Condemned Book 3: A Progression Fantasy LitRPG Series (Lord Valevsky: Last of the Line) E-Book

Vasily Mahanenko

• Herausgeber: Magic Dome Books
• Kategorie: Fantasy und Science-Fiction
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2023

Beschreibung

The dark, “doomed soldier” Max, formerly Baron Maximilian Valevsky, has committed an act of heroism. The emperor wants to personally reward him, and a meeting with the leader of the empire means only one thing: Max will regain his former name. But the mysterious forces circling the throne of the Zarask Empire have their own opinions about how best to utilize Max and his abilities. Their task is simple: bend our hero to their will and force him to do their bidding. But will Max agree to dance like a marionette with someone else pulling the strings?

Leseprobe

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

About the Author

Vasily Mahanenko

Condemned

Book 3

Lord Valevsky: Last of the Line

A Progression Fantasy Series

Published by Magic Dome Books

Condemned Book 3: A Progression Fantasy Series

(Lord Valevsky: Last of the Line)

Copyright © V. Mahanenko 2023

Cover Art © Lunar 2023

Cover Design V. Manyukhin

English translation copyright © Taylor Elise Margvelashvili 2023

Published by Magic Dome Books, 2023

Anschrift: Podkovářská 933/3, Vysočany, 190 00

Praha 9 Czech Republic IC: 28203127

All Rights Reserved

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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental..

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Chapter 1

“YOU MEAN WE’RE NEVER returning to the academy?” I clarified once again, assessing my new lodgings with interest. The Silver Goose wasn’t the most fashionable hotel in Turb, but compared to where I’d been forced to live for the past month, it was the peak of cleanliness and perfection. The two-room suite we’d settled into was on the fifth and final floor, with a phenomenal view of the Fortress, academy, and even the Imperial Palace. The greater part of the capital was at my feet, and I, unaccustomed to such magnificence, was rendered completely breathless. Who would have thought that the capital of the Zarak Empire could be so beautiful?

“You’re no longer a doomed soldier, Max. Your status is still not entirely determined—I must discuss it with the High Priest—but you are no longer obligated to waste your time on useless humdrum at the academy,” replied Mother Alia, who had donned the purple robes of a bishop. The girl was only eighteen years old, my age, but she behaved as if she were a wise old man who had lived a long and eventful life. Of course, this behavior could be attributed to post-traumatic shock—just three hours ago, the girl nearly perished in the cleansing fire of the church, but even before that, Alia had seemed not of this world.

“As for useless humdrum, I strongly disagree. Some of the Evil Engineer’s training sessions are worth something! Plus I have the right to ten rapier classes. Since I’m no longer a doomed soldier, I should have my own personal weapon. Dance, history, law—there’s a lot more the academy has to offer me! And I have obligations to the chancellor. He believes the rift underneath the academy has reached a critical depth and must be closed. He invited me to participate in this event. I agreed. All my stones were pumped up to level six and they promised to give me a facet, and new stones to boot, once I figure out which ones I need. Plus, we’ve got to deal with my weapon situation—my katars have already demonstrated their limitations. On level eight, I met beasts that could block steel. All in all, the academy is a useful place and I shouldn’t avoid it.”

“All your prior promises and obligations are no longer valid. From now on, you have only me. If someone requires your assistance, they must go through me,” Alia responded calmly. I couldn’t bring myself to call the girl “Mother Alia.” What kind of mother was she?

“So we’re not going to help the academy with the rift?”

“One facet, buffing your stones to level six, and the promise of some unknown stones in the future?” She looked at me like I was a stupid little boy. “That’s the price for clearing a five—maybe six-level. Alright, the rift under the academy is a unique case, since it’s constantly being cleansed, so you could agree to go to level ten for a price like that. But they’re talking about level fourteen, and maybe even level fifteen. No one has ever closed rifts that deep, so the academy won’t be able to get away with awarding you trinkets. I think we should visit the chancellor as soon as possible and discuss the conditions for your participation and further education. I agree that you need an education and polished manners. Closing the rifts is just one part of what you and I will be doing.”

“You want to send me off to hunt converts?”

“They’re much more dangerous than beasts. The creatures living beneath the earth are ordinary animals, even if they are dark. The beasts found among humans are the true monsters, able to influence your consciousness and the purity of your thoughts. I tried to prove to the High Priest before that your place was among the aristocrats and not in the rifts, but no one listened to me. Father Urg believed that doomed soldiers have no place in high society. But now everything has changed. Yes, Max, you and I are going to hunt down converts. This is the top priority. The rifts are a nice bonus and way to earn some money. Nothing more. Now let’s go! I see no reason to postpone our meeting with the chancellor.”

“In the middle of the night?” I gazed pointedly at the setting sun.

“Do you have other plans?”

“To be honest, yes. I’ve never been to the capital—the incident with the convert doesn’t count. Look how beautiful it is. Ultimately, I just want to walk around the city, go shopping, sit in the park, listen to music. Remember—I’m still a person, not just a tool for closing rifts or sniffing out converts.”

