The weather was splendid, with the sun, close to its zenith, shining brightly. Occasional clouds cast pleasant shadows, and the wind, managing to penetrate the dense forest, alleviated the heat.
It was all the more bitter for Mari Topan on such a day to sit with her back against the trunk of a mighty elm, watching thick, dark blood ooze from under her legs, forming small pools among the roots protruding from the ground. The girl couldn't move her arms or even make herself more comfortable. As she was left - half-sitting against the tree - so she remained, powerless to change anything. Powerless, because the tendons in her arms and legs were severed with surgical precision. It would be hard to tell if these deep cuts were made by a weapon rather than a scalpel. Numbness and insensibility below her waist indicated a broken spine.
Mari had potions in her special belt bags that could deal with such injuries and mutilations – she never skimped on alchemy. But those bags lay three meters away from her, beside the slowly dying embers of a fire. Even if they were close, she wouldn't be able to reach them in her current state. The one who mutilated her clearly knew what he was doing. He even took the trouble to gag her tightly...
And yet, everything had been going well for Mari lately, perhaps better than ever before in her life. It was all the more bitter to lose everything like this, on the rise. However, the girl was sure she wouldn't die today. If fate wanted her dead at this noon hour, she would already be lying face down in the grass, her body being rummaged by the stranger's hands, as was happening to her two sidekicks. Former sidekicks. In her powerlessness, Molly Moon – the name she'd taken in this world – could only grind her teeth and pray. She was doing the latter fervently, her eyes fixed on the dark green stone lying next to her feet. Ah! If only she could reach that stone! Essentially, that was her prayer – just that one thing – for the strength to reach the stone or for her assistants' killer to touch it himself. It would solve all her current problems. Realizing her prayers were unanswered, Mari rolled her eyes and bit her lip until it bled.
Why did it always happen this way in her life? On Earth and now here, in Ain. Always the same. Just as fortune smiled upon her, just as she started to believe in herself, some jerk would inevitably appear and ruin everything! Like when she was demoted from her department head position when the boss's nephew suddenly appeared. Or when she passed all the entrance exams and should have been admitted to the university, but they expanded the quotas for the "needy," and she missed out on higher education! Looking back at her life, Mari Topan could always pinpoint who had obstructed her success at any given moment. Because such individuals always existed and consistently knocked Mari off her trajectory in any of her endeavors. There was always someone smarter, more talented, luckier, or with better connections who got in her way, pushing her to the sidelines. Because of this, Mari never liked people; one could say she quietly despised them, starting with her parents, from her earliest childhood. This internal anger towards everyone, especially those who were in some way more successful than her, gave Mari Topan the strength to continue living and not give up. It also resulted in a rather peculiar sense of humor. She was genuinely amused when someone "made a fool of themselves" or when someone got hurt. This pain of others always brought her relief, making her smile. Lowbrow jokes, pranks, such as slipping laxatives into her colleagues' food, always added color to Mari's dreary and luckless life. Moreover, there were always those who also laughed at the unfortunate victims of her next "joke." She only got along with such people.
Her life was like a high-speed train hurtling towards a cliff. Because of one particularly successful prank, a young girl working with Mari ended up disgraced and attempted suicide. Doctors pulled this unfortunate soul back from the other side, reviving her at the last moment. It would have been nothing much, but this girl turned out to be the niece of their boss, a quite successful multimillionaire. Mari first lost her job and couldn't find a new one anywhere. She was about to lose her home next, unable to pay the mortgages any longer. But then, a rapid change occurred in her life, and she found herself in another world. A world far more brutal and cynical than the familiar Earth.
Many people she'd spoken to during this time were tearing their hair out and dreaming of returning to Earth. Many, but not her. Because nothing good awaited her in her home world. The girl clearly understood that the transfer to another world, in essence, saved her from the dismal fate of a homeless wanderer and a beggar. However, Mari would never have sunk to such a status. She would have robbed or killed someone but would have kept her home. On the other hand, she knew she was unlucky and feared that if she committed a crime, the police would inevitably catch her in the end. Perhaps only this internal cowardice prevented her jokes from crossing the line where criminal prosecution begins. Just once, she let her guard down, and the joke with the boss's niece went a bit further than Mari had planned. No, the girl didn't feel sympathetic to that fool, who, after a fairly harsh but essentially harmless prank involving the distribution of her slightly photoshopped explicit photos across the corporate network, suddenly decided to swallow two packs of sleeping pills and sleep forever. In that story, Mari pitied herself because she sincerely believed that jokes, even dirty ones, could not be a reason for dismissal. And yet, she was fired! Unjustly, no matter how you look at it.
