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The modulator is for the poor. But do I have a way out? Maybe my friend is being killed there. I won’t sit with my hands folded, will I?
He inserted a chip the size of the phalanx of his little finger into the implant at the back of his head. I didn’t bother with special effects. No portals. He simply walked through the walls until he found himself in the apartment in which he once lived. My whole family watched a film projected onto the wall. How I miss them! Only for the family that existed before Lyubka’s birth. And to Uncle Igor. When father was alive.
Jumped out the window. We urgently need to be near the House where Dima lives. But you shouldn’t attract attention to yourself. For that black creature that shot Dimon, I am one tooth apart. He waved his hand. Some taxi drivers wear modulators. One of these lowered a gravity car in front of me, descending from the fifth or fourth layer of multi-level air transport traffic.
– To House 23.
In the virtual world, the taxi driver looked like a rock star from the century before last. Combed bangs, leather jacket, lots of chains. It smelled like beer. Rock music was playing throughout.
Yo-ho-ho! We are not afraid of the dead
We love mermaids, we are bottomlessly drunk.
We will be hanged – we will be finished!
But while we are alive, you are doomed!
He looked closely at the guy. Probably one of ours. Although, who doesn’t know this song?
I don’t know about piracy, but he did an excellent job with a gravity car. The machine could be built into any empty space. Sometimes he flew up to the very clouds, and there were times when he almost crashed into the ground. To be honest, I almost pissed my pants with nutritional mixture number six when he lowered me to the ground after a steep dive.
– Arrived! Do you need to wait?
– No, thank you! I’m back with my legs!
– Okay, as you know!
What a man! Taxi driver from God. He took me faster than I flew yesterday on the wings of a Valkyrie.
I felt for the viper button. It might come in handy today. He looked around the huge House. A monster created by man from concrete and iron. Look left, right, up. Not a hint of the horizon, just windows and windows. Those who get corner apartments are lucky. And the majority live in the interior. I see sunlight only when I emerge as a phantom from the apartment. Who can figure it out: does the drawn luminary look like the one above the clouds of smog? But a fluorescent lamp is completely different.
Two men in uniform led Dimon out of the opened door. I saw my friend for the first time, but immediately realized that it was him. A fat guy like me. No sign of the pile of muscles.
But there is not a shadow of emotion in the eyes of his comrade. He muttered something incoherently. He screamed, breaking free from the tenacious clutches of the policemen. It looks like it’s a third generation weapon after all. Or he himself has gone crazy over the past 24 hours.
– Hello Young man! – exclaimed a short-haired man of about forty. – And I’m still waiting for you to appear. Special Agent Arteev. Information Security Service.
I started to run, but an electric discharge pierced my body. I was paralyzed. The agent clutched a pistol in his hand.
– Are you going far?
I pressed the red viper button and found myself in my home room. Maybe it’s for the best to live in the House? It’s safe here.
– Ilya, hello! – Svetka, how glad I am to see you!
It became dark for a moment, and then I found myself in a room with white walls. A cop was standing nearby. Arteev, it seems? I reached for the viper. The agent shook his head.
– It’s not worth it. You, boy, are tied to this room. Whether you run away or not, this thing,» he showed me a small remote control, «will bring you back here.» Give me the viper. You don’t need him.
He swiped his hand, and the red round viper button disappeared from my interface.
– Ilya Petrovich Sorokin, right?
– Yes.
– Fifteen years.
– I’m seventeen!
Can’t he tell a fifteen-year-old boy from a seventeen-year-old man?!
– Oh, sorry, the database hasn’t been updated. Now I see it. You look young! You live in House number two. And our police office is located in the neighboring House. But you probably won’t be returning home anytime soon.
– You used first-generation weapons against me! It was banned by trade unions of information workers five years ago.
– As I see, you know the laws well? – the cop laughed. -Are you a member of the trade union of information workers? I think if you only worked legally, you wouldn’t be standing here. And so…
He sang without hitting the notes:
Don’t hide your fins from me,
We are pirates, we are good people,
I am not a coward, not a villain, not an executioner.
There are no women – so a mermaid will do!
– How do you know this song?