Alia stared at me as if seeing me for the first time.

“Max, let’s outline some boundaries here. My duty entails overseeing your development and progress. So that you grow stronger and learn to destroy the dark ones, in all their manifestations. However, I do not intend to oversee you sitting on a park bench and enjoying the beauty of the city at night. No shops, no music and no other bells and whistles distracting from the main goal. You are a weapon in the hands of the Light. I am the hand that wields this weapon. That’s it! You won’t get anything more. Just because you stopped being a doomed soldier doesn’t mean you’re suddenly free. I understand perfectly well that you are stronger, faster and more dangerous than me. Try to run away and I can’t stop you. But I know you won’t. From now until the end of our days, we are bound together, Max, whether you like it or not. So let’s learn to live in peace and harmony. I will provide you with everything you need, but in return I require your absolute trust.”

“You’ll provide me with everything? Okay, I have a need you can fulfill right away: I need the three doomers I closed the rift with. What needs to be done to transfer them under your leadership?”

“I do not know,” Alia responded honestly. “They did not discuss this point with me. I agree that you need help. I agree that some of the skills these doomers have are quite useful, especially since we will constantly be negotiating contracts with the Fortress. I will think about how I can arrange this, but I cannot promise that I will succeed. They are doomed soldiers who are slaves of the Fortress. You...I do not know who you are, but you are definitely not a doomed soldier. You don’t even have an internal Fortress ranking anymore. It does not apply to you.”

“So I guess the forty-one thousand ranking points I earned are just down the shitter?” I was outraged. “What about the fact that, for instance, a protection amulet that blocks lethal damage costs three thousand points? Are you trying to say that thirteen amulets have been stolen from me? Thirteen extra lives that could end up being vital to our cause?”

Alia frowned and said thoughtfully:

“I didn’t really consider that, if I’m being honest. You’re absolutely right—the Fortress doesn’t have the right to deny you your rank. After all, you received these points when you were a doomed soldier. As well as ten percent of the booty that you are owed for cleansing the fault. Max, I will resolve these issues as soon as possible. If you recall, four hours ago I stood tied to the stake, awaiting my meeting with the Light. These things weren’t really on my mind. Alright, let’s go. We have to get to the academy before dinner.”

The perks of my new status were immediately apparent as soon as we made it to the front office. No one looked askance at me, no one had whispered discussions of where this doomed soldier had come from, and—I appreciated this the most—no one made me do anything. Alia took care of everything: renting a room, driving to the academy, even ordering food for the morning. The girl was like a roosting hen blowing dust off her chick. I can’t say that I was upset, or even unnerved—for the first eighteen years of my life, servants had fulfilled, if not all, then at least most of my desires. The fact that Alia had voluntarily assumed this role was completely her choice, and I wasn’t going to argue. It suited me perfectly.

The academy greeted us with the usual evening hustle and bustle. It was dinner time, and most of the students were hurrying to the dining room. I involuntarily snuck a glance at my peers who had just finished training. I wanted to see if at least one of them had a pastry like the ones filling my former roommates’ bags. But I didn’t notice anything of the sort. A huge crowd of people passed by us, but none of them carried rolls.

“Something’s bothering you.” Alia had obviously learned to read my emotions. “And it’s bothering you a lot. I feel the tension but don’t understand the cause. Will you elaborate?”

I wanted to snap at her and keep silent, but something inside me resisted. It wouldn’t be ideal to start my relationship with my personal servant by cursing at them over such a trifle. Especially without any reason.

“When I was a doomer, I lived in that house,” I said, pointing to the doomer dormitory. “Two men lived with me. Ordinary peasants who got their hands on some magic stones and put together a gang of robbers. They were caught, sent here for training, and in a matter of weeks they managed to establish a small business reselling sweet pastries. This morning when I ran back to the house, there were twenty-one bags of sweets that my roommates promised to distribute by the end of the day, but I’m looking at the students and don’t see them holding anything of the sort. It’s quite possible they’ve already eaten them or plan to eat them this evening, or the pastries are still in the bags…it’s nothing, of course, but for some reason it bothers me.”

“Two peasant doomed soldiers?” Alia frowned. “As far as I know, the Fortress didn’t send anyone to the academy while you were here. Where did they get the stones from? How did they manage to activate them?”

“What do you mean, they didn’t send anyone? There are two scruffy looking doomers, one tall and one fat. They were wearing the academy’s steel blockers. Apparently there’s something they didn’t tell you. I don’t know the answers to your other questions. We didn’t talk much.”

“The Fortress didn’t send other doomers to the academy, Max,” Alia stood her ground. “Let’s pay your roommates a visit. The chancellor can wait.”

