I darted off next moment and rushed to the aid of my sole friend. Dashing into the enemy ranks like an awakened hurricane, I pushed away the black faction unholy hordes from the wounded comrade: my fists, akin to bone clubs, crushed the skulls of the nearby monsters. The speed and power of the strike gradually went beyond human capabilities, and my swings and hammer-like blows shattered the fragile skulls of enemies, showering me with experience.
You eliminated level 5 Altered(*), gained 15 experience.
You eliminated level 5 Altered(*), gained 15 experience.
The axes, swords and clubs that I picked up turned out to be of the crappiest quality, and broke after a couple of strikes, but killing foes with them was easier and, most importantly, much more enjoyable...
You eliminated level 6 Altered(*), gained 18 experience.
You eliminated level 4 Altered(*), gained 12 experience.
On the other hand, enemy attacks were downright unsuccessful - they slightly scratched the skin, leaving small wounds that quickly healed, and their specialty, decay, was blocked by the Grimoire. Current fights allowed me to focus solely on the offensive and attacks; unconcerned about defending or evading. Intoxicated by blood and bone crunching, it was as though I'd turned into a medieval berserker.
The apprentice necromancers tensed up, their former bravado turned to bewilderment, and spell after spell flew in my direction.
“Yura, cast the anchor!” The blond boy yelled into his friend's ear.
“Twice ...” The young necromancer answered. “Magic doesn’t work on him at all! Fuck... that piece of wood is protecting him!”
“Well, come up with something! Or the bastard will kill them all right now! And then I'll need two days to res my army!!”
«One uses curses, and the second summons! A sorry sight.»
The blond's psychosis amused me the most.
When there were no longer any creatures around, I looked Anton straight in the face and went up to the purple fire, straightforwardly stepping over it without any consequences. He backed away and, crying plaintively, fell backwards; then his gaze shifted to the side, and, on pure instincts, I tumbled to the side. I did not have time to see who attacked me: the creature, flying over my head, rustling, disappeared into the thick acacia bushes.
In a semi-squat, I squeezed the bone shaft of the ax tighter and looked into the twilight of shadows, at the same time trying to track every action of a couple of necromancers and a golem with peripheral vision. The tension made my lips dry and my nose itchy.
The rustle, to the left!
«Bitch! That little bastard threw a rock»
A black smeared shadow shot out from the other side, and I jumped sideways, evading the sharp claws. Not fast enough! The right side and lower back were squashed in pain, and blood gushed from three deep ruptures down the back...
“Die!” Joyfully shouted blond.
Ignoring him, I concentrated as much as possible on the rustles and sounds.
«Behind!»
It was the Mother tree's loud whisper; and I, spinning around, sank an ax handle into the night beast's head. Releasing grunting noises, the creature fell to the ground and tried flapping its wings, but instead only smacked the ground with its membranous wings. Wasting no time, I jumped on top, and, thrusting my fingers into its mouth, jerked the hands apart: a piece of the fanged lower jaw ripped away from the vile face. The bat-like creature was still alive, so I finished it with my fists.
You eliminated level 4 Lesser vampire (**), gained 480 experience.
Congratulations, you have reached level 4.
“And now, it's your turn!” I got up and went straight for a couple of human-like geeks. Suddenly, the golem, which had been dormant until then, stood in my way; from his ugly, thick-lipped mouth, resounded indecipherable notes resembling some kind of spell.
«Ha! Your shitty magic doesn't work on me!»
Tome of Eternal Life was unable to block the curse of torpidity.
«Son of...»
I froze in an absurd pose with my right leg raised.
The lanky one approached the golem and, bowing, said:
“I obey your will, Lord!” The boy threw off his backpack from his back and began to dig inside.
«What a familiar… Wait, this is mine!»
Outside, he pulled out, sparkling in the moonlight with silver, some item.
«That’s it! Now he’ll just stab me! Come on, start moving!»
I tried to move, unsuccessfully. My body didn't listen to me at all.
Yura stopped next to me; he was slightly shorter. The metal touched my neck and... I stopped feeling signs of someone else's will in my mind - now there was an amulet in the shape of a crow's head on my chest.
The lanky one approached the golem again and leaned slightly, listening to the barely audible voice. Then he turned around and called his partner:
“Anton! Come here, the Lord needs your body.”
“Me again? But this time it's your turn!” Offendedly exclaimed the second apprentice.
“You dare challenge the will of the Teacher?” The menacing notes were recognizable in his voice.
“No, no, I even...”
“Then move faster! I still need to raise the protective dome.” Yury sat down on the ground and, cross-legged, began to quickly utter some gibberish.
The white-haired guy stood next to the golem and put both hands to the huge belly. His whole figure flared with a ghostly greenish light for a moment, and then Anton stood up, straightening his shoulders.
Even immobilized, I immediately felt the changes that happened to the guy: posture, look, hands, tread.