– Many of the Information Security Service have a dark past. But I gave up all these things a long time ago. I’m now on the other side of the barricades, so to speak. But you, boy, have serious problems. Yesterday you decided to steal information from very serious people. So serious that now you can’t hide. Wherever you decide to hide, they will come out of the ground!
The cop waved his hand through the air, and a metal rod appeared in front of me. Then another one. And so on until I found myself locked behind bars.
– So serious that they can afford to use third-generation weapons? – I asked.
«That’s all fairy tales,» said the agent. – Development of such weapons is underway. But he’s not there yet. If it appeared, I would be the first to know. I have first level access.
– They shot Dimon yesterday!
– Oh, this guy who’s gone crazy. He was unlucky, what can you do?
He swiped his hand, and almost all of my inventory disappeared from my interface. Even Valkyrie wings! I spent three nights coding to buy these. Bastard!
«You won’t need this for the next forty years,» Agent Arteev smiled. – Although, I have one offer for you. I don’t think you can refuse. Work for the Government a little and I’ll put in a good word for you. Why are you looking at me like that? I, too, was once into piracy. It’s time to grow up! So, the crux of the matter is this. A black spot appeared in Technopolis. In the real world, an ordinary block. And in virtuality there is a black cloud, as if someone had cut out a piece. I’m offering you a deal. You love to spy. Go inside the mysterious anomalous zone. Find out what and how. Or you’ll go to jail for the rest of your days. Choose for yourself.
***
A perfectly smooth edge of a huge black cube. It’s as if someone decided to cut out a piece of extended reality. This is how they cut a cake in old films about that time, which grandfather Sanya told me about. I touched this substance with my hand. Nasty slime ran down my hand, as if someone had spilled ink. And then something grabbed me with a rough black hand and pulled me inside the cube.
And then – darkness.
Level 1. Meet Seisil
First there is darkness. Then a platform woven from light appeared. I could barely fit on the «island» that floated in the darkness. After a few seconds, it turned into a piece of land covered with green grass. The light hit my face, and I could not discern what was happening behind the island. A pleasant female voice rang out. She is twenty years old, no older.
– Who are you, traveler?
A note appeared before my eyes: «Choose a race»
Stop! Am I back to online gaming again?! He swore that no more. The games suck you in so much that you don’t notice how eight or ten hours have flown by. Especially since smells and tastes appeared in the virtual world. Many are stuck in game content. In the real world they have become vegetables, they are fed from tubes. Where is the exit button? An abbreviation appeared before my eyes. AWG. Oh yes! I’m here on the instructions of agent Arteev! And also for Dimon’s sake. The image of my only friend with empty, crazy eyes appeared before my eyes. You know, on social networks I have more than a thousand people added to my list of best friends. But of those to whom I could trust my life, there was no one except Dimka. This is what it is – the empty world of illusions of the virtual world!
A small lake appeared in front of me, in which I saw a guy with long ears.
«Elf. This ancient race has a natural predisposition to magic and their keen eye can make you the greatest archer in Seisil. Vulnerable in close combat. Resists poisons and diseases»
Now the bearded dwarf was reflected in the lake.
«Gnomes. They gravitate towards Darkness, their strength in dungeons increases many times over. Dwarves make excellent warriors. They have the ability to magic gold. They are stable in battle and cause the greatest damage compared to representatives of other races. Clumsy, takes a long time to recover strength»
Now I saw a ghost shimmering with fire in the lake.
«Elementals. They are capable of perfectly mastering their element, but the action of other elements is destructive for them.»
The image changed and a mud-covered monster with small goat-like horns stared back at me.
«Demons. They cause strong damage with Darkness and have a natural predisposition to magic. But they cannot tolerate even the weakest applications of the spell of Light. Not recommended by the game developers.
Goblins…»
I won’t even read it. Werewolves, vampires, goblins – it’s all not about me! Where are the people here? Play is how to play. I don’t want to be some green creature.
«Are you sure you want to become human?»
You ask again!
– Whose side are you on? – asked a female voice. -Are you one of the conquest conquerors, or are you a Freed, a supporter of freedom? A new war between the Frieds and the Conquests is very close. Are you ready to take part in it?