Shrugging, I led Alia to my former dormitory. The students shot strange glances at us—it wasn’t every day you saw such a young cleric wearing purple robes strolling through the academy. Opening the door, I let Alia inside. But there was no one in the house. No roommates, no bags. Only the saccharine smell of baked goods, which seemed to have soaked into all the bedsheets, proved that I was not delusional. Alia looked at me, demanding details, so I had to show her the beds and bedside tables of the two men. My personal attendant shamelessly reached inside, pulling out personal belongings and underwear. The girl was not satisfied. She walked around the house, looking everywhere she could. Finally, standing next to me, Alia said:

“Alright, we’ve determined that they exist. Now the question is, where did they run off to? It’s dinner time now, as I understand?”

“Maybe they’re at the training grounds? Training their mental block?”

“How are they doing? Were they able to pass through the first cave?”

“First? From what I remember, they finished the entire initial level and were preparing for the second. Again, we didn’t talk much. I was never around.”

“Two peasants who adapted to the first level of the training grounds in a week,” Alia repeated thoughtfully. “Remind me how Karina Fardi coped with this?”

“Poorly,” I agreed. “She had to relearn everything under the careful guidance of Father Nor.”

“Meanwhile, two robbers who are no match for your partner passed this test with ease. Why didn’t you find it strange?”

“Because I had enough unpleasant things going on in my own life, without keeping an eye on others. Finally convinced the doomers were here?”

“I’m convinced that two men are living here. Clean men. Have you met many thieves in your life? Or simple peasants who care so much about their clothing? Look: everything is laundered and folded neatly. I happened to live in the countryside for a while. There, no one cares so much about their clothing, especially underwear. I want to talk to this pair. Take me to the training grounds.”

“Shouldn’t we invite Father Nor? The academy is his diocese. He’ll tell you everything about these two.”

The look the girl gave me could have frozen me solid. However, she nodded.

“A rational idea. Let’s go to Father Nor.”

“Alia, can I ask you a question? A personal one.”

She stopped and spun around abruptly to look me in the eyes. Some time passed, after which she said: “I don’t know what you want to ask, but something tells me I should speak a little about myself. I was given to the church at the age of three. Right after the dark ones killed my mother, brothers and sister. I was the only survivor. That was fifteen years ago. All this time, my father was preparing me to replace him. Became the personal attendant of the Evil Engineer. That’s why I know so much about you. My father has always been a model for me—for a long time, he was the leader of the Dark Inquisition. He was a gray cleric. I went out of my way to prove that I was worthy of him. That I deserve my position because of my own capabilities, and not because of the blood I share with the infallible Father Nor. I became the best in all fields and was set to replace my father in ten years. No one thought that another dark one acknowledged by the Fortress would appear in the empire, but reality turned out to be much more multifaceted. The High Priest offered me this position, and I agreed, knowing full well that you would see me as a girl of the same age, but not a personal attendant. This brought me to the stake. What else…Alia is the name given to me by the church. I don’t remember the one I was given at birth, I was never interested in my past. The church has been my family since I was three years old, and the rest does not matter. Perhaps that’s everything. What did you want to ask?”

“Nothing, now.” I was taken aback by such openness. “Let’s go. Father Nor’s usually in his office at this time.”

It turned out I was right—the light burning in the cleric’s window and the servant of the Light standing at the door, protecting Father Nor’s peace from pesky students, proved that Father Nor was at his desk. His guard did not stop us, but first knocked on the door.

“What occasion brings Mother Alia to my office?”

Father Nor remained the same as ever. Dry, insensitive and accustomed to seeking out darkness in everyone. He paid no attention to me at all. This suited me perfectly well. The less I communicated with this man, the stronger my nerves would be.

“The two doomed soldiers who lived under the same roof as Max. Where are they?”

“They should be there,” Father Nor replied calmly, but something that he alone noticed told him that we’d already been to the house. “Then they’re in the rift. After successfully completing the initial level, they are permitted to visit the rift, up to level two. Why have you taken such an interest in ordinary doomed soldiers?”

“Over the past month, the Fortress has not sent anyone to the academy except Max,” Alia said slowly, emphasizing every word. “Where did these two come from?”

I had to hand it to Father Nor. He didn’t argue, ask again, wring his hands or try to figure out who was to blame. He silently stood up and walked over to a cabinet where all sorts of folders were stored. Removing one of them, he returned to his desk and started leafing through it.

“The two doomed soldiers were admitted almost four weeks ago. Admissions documents. Waybills. Signed and sealed. You are mistaken, Mother Alia. These two were sent here by the Fortress.”

“Two hours ago I had a conversation with the High Priest, in which he mentioned that the number of doomed soldiers is dwindling. That only Max has been sent to the academy in the last month. I don’t think Father Urg has been kept out of the loop. Father Nor, I need to see these two with my own eyes. Do you think they are in the rift? Escort us there.”