«Inside this body is now another being. Why does everyone around so easily subjugate physical bodies?»
With growing fear, I watched the approaching possessed guy.
The figure stopped not far from me and said:
“Greetings, little brother!” Even his voice changed; it became hoarse and lifeless.
“Mmm,” I barely managed to move my lips. The possessed touched my face, and now I could move everything freely. “Um, I greet you too... Senior?...”
“It's always nice to meet a sensible being sharing our path.” Even in the twilight of the night, the boy's eyes sparkled strangely. “I have a suggestion for you: become my apprentice. What is your answer?”
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“Phew,” at that moment my brain exploded into a hundred consciousnesses, and each put forward its own answer. “Of course, it’ll be good to study under you… But, am I suitable to be your student? I don't even know any spells.”
«You all are so annoying, just let me go, let me feed my kitty and dig into a comfy bed»
“I sense the spirit of the Faceless in you! You are full of the energy of Nihility, and will not be able to find a better guide to walk this path. Well, it's just that you'll have to pay for my guidance...,” the boy's tone turned a frightening tone.
“Will you take my soul?” Hundreds of consciousnesses inside my head shook with panic.
«Maybe I should bite off my tongue and die before he eats my soul! Something inside told me - it's better to be a slave to a piece of wood than a necromancer...»
“Ah-ha-ha!” Possessed, baring white teeth, laughed out loud. “No, the Codex forbids enslaving the souls of our allies; and if you were an enemy...”
At the last words, the face returned to its irritable seriousness.
“Oh, thank God!” I breathed a sigh of relief.
The boy slowly shook his head and said threateningly:
“Glory to the Faceless! And only to him! Remember that, my future student. However, you will be required to pay a tuition fee. I wanted my new disciple to be a survivor; everyone around has heard about the tandem of the two factions. This greatly upsets the balance of power. Your payment will be to provide information about abilities, goals, movements and everything else. When the alliance is broken, you will not only become my apprentice, you will receive an incredible reward. So, you agree?”
«So they need a spy; they need me alive! Now, the main thing is to play along and get out of here.»
I sighed in relief to myself. After a short pause and making a serious face, I solemnly declared:
“Lord, I swear to accomplish Your will!”
“Wonderful,” pleased, possessed turned around. “Yura, put a seal of suppression on him.”
«Mind magic again?» I desperately asked the entity in Anton's body.
“Yes, and no! Do not be afraid, my future student, when you complete the task, I will erase it and make a full-fledged contract.”
Alarmed, I stared at the boy, briskly approaching me with a knife in hand.
“Now it will hurt a little and a system notification will pop up, accept it.”
“Ummm...”
“It was naive to believe that they would let me go”
The shaggy guy puffed and struggled, cutting bizarre hieroglyphs on my chest. His strength was not enough to cut the wooden scales, and the never-ending regeneration interfered with his inscriptioning. In the end, at one point, his knife slipped, and he slashed his arm.
“Can you turn it off?” He asked angrily.
“No, it's a passive! Lord, maybe, to hell with this seal, I am eager to learn magic already and will certainly complete my task!”
The mysterious Lord moved his student aside and inscribed the magic formula with swift movements and poured the energy of Nihility into it.
A magical contract has been formed.
Accept/Reject
The apprentice and the teacher were attentively waiting for my answer, and without delay, I said wistfully:
“Accept.”
Congratulations! The magical contract of submission has been concluded.
«Well thanks, system.» I chuckled inwardly at the stupidity of my position.
The possessed immediately clapped his hands, and the effect of the paralyzing spell is found everywhere.
“What's your name, my disciple?”
“Alexander,” I muttered, taking a deep breath.
“You can go. In a day I will contact you through the seal, and will be waiting for the first report!” Then he turned to the shaggy guy. “Yura, I'm returning to the body of the golem. I leave killing the Mother tree and her slaves to you.”
“Wait!” I screamed too loudly. “Can I take the survivors with me?”
“No! Nothing good will come up from too much emotional philanthropy! They are just a stepping stone on the Eternal path.”
In search of another reason, I hesitated for a moment.
“I don't need them for that! With them, I will return to the camp as a hero and savior. It will be easier for me to get some footing and support of the camp's higher-ups.”
The entity inside Anton's body looked at me intently and thought for a minute.
«Yes, come on, agree! At least I can save someone, at the very least win something from this "great" damn deal!»
“Good! I like it! Take the people and do my will.”
“Thank you, my Lord!” I knelt before him and lowered my head.
«I hope I'm not going too far with improvisation?»
The spirit or consciousness of the "Lord" returned back to the body of the golem, and Anton almost immediately returned to his usual state.
“Oh, Sir sure killed that bastard...” Our eyes met and he screamed. “Ah! Yura, why is he alive?”
“The master chose him as the third disciple,” the shaggy man said with some incomprehensible hint.