A window appeared in front of me with two options:
«Yes, I’m ready!»
«No, this game is not for me!»
I pressed the first button.
– I hope you will use all the knowledge you gain only for good? – the girl asked. A window appeared:
«I am a conquest»
«I am Freed»
I don’t like playing as creeps, even if you kill me. There is already enough evil around to go over to his side in the game. Therefore, I chose the local equivalent of frips – frids.
– Excellent, I didn’t doubt you, valiant warrior!
The gray haze cleared, and I was able to see the face of a new acquaintance. A fair-haired elf with long hair, blue eyes and large breasts. We stood with her in the middle of the forest. Now I could walk, and not just stand on a small island in the middle of the dark. It smelled of moss and dampness. Birds chirped. I’m not good at biology, especially fairy tale biology, so I won’t tell you which ones. There are trees around with thick trunks, I think they are called oaks. Grandfather Sanya, telling stories, often mentioned them. Allegedly, these grew everywhere in his childhood, and one could walk among them not only in the virtual world. A large dragonfly flew up from a huge lily and buzzed loudly.
– What is your name, adventurer? – asked the elf.
«Write your name»
He made a few movements with his fingers, and the inscription «Eleon» shone in the air in fiery letters.
– Good name. And my name is Latiel, I am the ancient protector of this forest. Ever since our people lost their home. You know the history of the elves, right?
I shook my head.
«This forest was once the home of a great ancient people – the elves,» Latiel led me deep into the forest. – They were friendly with nature, and she reciprocated. Any word spoken by the priest became an immutable truth. The magic of the elves was omnipotent. But none of the priests could think of using it for Evil.
Silhouettes of dozens of guys and girls with long ears and hair, with pupils like cats, appeared in front of me. They chatted peacefully about something, while flowers bloomed around them and birds chirped, as well as large dragonflies taking off and landing. He focused his gaze on them. The inscription appeared:
«Strekkil. Creation of nature. Mood: neutral. Power: weak»
I turned my head to what Latiel was showing me. I missed how an ordinary person joined the company of elves, moving with difficulty and leaning on a staff.
«I’m hiding from the enemy’s army,» he said. «They devastated my lands. And then one day we met them on the battlefield. But the forces were not equal, so my entire army fell. I was the only one left alive.
– What is your name, traveler? – asked the elf in the crown, who seemed to be the king.
– General Dartel. Please give me shelter! Hide me from your enemies!
«The elves were too kind and trusting,» my guide continued the story. Oh, and she’s a beauty, you can’t take your eyes off her chest, and her face is nothing. How is my turn to start a family going, I wonder? I’ll have to ask Svetka when I get back. «They have never encountered human treachery before.» And Dartel immediately understood the full power of elven magic.
Dartel approached the Elf King.
– Gerberolden! The power of your magic can destroy all my enemies! Help me, I won’t be in debt!
«We must keep our secret,» said Herberolden. «I cannot trust elven words to an unreliable person.»
– But I’m a friend of your people!
The master was adamant. But Dartel managed to tempt several priests to go with him. By that time, he himself had managed to master the Elvish language to a sufficient degree to create a combat detachment. And then one day he disappeared. The king was missing several previously faithful priests.
The picture changed dramatically, and now a picture of the battle could be seen.
– Dartel destroyed the enemy at the root, teaching the army new magic. Power tempted him, and an unquenchable thirst awoke in him – to build an empire. But then he remembered that there are those in the world who can stand in his way.
And then one day, when the elves were sleeping peacefully, he set fire to their village.
Lathiel showed me a picture of a burning forest. The elves ran back and forth, and arrows hit houses and trees on fire.
– Gerberolden did not forgive the betrayal. He declared war on Dartel. Then both clans appeared, which fight over ideas to this day. The conquests strive to conquer the world, and the Frieds protect people from their attacks.
Almost all the elves died in that war, and many others died later, finding themselves far from home and its animating power. This story was forgotten for many years.
Until one day an Elvish dictionary was found – the greatest of books in our world. Dartel wrote down all the Elvish words he knew, along with their translations and approximate transcriptions.
A new war between the Frieds and the Conquests is very close. Therefore, we must be prepared to fight a treacherous enemy. What talents do you have? What can you oppose to the enemy when the battle begins?
