История Королевы Эльфов / The story of the Elf Queen: Интерлюдия вторая. Тяготы и заботы Архиврага Героя Королевы Эльфов.

Interlude Two. The Hardships and Concerns of the Arkhnemesis of the Hero of the Elven Queen.

Camrad_RIP 18.11.24 в 10:21

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Camrad_RIP 18.11.24 в 10:21

"Well, if not a queen, then at least a princess!"

Camrad_RIP 20.11.24 в 10:37

"I told you, no!"

Camrad_RIP 20.11.24 в 10:37

"Oh, please!"

Camrad_RIP 20.11.24 в 10:38

"I swear to you, you lowlife! Leave me alone! Or I swear by all the gods, by those who are their equal and superior, I will make you regret that your mother spread her legs before your father!"

Camrad_RIP 20.11.24 в 19:33

"At least a couple dozen catgirls! Or even a few catboys, but cute and feminine!"

Camrad_RIP 20.11.24 в 19:34

"Oh, Almighty, who gave me strength! Get lost!"

Camrad_RIP 20.11.24 в 19:34

But the fat and far from pleasant-looking young man paid no attention to the threats and demands to get away, continuing to whine, beg, plead, ask, and whine again. From his initial request for help in making the Queen of the Forest his concubine, he moved on first to her daughters, then to simple, as far as the word applied to them, elven women, and then to cat-like beast folk. There was no way to get rid of this pain in the ass. The fat man ignored all the threats, ignored the warnings, and continued to nag and beg, driving Master to a frenzy.

Camrad_RIP 20.11.24 в 19:46

Even more annoying and disgusting was the fact that at the mere sight of the damned fatty whiner, there was a strange and very unpleasant sensation. As if you were looking at a horribly distorted reflection of yourself in a crooked mirror. This made it triply disgusting, and even more strongly wanted to either kill or drive away the insolent man. But there was no way to do it. The fat man paid no attention to his threats, and he dodged the attempts to hit him with his new staff-cane, despite his deceptive sluggishness. The faithful Basita and Saya ran away in terror at the mere sight of this whiner, begging the lord in two voices to keep THIS away from them. It was unthinkable for the dolls, who were completely submissive to his will. That made them even angrier.

Camrad_RIP 20.11.24 в 19:50

When Master's patience was almost at an end, and he was ready to unleash fire and lightning on the greaseball begging for a couple of furry kitties, help came from wherever and from whomever he was not expecting. By some miracle, Master missed the appearance of two men in strange armor. One of the sudden guests was a man of sturdy build, with a masculine and strong-willed face, a bare head, a military bearing, and a stern look in his gray eyes. He literally reeked of strength, fortitude, and determination. One look was enough to know that he was a warrior. No, not like that. A WARRIOR! He was strong and strong enough to make one wary. But as soon as Master looked at his companion, he forgot everything for a moment.

Camrad_RIP 20.11.24 в 19:52

Clad in the same strange armor, with straight, shoulder-length deep red hair and bright green eyes on a beautiful freckled face. A stern and strict face, but at the same time quite beautiful and attractive. Just looking at her took his breath away. What a magnificent material! What a masterpiece it could be! She was as strong as the man, but a little different. She seemed to be composed of both physical strength and power remotely similar to magic. A very strange shade, one he had never seen before. She was a warrior, too, but she relied not only on weapons, speed, strength, reaction, and stamina but also on otherworldly powers beyond the control of mere mortals.

Camrad_RIP 20.11.24 в 19:54

Such a rare and beautiful combination! Complemented, moreover, by a splendidly trained body, whose forms could not hide even the strange-looking armor. However, one fact was alarming. There was a very strange feeling when looking at the guests who had appeared. It was as if they were one and yet different. Not twins, not brother and sister, but as if they were one and the same person. But at the same time, they were clearly two different people. How interesting... But Master had no time to realize this strangeness of the guests, nor to admire the potential candidate for the inadmissibly reduced harem, as the beautiful warrior disappeared. As soon as she appeared with her companion, she saw the fat, sniveling man who had been annoying Master.