She realized that her life in the new world could be much more successful than the previous one on her very first day in Ain. When two members of the initial team laughed at her quip. She couldn't believe her luck and made an even nastier joke about an innocuous-looking chubby guy, and it elicited unrestrained joy from the same two teammates. Very soon, two out of her initial five ran away, unable to withstand constant bullying by three people with a slightly distorted sense of humor.
Thus, Molly Moon began her journey in Ain, accompanied by two devoted fans of her jokes; one introduced himself as Bushe George and the other as Pyotr Grotter. Their trio never stayed anywhere for long. They stole what wasn't nailed down, deceived, cruelly joked, set up others, slightly enriched themselves in the process, and without causing serious conflicts they couldn't handle, they moved on. They roamed the roads of Ain, following Grotter's motto: "Loosers are not mammoths - losers won't become extinct." Sometimes, they went a little too far in their jokes than someone could tolerate, and the trio of earthlings got beat up quite a bit. But it never went beyond fisticuffs and offensive insults. Moreover, Bushe George memorized everyone who stood up to them or insulted them, and each time, he vowed to return and take revenge. Not now, of course, when they were so weak, but he would "level up and return." Mari and Pyotr shared his desire. But while they were weak, they had to adapt to the norms of local morality, understanding of "beauty," and sense of humor.
Mari's life after being transported to Ain blossomed with new colors. She was glad to be among those lucky enough to disappear from the worthless Earth. But even more, the girl rejoiced at finding two devoted fans who shared her sense of humor. They sincerely laughed when someone slipped on a trap they laid and broke an arm or a leg, and it was even better if that person smashed their face until it bled. Nevertheless, most jokes and pranks they discussed in the evenings were ones they couldn't afford to play, as it would lead to persecution by the locals. However, pranking these fools wasn't too interesting, as they fell for even the most primitive setups too easily. The real enjoyment came from tricking fellow earthlings! Oh! After each successful joke, the trio was genuinely happy. Each successful "prank" clearly showcased who was a loser and who wasn't. For some reason, this distinction was very important to Grotter. So important that he convinced both Mari and Bushe of the significance of being "not a loser." If you're not a loser, then it's your undeniable right, granted by life itself, to trick and deceive a loser. This worldview was so simple and attractive that it completely captivated Mari Topan. It's really straightforward: if a person falls for your prank or allows themselves to be joked about, they're obviously a loser. And bullying losers is the clear right of any non-loser, as a loser isn't really a person. They can't be called by the proud word "human." From Molly Moon's perspective, it was a beautiful, simple, and succinct philosophy that also completely coincided with her understanding of life. In a joke, you can't blame the joker, only the one who fell for the joke.
Two and a half weeks ago, fate clearly showed that it favored Mari. During a night stop, where the trio of earthlings had camped on the bank of the Swift River, the girl went to the sandy beach and noticed an unusual stone. It immediately attracted her with its beauty, especially in the light of Seguna. A dark green, slick, polished to a mirror shine piece of malachite the size of her fist. As soon as her fingers touched the cold, smooth surface of the stone, her life took a sharp turn, changing forever. The beautiful and seemingly harmless stone turned out to be a shard of an altar. A true altar. A living shard!
Holding it in her hands, the girl instantly knew its history and "heard" an offer she couldn't refuse, given her character. Thus, the earthling girl with a twisted and evil sense of humor became the first person in nearly a thousand years who agreed to become a priestess of Da'Nnan. A true priestess of the dark god of the Sidhe, dedicated to hunting humans. Also, as soon as the girl made a pact with the shard of the altar, she gained an Affinity with Darkness.
But Molly didn't just gain Affinity. She also acquired a teacher. The Stone taught her magic, dark rituals, and how to properly hunt humans and gain even more power. How to become equal to Steel at Bronze and, eventually, to Wootz. All the Stone asked for this power was to kill losers, lavishly drenching the surface of the malachite with their blood. Perhaps someone else would have been scared of such a "payment," but Mari Topan agreed instantly. The girl didn't doubt her choice for a second. That same night, under the guidance of the Stone, she subjugated the will of her companions, brainwashing them while they slept, instilling in them unconditional submission. In the morning, before dawn, when Seguna had not yet hidden beyond the horizon, she woke up Bushe and Pyotr and made them accept the power of the Stone. Thus, both of her sidekicks gained Affinity with Darkness, and the fact that this was not a gift but a trade for free will didn't bother the girl at all. Because Bushe and Pyotr set themselves up. They didn't wake up in time and didn't stop her, so they turned out to be losers, and according to the ideology they themselves preached, they now had no freedom of choice.