The inscription flashed: «Select a class»
«Warrior. An unsurpassed melee fighter, clad in steel armor.»
«Guardian.» Clad in steel armor. Able to use gambits and cause an enemy to strike himself, as well as withstand long-lasting and deadly attacks from the enemy.»
Neighbors are not my thing. I read on.
«Archer. Medium armor…» Blah blah blah. No. Definitely not.
«Sorcerer» is already more interesting than «Light armor. Deals huge ranged damage. Able to heal allies. However, he is poorly adapted to close combat, his enemies easily unsettle him.»
«Anti-Mag. Has a natural immunity to magic. Most effective in close combat»
«Friend of nature. Summons pets that will take the enemy’s blow and also heal the caster and his friends.»
«Elemental caster. His magic takes a long time, but the consequences for enemies are colossal.»
«Technomage.» Finds a common language with metals and mechanisms»
«Pearl diver. Capable of entering the world of the dead. He becomes invisible to enemies for a while, so he is able to get close enough undetected and deliver a fatal blow. Can summon ghosts and wights to his aid. Melee Warrior»
«I am a sorcerer,» I told Latiel.
«The main magical weapon is the staff,» said Latiel. – I have a few extra left. Of course, they are not the best, but you will be able to enter the battle even with this. Then you can buy something better from a master. Choose which rune to give you a staff with?
Each staff had seven slots for runes. The first rune was fixed, and after you take the staff, you can’t remove it.
– Red rune of Naenis. You deny with increasing force. Increases resistance +10, parry +10, blocking +10, evasion +10 (any stat of your choice), mitigation of physical and tactical damage – +20 (choose of your choice)
– Orange rune Malebis. Your magic is flawless. Increases the power of tactical and critical damage +10. Energy +15.
– Yellow rune Dohates. Few can match your strength. Increases physical damage power +10 and strength +10. Morale +15.
– Green rune Kishienir. From now on you are the greatest killer. Enemy resistance -10, critical hit chance +10. Increases the chance of dropping an instant kill spell by 2%.
– Blue rune Hillar. Healers are also needed on the battlefield. +10 to outgoing and incoming healing.
– Blue Samptis rune. Now no one can break through your protective field. +2 sec to the applied «bubble» skill and +5% to the use of «cyclic bubble»
– Purple rune Depresis. You gradually subjugate the enemy, and he loses control over you. Will +5, faith +5, resistance to control skills +10.
I’ll invest in magic.
– Latiel, give me this staff with the Malebis rune!
– A good choice! I will teach you the most important spell. First, you must see the magic. To do this, tell HEIMO. It means «elven vision»
Latiel’s pupils suddenly changed and became slits, like a cat’s.
– HEIMO! – I said, and suddenly the whole world changed, filled with colors. More additional items and colors have appeared. My rune shone brightly orange, and the staff was also a little orangeish. Lathiel’s staff was completely filled with blue healing runes. I immediately added the new spell to the quick access panel.
– Your first magic spell is MALLEBAR, which means «magic» in Elvish.
A description appeared in front of me:
Deals tactical lightning damage with a maximum force of 100 over 3 sec. Energy 5 units per second. Not bad at all!
– Now you must learn defense. Spell NAYEN, which means «No»
Parry a blow, up to 95% damage. Energy -50.
Yes, you could just constantly parry the blows of your opponents. But I only have 150 energy now! What -50!
– And also – treatment. Spell HILLUS – «Get well»
Morale +25, energy -20.
– And now I want to check how you mastered your first lesson! Defend yourself! MALEBAR-ESSA!
A column of sparks burst out from Latiel’s staff, and the trajectory of their movement turned orange. The entire witch’s staff glowed a bright orange color.
– NAYEN! – I said. A red circle appeared in the air with the center of the circle in the place where the staff, glowing red, was pointing. – MALEBAR! – it’s my turn to attack, and I sent orange lightning at the enemy. It should be noted that the spell that Latiel just said immediately appeared on my panel. This means you can remember the enemy’s spells!
