always, the feeling was as fresh as the first time she had had the chance to feel His support. But...
The [lightning] faded, barely halfway to its target, and the same fate befell [dragon's lightning].
Illadria's excitement swept over her head. The wild but obedient power that had been placed at her disposal by His will stirred her blood. Crystal clarity reigned in her mind, giving her a fresh perspective on the possibilities of spells. Perception sharpened to a level never before possible, giving her a sense of POWER over the mana.
And she immersed herself in this game completely. Having quickly passed the low and medium levels of magic, she began to use what she was truly proud of. Levels IX and X.
[double magic enhancement]
[triple magic enhancement]
[crystal storm]
[ice inferno]
[rampage of the elements]
[lightning fantasy]
[energy overload]
[phase bombs]
[absolute permafrost]
[tsunami]
[skyfall]
In each of her chosen spells, she invested all the power given by the Prophet, sometimes even feeling His shields sag, retreat. She had no doubt that He was letting her, and she felt dual feelings. On the one hand, gratitude that He had given her a chance to at least see a chance of success. On the other, certain anger at herself, at her weakness for allowing him to play giveaway and still win.
The air crackled and howled, no longer able to contain the excess power of the spells. The land around the unicorn was a lifeless, cratered ice desert. But when Illadria had exhausted her and the Prophet's reserves of mana, the summoned animal was quietly nibbling at the three-pointed patch of grass untouched by the elements.
Looking at what the Glade of the Old Ones had become, the enchantress looked around frantically. But, contrary to her fears, the grove and the ancient stones were completely untouched. The earth, plowed and disfigured by magic, ended exactly half a step away, and the grass was as green as ever.
That was hard, to be honest. - The Prophet smiled with fake fatigue. - Keeping a small object under dynamic protection and such an area under a static one, at the same time, was something I'd never done before.
"Did I disappoint you?" Enchantress looked at him hopefully. "My magic is nothing against yours..."
"Not at all. I told you, it was very difficult. Very. You had a pretty good chance. You just lack experience, but I think it's only a matter of time. For instance, when you were shooting lightning bolts and ice bombs, you should have been able to cast your spells in a delayed fashion. It would have taken a lot more force to adjust the defense, and there was a chance I would have missed - and had to go in with my trumps and waste a lot of time. Getting the opponent to waste trumps is half the victory. There were a couple of other dangerous moments, too. But okay. Thanks for the good sparring."
Illadria memorized every word. It's not every day that an Absolute Being shares his wisdom so casually.
"Oh, we've spent quite a bit of time. Open the portal to the common rooms, please. Then get... Take care of the Glade okay? And no kneeling now, I insist."
"Of course, Prophet."
She opened the portal and bowed gratefully after him.