Since then, the earthlings' jokes have become even more brutal, cynical, and evil. And two weeks ago, they came to the hut of an old woodcutter living alone in the deep forest. This old man became the first victim. And human blood, for the first time in many centuries, spilled on the shard of the True Dark Altar. Gaining new powers as a result of the dark ritual, Molly Moon acquired new, previously inaccessible abilities and was only assured that she made the right choice, becoming a servant of Darkness.
The next unlucky ones were a lone couple of fishermen. Unfortunately, they didn't see the true character of Mari Topan and her companions behind the seemingly honest and open faces. Another bloody ritual gifted Molly with new powers. The Stone also taught her a unique Sidhe spell, "Metal Destruction." A human couldn't use it, but by becoming a priestess of Da'Nnan, Mari gained this ability. However, that time, the trio of earthlings apparently did not exercise enough caution, and the next day, when they set up for the evening stop, a local sheriff, a warrior of full Steel, caught up with them. Already graying but still full of strength, an experienced fighter. The earthlings, who had recently Elevated to Bronze and knew little, were no match for him. If the sheriff had attacked them unexpectedly, the path of the trio of "jokers" would have ended forever. But the sheriff made a mistake; he came out openly and started accusing, giving Molly time to prepare. "Metal Destruction" enveloped the sheriff with its Darkness, depriving him of almost all weapons, turning his armor and one of the swords into useless rusty scraps. But even a half-unarmed Steel warrior, who was left with only a spare sword, nearly killed them all. If not for a very lucky crossbow shot from Pyotr Grotter at the beginning of the fight, shattering the sheriff's knee, everything would have ended very badly for the trio of jokers. But Darkness and Luck favored Molly and her accomplices that evening; they coped and not only killed the sheriff but also managed to sacrifice him.
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This encounter taught Mari Topan much. She realized that attacking locals would eventually end badly for her group and herself. Every local had someone behind them; even ordinary peasants and fishermen were under the shadow of a lord or sheriff who wouldn't hesitate to execute those daring to kill people on their lands.
Their next victim was a lone earthling who had been swindled by local tunnellers. His complaints only elicited sneers from Bushe and Pyotr. They considered him a loser for allowing himself to be duped. The earthling, whose name Molly didn't bother to remember, died slowly, his life ebbing away drop by drop to the fragment of the True Altar. That night, Molly gained even more power than she had from the Steel sheriff, despite the fact that the earthling, like them, had barely ascended to the Bronze rank. Moreover, nobody even thought of pursuing them for this murder. Earthlings in Ain were of no interest to anyone; no one stood behind them, and no one would avenge them or send seekers after their killers. This revelation sparked an obvious thought in Mari Topan's mind. They also heard from a caravanner that some exam was being conducted not far from there for entry into a new guild. More importantly, like bees to honey, previously unknown strangers were being drawn to this exam from all around.
Thus, four days ago, Molly Moon, Pyotr Grotter, and Bushe George found themselves in Katiyer. They had their fun and, more importantly, met an insane pair of utter greenhorn losers who agreed to any request for help, exclaiming, "Oh! A new quest!" As if Da'Nnan himself commanded to sacrifice such idiots. That's exactly what Molly Moon did with ease, luring the enthusiastic fools into the catacombs of Katiyer and slowly killing them there, ensuring not a drop of blood missed the Stone.
The trio of earthlings felt like they were holding all the aces, and soon, no one would dare oppose them. So they thought until yesterday, when they marked a new target - an apparently talented earthling magician who, to her misfortune, managed to antagonize the Radiant Arien, which meant that no one in all of Katiyer would stand up for her. If she went missing, no one would even bother to look. All night, Molly, Bushe, and Pyotr were crafting a plan to exploit Miranda's excessive brusqueness and ardor and lure her into their trap. They came up with an excellent, almost flawless scheme. Almost flawless, as it turned out, because it didn't account for the fact that someone would come to the aid of the obnoxious earthling, who had annoyed everyone in Katiyer with her arrogant attitude. Now, the one who ambushed Bushe and Pyotr from behind, knocking them out with a single move and giving Miranda a chance to deliver a knockout blow to Molly, would pay for daring to obstruct their plan.