– NAYEN! – I must say that Latieli’s manna did not even sag after this phrase, which cannot be said about mine. Of course, I compared her 3000 energy to my hundred!
– DONE! – here I didn’t even have time to understand anything – a yellow shock wave appeared from her staff, which pressed me to the wall. Aches and unbearable pain appeared throughout my body. The morale sank to the limit.
– HILLUS! – I said, and the blue vine enveloped the sore limbs, sucking the pain from them. Oh, these elves with their active language! Experience is never given for nothing. So a new spell that appeared on my panel almost killed me.
– DONE! – this time Latiel did not have time to say a word, so the blast wave from my staff carried her to the other corner of the room.
– You learn quickly, Eleon. You won this battle with the honor of a warrior and the courage of a knight. Now is the time for you to meet the head of the Freed order, Gerber.
The inscription appeared:
New task. Talk to Gerber in his chambers. Accept?
Of course. Do I have a choice?
***
The sun was falling below the horizon. The wind carried the smell of freshly cut hay. Oh, I completely forgot to say that the game even had smells! I don’t even know where the developers got the different exotic smells from. I don’t even know if this same hay smells like that.
I approached the city where I was supposed to meet the king.
– Where are you going, guy? – the guard at the entrance asked me rudely.
– I need to see King Gerber.
– Everyone to King Gerber. What have you forgotten in our area? We lived well without you. Why are you stuck?
– I have an important task for him.
«Which you will not fulfill,» said the guard.
– And why is that? – I was surprised.
– I won’t let you in – how then do you plan to complete the assignment?
What a nit! It’s not written in writing, but it behaves like some kind of king or duke.
«Although, if you do me a favor, then the city will be open for you,» the guard smiled. – My brother lives in the village of Zarri. Say hi to him from me! Then I’ll let you in.
A new task appeared before me. Accept.
– That is great. I’m waiting to hear from him.
This is why I simply «love» quests. You come to one place, from which you are sent to another, then to a third, and all to do the first task. Bureaucracy here is just like in the real world. Well, not everything is best to transfer into the world of games! Here, at least the non-scripts are indicated by circles, it’s immediately clear who you need to approach. In reality, everything is not so simple. I had to go through all the circles of hell when I got in line to start a family.
As I approached the village, wolves began to attack me. A classic of the genre – a village surrounded by mobs.
«Gran went to study the strange things that happen at the burial ground,» said the elder. – Why do you need him?
«Yes, my brother says hi,» I said.
– Well, then go west. Just be careful – people tell different things about this place. Rumor has it that those who have no place in our world woke up there! Better yet, don’t risk your life at all and don’t go anywhere. Help our village cope with the wolves. Kill at least 10 of them.
New task. Refuse.
At this rate, I will never get to the king if I take every task that comes along that is offered.
«It’s a pity, of course,» said the old man. – Okay, good luck on your journey. But think a hundred times before you go there.
A dog howled in the distance.
– What is this?
– These are barghests. Ghosts in the form of dogs. Harbingers of imminent death. Oh, this is not good!
***
It’s a creepy place, after all, these Elsky Burial Grounds. Some kind of inexplicable fear, I would even say panic. Part of the green life scale turned red. I must say, not in vain.
A hand suddenly appeared from under the ground, grabbed me just above the knee and began to pull me down. A couple of orange lightning bolts, and the living dead died again, this time completely. But I had no idea what to do with this cheerful group that had gathered in a group not far from me, and were looking at me not very kindly with empty eye sockets. Manna was low, and morale was not at its best. A couple of treatments did not fundamentally change the situation. Meanwhile, the zombies were coming straight at me! But then a guy appeared from somewhere behind them and hit them with a pair of yellow shock waves, and the skeletons immediately crumbled.
– My name is Gran! – said the guy.
– And I’m Eleon. I wanted to say hello to you from my brother. What should I say to him in response?
– Eh, my brother will soon go crazy in the service. Every week he sends me greetings from a hundred or two people. He’s busy with all sorts of nonsense, but he doesn’t want to notice the trouble that’s going on here. I’m a researcher, I’m looking at what’s here and how. If you want, come with me to study the causes of the epidemic.
New task. Reject.
– No, thank you. I want to see Gerber quickly.