Again, he remained calm. Turning over the documents, he found a waybill with my name on it. For some time, Father Nor studied the documents, looking at one, then comparing with the other, and finally gave his conclusion:

“The documents were written by different people, although they bear the same signature. Perhaps different clerks, but one signer. There is nothing special about this, it is common practice. I checked these two personally—there is no darkness in them. If you are right, the question arises: who in their right mind would voluntarily agree to become a doomed soldier? Who is trying to deceive the academy?”

“If I knew that, I wouldn’t be so worried. There were twenty-one bags in the doomer dwellings this morning. Twenty-one, Father Nor. You know where this number appears.”

“That is impossible,” said Father Nor, showing his first hint of emotion for the entire conversation. He frowned.

“But it is a fact. Max, what size were the bags? Ordinary backpacks?”

“No, they were huge, you might even call them potato sacks. Definitely over a meter high. And I’m certain there were exactly twenty-one of them. I counted them when I changed into my academy uniform this morning. Where does this number appear?”

“There are no bags in the residence now,” Alia said, ignoring my question. “Not even a hint—I checked everywhere they could have hidden them. I have a very bad feeling, Father Nor. When did the doomed soldiers gain access to the rift?”

“This morning.” Father Nor was still scowling. “Two hours before we left for the Fortress. Follow me. I hope you are wrong, Mother Alia. Call the Evil Engineer, it’s urgent! I’ll be waiting for him at the first level of the rift.”

This last part was addressed to the cleric standing guard. He ran off at full speed, but we were already approaching the administrative building at a quick pace. The entrance to the first level of the fault, if you weren’t traveling through the mine, was located here. Not far from the torture chamber.

The first alarm bells went off in my mind as soon as we reached the basement. The huge steel doors leading into the rift were open. The guards that were supposed to be monitoring the area were nowhere in sight.

“Blood.” Alia pointed to several red stains on the doors. “They forgot to wipe them off. Didn’t notice. Max, go ahead. I approve the use of force. Those who came here have no business with the Light.”

The anxiety gripping Alia had transferred to me. I recalled my roommates once more—ordinary, shaggy peasants. Just like most of the inhabitants of our former barony. They had their peculiarities, of course, but their behavior had been quite standard. In line with the way any ordinary peasants who had seized power would act. But the commercial spirit they seem to have acquired was troubling. This was extremely unusual for robbers.

The first cave on level one was empty. No resources, no dark beasts, no students getting ready for dinner and bedtime at this late hour. Simply silence. But perhaps not—a muttering sound began to reach my ears, emanating from the second cave. Checking that I had five mana and recovery elixirs on my belt, my mana bar was full, and my golden dome was activated, just in case, I slowly crept forward. Father Nor and Alia kept their distance, but kept pace. That’s why they didn’t hear the muttering immediately, but as soon as they did…

“Max, stop them!” Father Nor cried, suddenly remembering my existence. “This is the dark one’s song! They’re doing a ritual!”

There was no point trying to sneak anymore—his shout must have echoed all the way down to the Riftmaster’s cave. I rushed forward as fast as I could go. I passed through the corridor and ran into the third cave, where I noticed a strange group of people, but then was dealt such a brutal blow that I was knocked five meters to one side. I rolled inside my golden dome of protection, which absorbed the damage as my mana sank by ten percent, and I saw the reason I’d been sent flying—a huge protective dome spanning nearly half the cave was surrounding the strange group. Jumping to my feet, I ran up to the dome and struck it hard. My body ricocheted, but the katars penetrated, unhindered. Protection against magic! Damn! Why didn’t I have a crossbow?!

As I jabbed through the dome with all my might, I was finally able to make out what was going on inside. Twenty-one bodies lay on the floor, forming a monstrous circle. The bellies of the poor fellows were ripped open, their insides pulled out and dragged to the center, where they united into a terrible lump of flesh. Nearby was one of the two suicide bombers. The fat one. He had been stripped naked and, like all victims, appeared to be dead. His entrails spilled out of his open stomach and onto the floor, but he wasn’t dead yet—he was still breathing and his head thrown back to the ceiling. The tall doomer was reciting the dark spell and slowly walking in a circle, slitting the poor student’s throat. Only then did I realize that those whom he had not yet reached were also still alive!

I began beating frantically against the dome, hoping to destroy the shield and interrupt the monstrous ritual. Father Nor and Alia appeared beside me, but they could not help in any way—they didn’t have their crossbows. Finally, the doomed soldier completed the circle and as he straightened up, suddenly noticed us.

“What a fortuitous meeting. Father Nor, in the flesh. Came to personally witness his own failure. What, you couldn’t detect the darkness within us? That’s because there is none! Darkness can only be sensed in those who have souls. We gave ours up to our Lord to become something more than ordinary humans. People like you can’t detect people like us. The Lord will be pleased that you, the doomed soldier who has foiled his plans twice, are also here. Now you will die along with everyone else at the academy!”

“Why’d you call? Mother of Skron!!” the Evil Engineer ran up to us. Like me, he immediately tried to break through the shield, but flew off to one side. The dome held.