Camrad_RIP 20.11.24 в 19:56

Her beautiful face immediately contorted with horror and disgust, and then she raised her palms in front of her and shouted, “No fucking way I'm gona deal with THIS shite!!!!” A second later, the warrior's body was enveloped in a purple haze, and in one swift dash, she was swept somewhere far back. “Biotic jerk” came the realization of this ability from somewhere. What this “biotic” was Master did not have time to realize. The warrior's companion sighed and shrugged. He approached the fat man still whining and demanding a harem of catgirls. Grabbing him by the scruff of the neck, the warrior nodded briefly to Master and uttered an equally incomprehensible “I should go”

Camrad_RIP 20.11.24 в 20:28

Before he could ask him anything, the stern warrior raised his free hand and shot into the sky, leaving a rainbow trail behind him. In which, for some reason, only three colors prevailed. Green, red, and blue. But Master paid almost no attention to it. Because, with his mouth open in horror, he looked at what was floating in the sky above him. The huge creature resembled the monstrous spawn of the Lord of the Depths in appearance, with an elongated body and multiple relatively short legs. Only its flesh was metal, and its eyes burned with fire. And it reeked of power. No, it didn't. POWER! But in addition to the sheer power, the Master sensed something else. A WILL! Unstoppable, unstoppable, and indestructible. A will that could subjugate the mind of any rudimentary creature of flesh and blood. Not immediately, and not even overnight, but with absolute assurance. Deceptively soft and invisible, it could not break even a mere man overnight. But give it time, and any man or non-human, no matter how resilient and well-protected, would fall under the influence of the monster floating in the sky. He would submit to its will without even noticing it. Any wish of the new lord will seem logical, correct, and justified. And unobjectionable.

Camrad_RIP 20.11.24 в 20:25

From such a sight, Master couldn't help but feel a respectful awe. He wondered, what was the principle behind its power? Was it innate, acquired, or was it some kind of artifact? But before he could ponder this, the creature let out a deafening roar. Its voice was most definitely inanimate. “Mechanical” came to mind as soon as Master heard it. But at the same time, what was even more surprising was that the creature's voice was full of literal universal outrage. What the monster said to the warrior still holding the fat man by the scruff of his neck Master did not understand. But the fact that the monster began to fly further into the sky, panicking with its paws, spoke a lot. As did the fact that the warrior was rapidly catching up with him, leaving behind him the same three-colored plume. What the...

Camrad_RIP 21.11.24 в 08:10

Master didn't have time to finish his thought, as he lowered his eyes and was horrified to find himself on top of a huge black mountain. It was surrounded on all sides by demons of varying degrees of strength, incarnated in the real world. As well as countless possessed, defiled, corrupted, and other infernal filth. They were everywhere, climbing up the slopes, circling in flocks in the air, at least they were not coming from under the ground, thanks to the black mountain. Damn it, what the hell is this?! Grabbing his staff-cane, Master instantly went into a fighting state, pushing his mind to the limit. Time slowed to a crawl, and he began to save his most precious possession with feverish speed. Himself. A cascade of instructions to Basita and Sae, who had inexplicably returned, was combined with the creation of several branching and complex weaves. A protective one, to cut off attempts to defame or confuse the mind, to give bodies extra speed and strength, to deflect enemy blows. Searching, to identify the leaders of the infernal army, directing the lower demons and their puppets into battle, and finding those who try to hide from the gaze of ordinary and magical, preparing to strike a sneaky blow in the back. And an attacker, designed to strike at the bodies and minds of enemies, able to pit them against each other or at least take them out of the fight for a while. Damn, how many of these things are there!

Camrad_RIP 21.11.24 в 08:15

Fortunately, Master was not alone. A little away from him, on the top of the mountain, there was a young half-elf dressed in a luxurious silver-green robe, obviously of elven make. He had blond hair, gathered in a lush ponytail, and blue eyes glowing with magical fire. In his hands, he held a full-fledged staff made of light wood, a golden headband on his head glittered with gems, and his index fingers studded with large gemstone rings. Something vaguely familiar about his appearance made him wary and tense. And Master, who had dealt with firstborns and their mixtures more than once, sensed something wrong in this half-breed. Something false. Maybe a quadroon trying to enhance his affinity for elf blood with life magic? It didn't matter! What mattered was that his magic power was impressive, as well as the speed of forming weaves that were as complex as his own.