All day, the trio of dark adepts worked on a plan for revenge. They weren't frightened by the fact that this Raven was a Steel warrior. Molly's power at that moment was approximately at the Wootz level, thanks to the borrowed strength of the shard of the True Dark Altar, and she was confident that she could handle this upstart without much trouble. However, after what Raven demonstrated the previous evening... Having witnessed ancient yet still strong remnants of an old tower being wiped off the face of Ain with a single spell, Molly was ready to abandon plans for revenge. But the Stone came to her aid, explaining what "Recorded Spells" were. More importantly, it told her that a person couldn't have many of them and that at least a day after using such a spell, no one could resort to the powers of "Recorded Spells" again. So if Raven had something else as destructive as "Fire Tornado" in reserve, Mari Topan had at least a day during which this strange earthling wouldn't be able to repeat anything nearly as powerful.
Thanks to the shard of the Altar of the one who had devoted his long - by human standards - life to hunting humans and dwarves and was so good at it that he Ascended, overcoming the Stairway of Divino, Molly Moon easily predicted the direction in which Raven would leave the city. The rest was technical. The brains of the trio worked well, and they prepared an excellent ambush. Raven flew into it, mouth agape, rushing to the aid of fellow earthlings who had allegedly gotten into trouble. He fell for it so easily that, at that moment, Molly even felt a slight offense that everything would end so quickly. As it turned out, it only seemed so.
Her first spell, "Metal Destruction," hit its target effortlessly, engulfing Raven in Darkness. In that very instant, his chainmail crumbled to dust, and the swords of Bushe and Pyotr lunged toward his defenseless body. That was the moment her two accomplices died. Molly didn't even get a chance to see how they were killed. They just died instantly, falling to the ground, each with their heart pierced. Raven's spear was illuminated by a strange light, which made Molly feel slightly nauseous, dispersing the Darkness, and his dagger was covered in a fine network of lightning. These protective spells, apparently, prevented Raven's weapons from being damaged by her magic. Molly Moon's next two spells missed. The enemy moved too fast, impossibly fast for Steel and probably even for Wootz. She didn't have time for a third spell; a strike from the beechwood shaft broke her back, instantly paralyzing the girl from the waist down. But the earthling didn't stop there. Four sharp thrusts, swift as a mongoose's strikes, and her arms hung limply at her sides. But he didn't let her fall; he caught her, leaned her against a tree, and gagged her, tearing the material for it from her own shirt. Then he returned to Bushe and Pyotr and delivered finishing blows, severing their spinal cords. There wasn't a hint of hesitation in his movements; Raven acted like a robot, like a professional for whom killing was a monotonous habit. Then he shook off the rusty dust that his chainmail had turned into from his gambeson and strode widely towards her.
Seeing his gambeson, the girl, despite the entire intense situation, snorted with laughter. Raven's armor indeed presented a comical sight. Rich blue, as if recently painted, it was all covered in bright orange winged buttocks. It was so inappropriate and surreal that Molly laughed so hard that the gag fell from her mouth.
"Yes," Raven grimaced, guessing the reason for her amusement. "As you can see, you are not the only person with a perverted sense of humor."
"To wear something like this..." Mari Topan replied, trying not to show her fear. "Even I would be embarrassed. And who convinced you to draw these winged asses?" Molly felt that she needed to engage this man in conversation, to gain his trust, and every word was now playing into her hands.
"Me?" Raven made an even more distorted face. "If only… There are enthusiasts willing to do it without my consent. However, you could say I even deserved it."
"Tell me this story," Molly Moon immediately seized her chance.
"Only after you. I, you know, am a gentleman and am used to letting the lady go first," Raven smiled, not disconcerting Mari at all.
"And what story do you want to hear, famous Raven?" To nod and flatter was the survival strategy the girl chose at the moment.
"How did you sink to such a life? I'd understand if you attacked the locals, but your own..." From Raven's cold gaze, Molly Moon felt her heart sink into her boots.
"You... We... We didn't intend to kill you! Honestly! You just showed yourself in Katiyer as very rich. And you attacked us first there, at the inn. We just wanted to teach you a lesson," she sighed heavily as if acknowledging an uncomfortable truth, "and I admit, to rob you a little."
"You know," Raven smiled just with his lips, "the sword blows to the throat and liver from your 'colleagues' kind of ruin the neat story; people don't strike like that when they don't want to kill."