“It’s no use!” The doomed soldier laughed hysterically. “You can’t stop me, it’s already done! Twenty-one sacrifices made! Only one remaining! Go, brother! Skron is ready to receive you!”

The fat doomer standing there with his guts out suddenly sprang to life. He raised his hands, and I saw a knife in them. The Evil Engineer crashed into the protective dome again, and again ricocheted off. Cursing, the dark one began to break off the tip of the spear that he’d retrieved from the rift, but didn’t have time—the fat one finished the movement, drawing the blade down his throat. Unable to remain standing, he fell to the ground like a corpse.

“The location has been set! The strength has been given! Let the passageway open!”

With these words, the tall doomer took off his jacket, exposing his torso. The Evil Engineer finally broke the tip off of his spear and launched it with great force without needing to swing, but was too late. The beast inside the dome slashed through its own stomach with one swift movement, and its throat with a second. For a moment, the floor under the corpses flickered with red light, after which the dome disappeared. The tip of the spear crashed into the already dead doomed soldier.

You have learned the symbol “Worm.”

2 upgrades available.

The rift shook so hard that stone chips fell from the ceiling. I turned toward the Evil Engineer, wanting for some explanation, but nearly pissed myself in fear. The dark one was whiter than chalk! In the blue light of the rift crystals, he looked especially eery.

“Twenty-one victims and two keykeepers,” Alia said, and sighed convulsively.

“Can someone explain what happened here? What did these two freaks do?”

I received my answer from Father Nor. And he sounded calm, as if nothing extraordinary had just happened. Outwardly, the cleric kept his cool. No more shouting.

“It is a Wave. In a few minutes, all the beasts below us, as well as those that were called here through the gate, will rush into the city, sweeping away everything in their path. Dark One, you know what to do. Alia, send your dark human along with mine—he may need help. You and I also have business to attend to—we need to warn the chancellor and arrange for the students to be evacuated. According to Kimal Sarento, he has cleared the rift up to and including level nine. We have about five minutes before the dark beasts rise from the lower floors. And among them there will be fifteen guards... Dark One, why are you still here? Move!”

Chapter 2

“FOLLOW ME!” ORDERED the Evil Engineer and without waiting for a response, ran off into the depths of the rift. I looked at Alia. The girl was on the brink of shock. A Wave forming underneath the academy clearly hadn’t been part of her plans. Nevertheless, she nodded, allowing me to follow after the dark one. Hoping he would know what to do, I summoned all my strength to chase after him. But he was already gone! The speed the Evil Engineer had cultivated was far beyond human capabilities. I passed through the first level and made my way to the third by memory, but I couldn’t catch up to him. Level three was still unfamiliar—I didn’t have the slightest idea where the passage to level four was, but the trail of dead beasts my mentor left behind helped. The beasts the chancellor had failed to finish off rushed toward the surface, driven by the will of the ritual, so it was easy to trace the direction the mentor had taken. Soon I managed to overtake him—the dark one was standing near the passage to level four and wielding a huge hammer. And he wasn’t whacking monsters on the head as they rose from the depths—in fact, there were no beasts in sight. He was pounding on the wall.

“What are you up to?” I asked as I approached. At that moment, the head of a krona popped up through the passage and I had to raise my mirror and stop the monster. As well as the few dozen other kronas that followed behind.

“We knew that sooner or later, something would happen with the rift, so we prepared,” he said without pausing for a second. “This will block the passage and slow down the Wave. Not for long, but enough to evacuate most of the students. Step aside—it’s going to collapse.”

“The Wave…and the beasts really can’t resist it? They’re all rushing up?”

“Yes. The dark ones are powerless against the will of Skron. The Wave will drive the creatures onward, even against their own will.”

“The Riftmaster too? Or will it stay put?”

“The Riftmaster is not a living being. It’s a spawning ground for beasts. In theory, it’s not going anywhere. But damn it, how do I know? No one has ever launched a Wave in the rift before! Especially in such a deep one.”

“I’m going down! I’ll block off the passage. I’ll try to kill as many beasts as I can along the way without going too overboard.”

“Now is not the time to be a hero,” the Evil Engineer reacted sharply. “We need to survive. Let the chancellor deal with the Wave. Our task is to give him time to orient himself and ensure the academy is secure. That’s it!”

“I’m not planning on being a hero. I’ll go down to level seven or eight and wait until the beasts from the very bottom pass me. Including the guards. When the lower floors are empty, there will be no monstrous influence, which will allow me to safely reach the Riftmaster. If we finish this creature off, the Wave will die out.”

“Are you deaf? That’s the academy’s problem, not ours. Our task is to survive!”

“Do you know what Devour is?”

The look my mentor gave me spoke volumes.

“When I closed the eight-level, I received three fragments from the Master. Three out of a hundred. Do you still think that I should be cautious, stick with you and leave? Or is it better to take the risk? I got three shards from the eight-level rift. How many do you think I’ll get from fourteen or fifteen?”