Camrad_RIP 21.11.24 в 08:23

The half-elf struck the top of the mountain with his staff, and in an instant, he drew a complex ritual circle on the rocks, which strengthened his magic many times over. At the same time, he was protected from demon attacks by several barriers that were an organic part of the circle. And not just him. Behind the misshapen half-breed could be seen a white-haired elven woman, dressed as a combat sorceress and holding a shining wand in her hands. The presence of the firstborn made the Master wary again, but the white-haired one was completely absorbed in the battle and paid no attention to him. She was accompanied by a deceptively frail and blond girl in a black-and-white maid's dress. Which with a calm face was sending one throwing needle after another into the ranks of the infernal creatures. They flew with the speed of good arrows and hit the last of them exactly in the eye, or open mouth, almost instantly cutting off their existence by the magic and murderous alchemy invested in them. A little away from the irregular half-elf and the couple covering him was a red-haired and incredibly furry cat girl that had taken on a partially animal form and had grown very sharp claws that cut into the throats and bellies of the creatures climbing to the top. She, like the blond, wore a maid's dress. Or rather, the wretched scraps of it.

Camrad_RIP 21.11.24 в 10:43

On the other side of the Master was another assistant in the fight against the infernal invaders. He was dressed in an exotic-looking costume of animal skins, decorated with feathers, ribbons, all kinds of beads, rosaries, and other small jewelry. In his hands, he held a tambourine with a hummer and... flew in circles around a wooden pole hammered directly into the top of the black mountain. Not too high and not too thick, but decorated with the same feathers, pins, bones, beads, shells, and who knows what else. He flew with funny intervals, due to sharp flaps of webbed wing, growing from his back right between his shoulder blades, and covered with feathers of different birds.

Camrad_RIP 21.11.24 в 08:25

Shaman. It was a very strong and very skillful, with a numerous and diverse retinue that now invisibly circled around him, waiting for instructions and only partially manifested in the material world. The Master caught the singing of the steppe and polar winds, the murmur of the earth's bowels, the gurgling of stinking poisoned swamps, the murmuring of mountain spring streams, and the roar of mudflows sweeping away everything in their path, the scalding heat of the sun and the sweet smell of continuously rotting flesh. A very impressive set of contracts, which makes one feel respect for the obviously deceptively young man. And wariness, for in addition to the images of various intangible entities, Master sensed something else in the shaman. Something vaguely familiar. The same thing he sensed in the suspicious half-elf. It all combined to give him a bad feeling.

Camrad_RIP 21.11.24 в 10:46

But those feelings faded into the background as the two unwilling companions, still fighting off the demons, began to whimper in two voices, like a fat man dragged into the sky. Only they weren't whining for Master to help them get the Queen of the Forest or her daughters into bed. They were whining that it was all his fault. That it's all because of him. And that they'd both never seen joint missions with his kind and would never sign up for such a thing again. This whining pissed Master off even more than the fat man's pleas. Because from somewhere came the absolute certainty that everything is exactly the opposite. It's all THEIR fault! What was going on around them was entirely their fault! The righteous indignation was so strong that Master couldn't stand it any longer, and let himself burst into a shout:

Camrad_RIP 21.11.24 в 10:48

"Screw you both!!! What?"

Camrad_RIP 21.11.24 в 10:48

When he opened his eyes, he stared at the ceiling of his bedroom for a few seconds. Basita stirred, stretched, raised herself on her elbow, and yawned sleepily, showing her neat fangs:

Сон

Camrad_RIP 20.11.24 в 20:29

"Master? What..."

Camrad_RIP 20.11.24 в 20:29

With a single mental command to silence the doll, Master sat up abruptly in bed, threw back the blanket, and closed his eyes, concentrating on the past dream. Long before Fate and Fortune had smiled upon him, while he was still studying under his first and long-deceased mentor, he had learned about such an incredibly complex area of magic as divination and prediction. The Master also learned about prophetic dreams, which could open the veil of the future. But then his mentor explained to him that for one really prophetic dream, there are a thousand, or even more, ordinary dreams. And among those that turn out to be true, part of it is necessarily false, portending a future obviously impossible. The remaining dreams may foretell not necessarily predestined future, but only possible. All these dreams must be correctly interpreted, as the images in the dream can mean the most different and sometimes not obvious.

Camrad_RIP 21.11.24 в 10:51

He was not interested in that part of magic then. It was interesting to listen to his mentor. He carefully memorized everything he said but did not show any real interest in prediction and clairvoyance. He found this school of magic too difficult to master and unreliable. Much later, when Fate and Fortune had already shown their favor to him, and he began to gain true power, he was not attracted to all forms of clairvoyance either. He was much more interested in ways to counteract them. But to know how to protect yourself from the occasional or not-so-occasional seer or fortune-teller, you have to know what you're dealing with. So Master had some knowledge in this area. He had a general idea of how to distinguish an ordinary dream from an unusual one. Today's dream was very strange and it should be analyzed carefully. But as soon as Master tried to concentrate on it, he found with a slight surprise and even a touch of fear that the memory of the past dream was slipping away from him like sand through his fingers. He had! With his knowledge, skills, and talents! Accustomed to working with his mind and memory!