"It wasn't me! Definitely not me! It was those two degenerates; they probably decided to get back at you for clashing their heads together."
"Even surprising," Raven clicked his tongue in response to her words.
"What's surprising?" Molly didn't understand him.
"How slippery a monster you are, I say, it's even surprising."
"Me? You're the killer! Not me!" The girl pretended to be outraged.
"Ah, the old song: 'I'm not to blame, he came himself'," Molly chose to ignore this remark, pretending she hadn't noticed it.
"If you're a gentleman, wouldn't you help a lady? Won't you give me some healing potions? It hurts a lot."
"No, I won't. And by the way, you owe me money, do you know how much this chainmail cost me? A whole twenty in gold!" Raven rolled his eyes. "So if you want to live, start talking, and I'll check your friends in the meantime." Standing up, Raven pointed the tip of his spear at her and calmly asked, "Or do you refuse to talk?"
"I'll tell!" The girl exclaimed through pain, "I'll tell everything."
"Then begin."
Having said that, Raven returned to the dead bodies, beginning to inspect them, turning their pockets inside out and cutting their belts. All the while, he kept her within his field of view. The girl started talking, and naturally, her story wasn't entirely truthful. She didn't mention the stone or her Affinity with Darkness. Molly talked non-stop for about ten minutes, and when she finished, it seemed to her that Raven believed her. He fell for her tales and was ready to let her live.
"One question," Raven, having gutted all the belongings of her group and sorted what suited his taste into his bags - taking all the money, of course - stood up, leaning on his spear. "What did you do to Olmer and Dwalin?"
"Who?" Molly thought she pulled off a very sincere surprise.
"A couple of slightly strange earthlings. Anyway, why am I telling you? You know them."
"I don't know them!" Molly insisted.
"Oh, really!" Raven laughed softly, "She doesn't know, yet half the city saw them together."
"We just talked and parted! I just remembered now, and not by names but because they were indeed strange, always begging to give them some quest. So, I told them to get lost."
"Pfff..." Raven sat down next to her and said contemptuously, "How did you, such a seasoned bitch, fall for this simple trick? Like a damn fool? No one saw you together, but you just spilled everything to me."
Angry at being deceived so easily, Molly was momentarily breathless. Ah! If she had the Stone in her hands right now, she would wipe that smug smile off his face.
"What are you looking at?" Raven frowned.
He abruptly jumped to his feet and, without losing sight of her, once more, but more attentively this time, scanned the small forest clearing. His gaze caught on a dark green piece of malachite.
'Pick it up!' Molly pleaded silently. 'Pick it up! Just touch it, and you're mine! And I will make you pay. You will become my obedient dog in exchange for those you killed. Touch the stone!!'
As if obeying her thoughts, Raven bent down and picked up the Stone. At that moment, Molly stopped holding back and laughed triumphantly. But her joy was short-lived. A second later, the laughter got stuck in her throat. Raven didn't immediately fall to the ground, his lifeless gaze fixed on the sky. He also kept ignoring all of her mental commands. For about ten seconds, he scrutinized the Stone, then turned his head towards Molly and said:
"You know, you're a far more dangerous Monster than I could have imagined… Da'Nnan's servant among humans. This isn't just the complete absence of conscience but the absolute absence of brains as well!"
Only now did Molly Moon notice a thin layer of magical light between Raven's skin and the Stone. The inner warmth emanating from this light terrified Molly. It was a deep, all-encompassing fear, far greater and stronger than the fear for her own life. Having finished examining the Stone, Raven raised his hand high to the heavens and exclaimed:
"Antares! Accept my apologies for the insult I have caused you!"
It seemed like the shout of a madman, calling out in the forest to a long-fallen God. But this time, it didn't just seem to her. An incredibly bright sunbeam, piercing the forest leaves, stretched from the celestial body to Raven's palm. A second later, the dark green malachite in his hand cracked and then began to crumble into dust.
Molly Moon howled. She howled like a mother wolf whose pups were being slaughtered before her eyes. She screamed, howling at the top of her lungs, not feeling the pain from her wounds, even as the sharp, cold blade plunged into her flesh and sliced her dark heart in two. And even after the girl died, her body continued guttural howl for nearly a minute.
All of this wailing, until the last sound and for a couple of minutes after, was intently watched by the astonishingly cold and inhumanly calm eyes of the one who took the name Raven.