“You die and I’ll kill you,” the Evil Engineer replied after a beat. “When you get back I’ll tell you what Devour is and what it eats. Come back through the mine. Through what remains of it. If the creatures can not break through the blockage, they’ll start breaking through the steel plates. Alright, get out of here! Guards are pretty nimble bastards. Where do you think you’re going?”

The last sentence was directed at a krona squeezing through the gap in the corpses of its fallen brethren. The dark beast had no idea what was going on around it. It longed for only one thing: to get to the exit of the rift as quickly as possible. I activated my blades, sending the creature to its eternal rest, after which I cleared a passage for myself with a few kicks and dived into level four. As I landed I had to run a few meters away as a terrible clamor was heard behind me. Clouds of dust rose, and when they cleared, the passage up was gone. A huge stone block had not only broken the path, but also sealed the hole tightly shut.

“Alright, Max, you wanted this. So no complaining, only action. The main thing is to survive.”

The thought was not unwarranted—the rumble emanating from the cave in front of me did not make me particularly happy. The dark ones were rushing forward at full strength. Both on the floor and ceiling—the rapses were almost outpacing the kronas. All I could do was move toward the wall. Within seconds, the cave was filled to the brim. Somehow, the creatures knew that there was a passage to the upper floors here and, not finding what they were seeking, let out such a howl that I nearly went deaf. My katars showed their effectiveness against ordinary beasts. Without any way of protecting themselves, they died by the dozen. However, their place was immediately taken by others—new creatures constantly poured out of the passageway, shamelessly clambering over the heads of their comrades. The realization dawned on me that if I didn’t hurry, I would simply be crushed under the writhing mass. Especially when the heavyweights showed up. The three-meter guards would flatten the kronas like pancakes. And me along with them, given that I was completely unprepared to handle dark beasts from such depths. So I had to act like and become one of the dark ones. I jumped onto the krona and ran through the living sea to the exit, kicking away the ones blocking my path. It seemed I made it just in time—the neighboring cave was already so jam-packed with beasts that they clogged the passage that I had just squeezed through a few moments earlier. And this, as I understood it, was just the beginning. The main avalanche just hadn’t had time to reach us yet…

The race for survival began. Fighting against the flow of monsters barreling at me proved so difficult that I nearly fell to the floor several times. If not for my shield, which deflected the particularly zealous and blind beasts, I certainly would have been bowled over and trampled. Never ceasing to wield my katars, I moved into the stream, leaving a mountain of corpses behind me. Finding the passage to level five turned out to be quite easy—an avalanche of beasts were pouring from the hole. But discovering it was one thing, and passing through was another. The flow of beasts was so dense that for a long time, I couldn’t squeeze through. And it started to get darker—now there was the occasional exclusive flickering among the masses. Apparently, the chancellor had not finished off all the red beasts on level five. Or had they traveled all the way from the ninth? Judging by how awful I felt, the latter seemed more likely. So the monsters from the even lower levels must not be far behind. I needed to pick up the pace.

While before I had cursed everyone and their mother for the fact that the level six passage was in the same cave as the passage up to level four, now I was glad for it. I passed through level five without having to linger too long. True, I only managed to pass through with great difficulty—first I had to kill several dozen kronas blocking the way, then throw the bodies aside and squeeze under the paws of the rushing beasts. Once I got to level six, I didn’t try to go further—the cave containing the passage down was completely blocked. I was pressed against the ceiling, but I couldn’t stop now. Turning my back to the kronas crawling over one another, I began to crawl with my hands and feet, pushing off from the stone wall. This proved much more effective—the monsters could not move me, so I inched toward the passage, slowly but surely. The one drawback to all this was that I couldn’t kill any of them. Once I made it through the passage, I fell to the floor—there were significantly fewer beasts in the next cave. My body began to convulse—among the mob I noticed several exclusive beasts and, judging by how terrible I felt, these beasts had risen from the deepest depths of the rift. The red-auras paid no attention to me, and paid the price for it. I couldn’t move any further due to the aura they generated, so I had to solve the problem on the spot. Nearly losing consciousness, I let the crowd of kronas carry me to the first “boss” and, before it recognized the intruder, I activated my weapons. The exclusive turned out to be a krona heavily studded with spikes, growths, and additional plates that very much resembled armor. It also had a protective field, but it started only a few centimeters from the body and could not effectively deflect steel. The katar blades passed into the body of the first red beast without obstacle, making me a very happy guy for a few minutes. The influence of the dark creature had disappeared, relieving me of the monstrous pain.