Camrad_RIP 21.11.24 в 11:17

He concentrated even harder and put himself into a trance, but with great effort, Master managed to keep only a few fragments of the dream in his mind. The face of a beautiful but severe red-haired woman with bright green eyes and a scattering of freckles. A three-colored rainbow streaming into the sky. Someone's an incredibly annoying request to give a few catboys, but definitely cute and as feminine as possible. A fluffy redheaded catgirl in partially animal form and scraps of a maid's dress. Nothing else. Well. Exhaling slowly, Master carefully captured the pathetic scraps of images. So that's how it is. This was really interesting already. That he could simply forget his dream like that was something Master could only believe if someone of equal skill had instilled such a thought in him. So someone or something had tried to erase that memory.

Camrad_RIP 21.11.24 в 10:54

Master's lips stretched into a wicked smile. It was a nice try that was bound to work against someone else, but he had a solid trump card just in case. He held out his hand, and a gold-ringed sphere of glass immediately fell into it, a thick mist swirling inside. In it, one could see faces and places. The greatest gift of the true Demiurges was the key that allowed him to acquire their even greater gift.

Camrad_RIP 21.11.24 в 10:54

Over the past decades, he had mastered this masterpiece artifact perfectly, unlocking many of its properties. Including secret or rather unobvious. This artifact gave him the ability to steal memories, take impressions of them, alter them at will, bring them back, or destroy them completely. And, of course, to store them. And, as he'd learned in his time, it didn't just work with living people or non-humans. Things also remembered a lot, especially magical and old things. And they could tell a lot to someone who knew how to ask. But now Master was interested in the most obvious and clear property of the artifact.

Camrad_RIP 21.11.24 в 11:19

For a long time now he had been in the habit of putting the artifact into passive mode before going to sleep so it would record his dreams. The vast majority of them were erased the next morning. Because the capacity of the artifact was huge, but not unlimited. But today was the rare case when over-insurance paid off. Focusing on the sphere, Master closed his eyes. For a moment, he couldn't believe what he saw. Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Emptiness. The previous night had literally never happened. If the artifact was working, there was no doubt about it. Whoa. Now, this is...

Camrad_RIP 21.11.24 в 11:20

Master's very bad suspicions were interrupted by a quiet knock at the door of the master's quarters he occupied in the house of the widowed Baroness de Kleban. He flinched in surprise but calmed down almost immediately when he sensed who was behind them. Saya. With a brief gesture and a mental command, the Master extinguished the protective charms, unlocking the lock. The door opened silently and then closed just as silently. A moment later, in front of the wide double bed, a slender tall female figure, draped in tight-fitting clothes and black silk, literally appeared out of nowhere. Master's newfound power was able to strengthen the former assassin of the Unseen Clan even further, synergizing with the hidden weave patterns adorning her body. Sai's agility, speed, and reactions increased even more, as did her ability to disguise, bypass, or breach defenses and cut off the lives of those unwanted by her master. Now his pretty slanted doll could walk naked through the streets of the Free City of Normgrave if she wanted to. And no one would pay any attention to her, even at point-blank range. To spot or find her would require very powerful search magic, and it would be desirable to know exactly where and who to look for. Better yet, a clue, like blood samples or casts of thin bodies. Except for the main temples of the city and the castle of the honorable Duke Darmond de Canion should be avoided. At least not without careful preparation.

Camrad_RIP 21.11.24 в 11:22

At the thought of the latter, Master's mood immediately soured. With a brief nod to the doll, he asked impatiently:

Camrad_RIP 21.11.24 в 11:26

"How'd it go?"

Camrad_RIP 21.11.24 в 11:26

A satisfied smile appeared on the slanted face of the Oriental beauty:

Camrad_RIP 21.11.24 в 11:27

"Perfect, Master. I have prepared everything as you requested. They are fully prepared and awaiting your instructions."

Camrad_RIP 21.11.24 в 11:27

And after this news, Master's mood improved noticeably.

Camrad_RIP 21.11.24 в 11:09

"Nice."