“Okay, let's finish with the creatures then.” Then he turned to me. “You, the third, go get me that chick over there!”
He pointed at the girl I already knew. Holding back a rush of emotions and ignoring the fool, I asked Yura a question:
“Listen, what would you say if I tear off his head, and were will be just you and me, two disciples?” My affectionate question aroused a slight grin from Yura.
“The idea itself is good, but you have your own mission, and the master needs two people in constant service.”
“Are you already friends with him? What the hell???” The teen yelled loudly.
“The master ordered to give him all the people after we finish.”
“Why the hell?” Another loud cry.
“None of your business!” The shaggy man was fuming. “Shut up and get the golem ready to attack!”
“Maybe you need some help? I have my own scores with this creature, I can go in and slay it,” I offered them my help.
“Yeah, in your fantasies!” Blurted out Anton. “Wanted to steal our exp?”
Leaving his claim unanswered, I noticed a slight glow from the body of a recently killed bat. Right, there is always loot from the sub-elite. Indeed, next to its corpse lay a skill book:
Active skill book: Lightweight tread
Do you want to learn: yes/no
I agreed out of habit, expecting to see a conflict with my ability, but a miracle happened! The book melted in my hands. I almost started dancing out of joy.
“Hey, you, what are you doing there?” Anton called out to me.
“Nothing!” I moved away from the corpse of the bat and brushed invisible dust from my knees.
“Yura, he stole a book from the bat! Without asking us! What the hell?” Anton, apparently, finished with the golem and once again was indignantly screaming at the top of his voice.
“Enough! Oh, he took the book, so what? What good could you loot from the bat? Some crappy echolocation or a lightweight tread?”
The shaggy man's phrase instantly erased the joyful smile from my face.
“How do you know what monsters drop?” I asked directly.
“Secret!” Shouted Anton.
And Yura said something else at the same time:
“The fifth tome of appraisal gives you information about abilities. I saw that you now have the skill - lightweight tread.”
“Yura!” The capricious guy shouted reproachfully.
“Holy smokes, you've already collected so many appraisal tomes?!” I ignored the second disciple.
«What a great luck this guy has, though he is somehow too frank. Most likely, I would hide such a thing.»
“No, I have only the first and fifth one.” Yura shook his head.
“Hmm, still cool. So, you see all my skills?” I got a little nervous.
“Except specialized ones. To see them an even higher level of appraisal is necessary.”
“Even so, the fifth tome is so useful! You're so lucky. I patted him hard on the shoulder.
«Damn, how I envy this shitter.»
“Who's even talking about luck?...” He displeasedly moved his shoulder, throwing off my palm. “You have stealth! That's truly rare!”
“Do you know what it's for?” My ears must have perked up in surprise.
“Of course, everyone knows! Have you not interacted with people at all?” I just shrugged my shoulders at the question. “This is the antipode of appraisal. It hides part of the status! I can only guess about your level. Can you tell me what it is, by the way?”
“Hmm, since you’re so outspoken… I’m level seven!” I said boldly.
Anton opened his mouth in surprise, and Yura frowned.
“Now I understand how you survived in the war of factions, and why magic has almost no effect on you. It's good that you decided to become our Lord's disciple. We really wouldn't stand a chance against you…”
«Did they actually believe me?!»
“I wouldn’t have attacked my brothers if I wasn’t under the control of that damned pine cone. Let's finish it off as soon as possible, and I'll go on Master's mission!” No longer having any questions to ask, I had to go.
In later events I was only an outside observer, while Yury deactivated the protective dome, and Anton, having mumbled a long spell, made a gesture with his hands. A violet pattern lit up on Mother tree's heart. From the inside of the golem, three one-meter long shadow ghosts broke out. I saw a similar creature quite recently, but it really was just huge.
The ghosts streaked past the remaining defenders and began delivering many ethereal blows to the defenseless heart. It screamed, or rather the creatures subordinate to its will screamed and wailed in hysterics:
“OBEY!”
“OBLITERATE THEM!”
“SERVE!”
“KNOW THE BLISS!”
Anton stood next to me, and, pleased with the ongoing spectacle, he shared important information with me:
“Holy, these spirits do some dps, its pure magic damage, man! They hard counter the mana build of this tree!”
Yury, hearing his friend's speech and covering his face with his hand, said softly, shaking his head:
“You're such a cringe...”
I honestly agreed with Yury, but out loud I decided not to say anything.
«What a pity that this piece of wood will not die by my hand. I wonder how much experience the system gives for a level 8 elite? And what can one loot from it?…»
As soon as the Mother tree died, her slaves collapsed to the ground like lifeless dolls, and I received a strange notification:
Congratulations! Assimilated a new passive skill: Affinity with nature.
Attention! Affinity with nature conflicts with the Tome of Eternal Life.
…
…
…
Tome of Eternal Life suppresses alien mana.
Skill Affinity with nature has been transformed into Withering aura.