1 of 12 Amplify shards obtained. Total: 5 of 12

The pain immediately returned. There were two more red creatures in the cave, but the second of respite had done me good. I could once again adequately perceive the world around me. And I absolutely did not like what I saw. The number of dark beasts exceeded all reasonable limits. Creatures scrambling on top of one another, unable to squeeze through the passageway. Those who were at the very bottom wheezed and stopped moving—they were simply crushed, but this didn’t seem to faze any of them. Such a small loss was a drop in the bucket compared to how many dark beasts were rising from the lower floors. There couldn’t have been so many beasts down there! It was just impossible. This meant that most of the monsters had entered the rift through the gate the Wave opened. I just needed to find it and somehow block it off.

A fantastic plan. Especially considering the fact that the influence of the two red monsters nearby was twisting me into a pretzel. Before I did anything, I’d have to deal with them. If that was the case…

1 of 12 Amplify shards obtained. Total: 7 of 12

Saying I felt better is an understatement! As soon as I finished off the last red beast in the cave and got my Amplify shards, it was as if the red-hot pokers had been removed from my body and I’d had a dose of healing magic.

Wait! Healing magic? Why hadn’t I thought of that earlier?

Turning around, I began to scrabble back into the cave with the passage to the fifth and passed straight through to level four. I wasn’t immediately successful—the dark ones resisted, shoving and trying to get ahead of me. Again I had to anchor myself and push off from the ceiling, only this time in the opposite direction. After struggling to get to the center of the cave, I clung to the rocks as best I could and activated Healing Aura. Boosted to level six, the magic stone’s radius increased to twenty-five meters, so I also managed to hook the upper cave, and the amount of damage inflicted to the dark ones struck me with its sheer multitude. If that didn’t stop their rapid ascent, then there wasn’t much that could…

The inhuman howl heard from hundreds of throats burned alive by the Light was deafening. It seemed like my ears were bleeding, but the healing aura immediately repaired all the damage. My mana began to drop rapidly, but I did not turn off the aura until the creatures below me stopped moving. And, most importantly, screaming.

Stretching my hand to my belt with difficulty, I withdrew one of the mana vials and, pulling out the cork with my teeth, poured the contents down my throat. The dark beasts wouldn’t budge—I managed to create a huge traffic jam. I squeezed into the next room and snorted in discontent—there were kronas up to my eyeballs. Once again I had to crawl along the ceiling, moving toward the passage. The next cave was a similar story—monsters climbing from the lower floors, compacting the space as much as possible. Only after I passed through four caves did I have the opportunity to jump to the floor and run. Or more precisely, I was knocked around in the dense stream, but I moved much faster than I could along the ceiling.

I stopped at the descent to level seven—the mob of dark beasts was again so dense that I couldn’t break through. On top of that, I began to feel more and more pressure as the denizens of the depths approached from below. This was the last straw—I decided to back out and hide in some side passage. It was not difficult to find one—the beasts that inhabited this area were already at the surface, and the lower branches had lost their appeal. I entered the empty cave and even rejoiced at the freedom as the pressure became so overwhelming that space itself turned upside down. For a moment, I think I even lost consciousness. The dark aura permeating throughout the level exceeded the limits of what I could withstand. The pain came in waves. This was apparently because another dark beast from the lower floors passed by the cave where I hid. The belated thought flew through my head that these beasts might not be from the bottom level, but only, say the tenth. Soon, the true monsters would appear and I’d be crushed into the stone floor. Concentrating, I crawled away from the stream of creatures. To the next cave. Here things became much easier, but I was not going to stop—I had to pass two more empty rooms before the influence of the dark ones dropped to an acceptable level. It still rolled through me in waves, but now I could at least stand on my feet.

Suddenly, the rift shook violently. Another hysterical howl rang out and quickly subsided, but something had changed—the dark aura no longer rolled over me in waves. It started to weigh down on me so heavily that I was sprawled on the floor, unable to even move my hand. I ignored the danger and activated healing. In theory, it wouldn’t reach the stream of creatures. It got easier, albeit not by much. My mobility never returned to me, but it became clear I wouldn’t die instantly. The pressure lasted for a long time. It gradually grew stronger as the beasts from the lower floors passed by. I really wanted to believe that this was the last of them, because otherwise I would simply be crushed when the guards arrived.

I jinxed myself. At some point I felt like I couldn’t even breathe, that’s how heavy it was. The rift filled with a teeth-rattling screech. It seemed that something huge and steel was trying to worm its way through the narrow passageway, grinding the stone to dust in the process. I realized that the traffic jam I had created would not stop the monsters that were moving along the corridor. They would simply gnaw through the entire cave and move on. The question was, would the boulder brought down by the Evil Engineer be able to stop them? From what I was hearing, the answer was no.

That moment when time froze, I’ll probably remember for the rest of my life. I was critically starved for oxygen. My body almost stopped working. I was blind, deaf and practically choking on my own vomit, unable to spit it out. My thoughts swirled into a full delirium as suddenly everything stopped at once. The contents of my stomach rushed up, and as soon as my mouth cleared, I inhaled convulsively. The monsters that almost killed me had left level five.