Camrad_RIP 21.11.24 в 11:09

When he got out of bed, he didn't get dressed properly, just threw on a robe. The yawning Basita stood on tiptoe and stretched, almost reaching the ceiling with her fingertips, and put on only a thin dressing gown without buttoning it. It was not an ordinary shirt, but one that the Baroness's servants had made especially for her, as there were no other clothes in the house that fit the Orc woman. Like Saya, she too had received a new gift from her master. As a result, the green-skinned doll's musculature became even more embossed, as well as her ability to take a direct hit without any armor. It didn't matter if it was magical or physical. The Master had even ordered several of Baroness de Kleban's servants to try to injure the orc. They used kitchen cleavers, clubs, axes, knives, and full-fledged combat weapons that the Baroness' private guards had. It was all to no avail. At best, they managed to leave small cuts on Basita's body, which healed almost immediately. Even two quality battle magic wands of average power, infused with ordinary fire without any frills, only slightly smoked the orc. And she was the one who didn't even fight back and was, in fact, without any defense. Even the Raiders of the Ice Islands, whose bands were famous for their berserkers, who could take almost any blow with their bare bodies, would have envied such resilience.

Camrad_RIP 21.11.24 в 11:30

But alas and alack, even wonderful dolls like Saya and Basita, with all their old and newfound power, couldn't save him in the current situation. He envisioned the possible failure of the plan to take over the Northern Theocracy. It would be incredibly foolish not to think through the possibility of such an outcome, and even more foolish not to prepare for it in any way. Master did not consider himself a fool and he had every reason to believe that his judgment of himself was not entirely unfounded. He was well prepared. His laboratory-shelter was securely hidden and equally secure. A veritable fortress, with several secret escape routes and a very toothy garrison of pupae. He had organized several other hideouts, caches, and secret lairs just in case. He created a few dupes in his blood that would distract the attention of those searching his trail if they had something in their hands that could lead them to him. Thought out how, in case of failure, to mop up most of the associates who knew too much, or might know too much. But he couldn't anticipate everything.

Camrad_RIP 21.11.24 в 11:12

Apparently, Fate and Luck had decided to play a joke on him. After all, at the very moment when he needed to keep his hand on the pulse, closely monitor the operation, and be ready to intervene and react at any moment, his true goal had been achieved. So desired and so long pursued. At precisely such an inopportune moment. Yes, he should have waited a little longer. He should have delayed the 'acquisition', and waited for the success or failure of the Iyastar operation. But he couldn't resist. The temptation was too great. So many years, so much labor, and here it was, the greatest power of all, just reach out and take it. How could he resist?! He couldn't.

Camrad_RIP 20.11.24 в 20:31

As a result, when everything went to hell because of the damned elves, instead of commanding his dolls, or supporting his companions in the First Temple, he was lying absolutely helpless on the magic bed. And it almost turned out to be a disaster. He had underestimated the Sharp-Eared. The elves managed to find his hideout and almost stormed it. He had to abandon all the reserves, all the dolls, including the best ones, just to escape. Not to retreat, but to escape, taking with them only a few crumbs of what they had gained, and the rest of it to burn. And it was hoped that most of what he had to give up had been destroyed in the alchemical flames, and not fallen into the hands of the elves. But even so, the most valuable thing he possessed had fallen into the hands of the elves. An otherworldly boy.

Camrad_RIP 21.11.24 в 11:32

At the thought of him, the Master, as always, involuntarily grimaced. A wretch, utterly unworthy of the greatest gift, who had received it at the strange whim of a supreme being, and who had almost ruined him utterly and ungracefully. He should have given the dolls orders to kill him in case he was in danger of falling into the hands of his enemies. But it had seemed unnecessary to him before because he had rightly thought that in the last resort, he could retreat with him. But it turned out differently, Basita and Saya had barely pulled him out from under the blows of the elven stormtroopers. If they had dragged the boy they might not have made it to the evacuation hall. And in the end, the wretch fell into the hands of the elves. Of course, the sharp-eared quickly realized who he was, and then they realized what the secret of the Master's power was. And they spread the word! They told everything and everyone they could get their hands on! And even here, they remained elves!

Camrad_RIP 21.11.24 в 11:34

He had managed to get hold of a recording of their message, and he fully appreciated the finesse of the long-eared ones. Oh, no, they didn't lie at all. But they had presented it in such a way that it seemed as if he were the guest from another world with the greatest power. And they didn't say a word about the wretch who had fallen into their hands. It's a neat trick, no doubt. There was no doubt that the sharp-eared would use him and his undeserved power to their full advantage. But nothing, he had something to thank them for all the good things, including the broken agreement. But first, there's a priority problem to be solved. A small problem. Somehow to hid naturally from the whole world, which suddenly-suddenly became very interested in him!