I wanted to lie down and think about the future, about my place in this world, but I forced myself to get up. Even if the block managed to delay them for a few minutes, the guards would still break through eventually. I was sure the Evil Engineer would be able to block the passages to the third and second, which would win the defenders a few more minutes. Then they would all die. I didn’t think that even the chancellor could hold back such powerful beasts. I needed to hurry. If my calculations were correct…

I didn’t manage to finish the thought—I fell into another endless stream of monsters. This was rather strange, as I thought the monsters had come to an end, however there they were, continuing to move purposefully toward their singular goal. And the flow wasn’t dying down. Kronas, rapses, lurges, shtryks, even a few flying ousels—the caves were bursting with beasts. Strangest of all was that despite the fact that the creatures were rising from the lower floors, their auras weren’t too terrible. They appeared to be ordinary monsters like those found on the first and second levels. Terrible for any other person, yes, but not for me. All this mass of dark flesh only prevented me from moving on, but could not harm me in any way. Now that I’d tested the effect of Healing Aura, I was more than sure of it.

However, this was not the only oddity I noticed. First and foremost was the passages between caves. Previously, they had been small corridors that two people could barely walk through shoulder to shoulder. Now they had turned into gaping holes, as if something massive and incredibly strong had managed to shove its way through, breaking through the stone. Which, by the way, was lying in piles next to the passage, hidden by a dense stream of dark creatures. Were there creatures that huge on the lower floors? It was clearly not the guards—even the three-meter giants could easily fit through the gaping hole.

Wait…could it have been a metamorph passing through? What did I know about these beasts? Absolutely nothing, save for the name. Its aura was truly monstrous, its strength was immeasurable, and its mass, as I understood it, was also considerable. Was my campaign futile? Maybe by the time I got back up, the capital would be gone? What was the point of all this? Maybe I should lie down and rest? How long have I gone without rest? An eternity, really. I was constantly running around, doing something or other, following other people’s orders like a dog. Now I had a personal servant. Soon the guards would appear. I needed to wait for them and throw myself at their feet so that they trampled me. Because all I was good at was prostrating myself before Skron, in all his majesty.

The beasts conjuring these images in my head got a little too close. I had never seen anything like it—the flying head of a krona with long snake tails, each of which ended in a lobed fish fin. Above the open shark mouth was a row of three eyes that were all staring at me. It barely exceeded a krona in size, but the red aura betrayed that I was being attacked by a dangerous opponent who knew how to ignore my mirror. It pulled whatever it wanted from my mind. Anything that could slow me down and break me.

Naive little flying monster.

The katar strike was so fast that the creature didn’t even have time to react. It clearly believed that I was under its power and was going to devour me. It even opened its tooth-filled mouth, ready to chomp down on my shoulder. The blade passed through all three eyes with ease and exited the other side of the torso. I twitched my fingers to return the katars to their place and my head was immediately cleared of foreign thoughts. The creature collapsed on the stone, expired, and a moment later was hanging from the mouths of the dark kronas rising from below. The monsters never missed the opportunity for a meal. My head cleared and I struggled to control my trembling. If it weren’t for Father Nor’s warning that there were creatures capable of influencing the mind in the depths of the rifts, if it weren’t for the constant training with the Evil Engineer, if it weren’t for my mirror, which still managed to reflect part of the enemy’s attack, my adventures would have come to an end right then. I had no defense against penetration into my mind, except for the realization that the thoughts there did not belong to me. That they contradicted everything I used to believe. To put it simply—it was sheer luck. There was no other justification for the fact that I managed to resist the creature boring into my brain.

1 of 12 Amplify shards obtained. Total: 8 of 12.

The message notifying me that the dead monster was an exclusive raised my spirits and with a few bounds I found myself at level seven. Maneuvering among the indelible onslaught of monsters and distributing blows left and right with my katars in an attempt to cull the herd (although the dark beasts were handling this well enough on their own), I managed to get down to level nine, where the ugliness once again overtook my soul. The beast I’d just killed gave me a hint as to what exactly was rising from the depths of the rift. Fourteen or fifteen guards that could turn me into a bleeding piece of meat with their aura alone. Spinning around, I ran as if all the monsters in the world were chasing me—which wasn’t too far from the truth. I knew full well that as soon as these three-meter giants set foot on this floor, I would most likely be dead. The only thing that could help me was the fact that there were only a few caves between the descent to level ten and the ascent to level eight. The guards would have to cover the distance fast enough so that I wouldn’t be driven mad. Reaching a dead end at the maximum distance I could move away from the passages, I sat down near the wall and activated Healing Aura. Just in time! The aura swept over me with such force that all the previous times seemed like child’s play. When I woke up, I groaned in pain—my shield had been exhausted and my body was one continuous wound. The guards’ aura had managed to pierce through all seven caves and almost finished me off. There was such a large pool of blood under me that I seriously feared for my health. My hands were trembling, and it took me multiple attempts to gulp down the recovery and mana elixirs in order to switch on Healing Aura.

---ENDE DER LESEPROBE---