Camrad_RIP 19.11.24 в 19:50

He could hide from the sun-worshippers, even in the worst-case scenario of the Iyastar operation, without gaining true power. The knowledge he had acquired with the help of the Memory Gatherer, prepared shelters and loyal dolls would have sufficed. Yes, he would have to lay low and spend decades under siege. But he could accomplish it and survive. Now, with his newfound power, he could hide from the sun worshippers and the elves. The main thing was to buy a little time, to master the gained powers, to set up a new shelter, and then the conversation would go very differently. Full access to the power of the almighty gave him a lot. But hiding from literally the whole world, which is very diligently looking for you - this is a different conversation! He wasn't ready for that at all, and he didn't even count on such a thing.

Camrad_RIP 21.11.24 в 11:36

There were many things Master sincerely disliked. And one of those things was the fear of his own powerlessness. When Saya had brought him the news that the Sharp-Eared had spread the word about him to the world, he'd had to act quickly. Because he well protected the widowed Baroness de Kleban's dwelling, but still not designed to withstand dozens, if not hundreds, of enemies trying to find him. He had to urgently rebuild and strengthen his defenses to the limit of his abilities, for which he had even spent one of his stored free gifts to gain the knowledge he needed. Because it was necessary to build and strengthen not the usual magical defenses that rich people use to protect their homes, that would only give him away. It was necessary not only to maximize the camouflage so that even a direct and directed search could not sense anything suspicious in the house of the Dowager Baroness. Such a thing would also give him away. It was necessary to make it so that after overcoming the 'normal' defenses of her mansion, a house check would not see anything suspicious there. That was orders of magnitude more difficult.

Camrad_RIP 20.11.24 в 07:20

Additional shielding weaves are designed to distort the response of the search charms. The most subtle and plausible illusions to conceal the true state of affairs in the mansion. First of all, his hiding place was in the basement of the mansion, which he had prepared long before the operation in Iyastar. But this was not enough to safely hide from so many enemies. Too many people were looking for him. Yes, almost blindly, but it was the same effect as a volley of fire. When everyone is looking everywhere, the chance of someone getting lucky becomes unpleasantly high.

Camrad_RIP 20.11.24 в 07:21

He was saved by the fact that he had acquired the ability to buy the rarest materials and artifacts from other worlds through the trade shop of the Higher Powers. The opportunity was a shocking discovery for him, as he had not even known about it before. It simply wasn't there as an option in the moments of merging with that lowlife. But it was a pleasant surprise, and he didn't regret the gifts he had spent on it in the slightest. And he praised himself for not having used up all the available resources the moment he discovered the gift. He had wanted to because there were so many things on offer! He wanted everything at once. There was the perfect weapon for Saya. And great protective charms for Basita. And sets of tools to replace his lost laboratory. But the prices were painfully high, and he had to beat himself up, not to make a rash purchase, but to calm down and evaluate everything properly. He allowed himself only a not the most expensive staff-cane as a universal tool.

Camrad_RIP 20.11.24 в 07:23

Oh, it was so wise a decision! Since it was the ability to store for goods at the Almighty's Store that had literally saved him! The feverish search offered a lot of things that could help him escape from the enemies who were looking for him in every possible way. There were individual artifacts and the rarest reagents for masking rituals. But in the end, he settled on one particular item. The acquired artifact, which ate up the entire limit of the Master's possession, was a tall mirror in a heavy bronze frame decorated with fanciful ornamentation. Its perfectly flat surface resembled liquid mercury, giving off a lilac color. It was a masterpiece of a specialist, a magister at the very least, and of a very strange School of Magic. Most of all, it reminded him of the School of Dreamwalking, which Master knew, albeit not very well. But that was exactly what it reminded him of. The mirror had nothing to do with dreamwalking.

Camrad_RIP 20.11.24 в 07:28

The main purpose of it, specified in the description of the store of the Almighty, was to reflect the gazes directed at the owner. It didn't matter what form they took. The usual magical search with the help of casts of subtle bodies, samples of material bodies, or impressions of the gift. Fortune-telling practices of any kind, including sacrificial ones. Attempts at direct divination. All these conditional “views” towards the owner of the artifact either reflected completely, not giving the seekers any clue, or reflected with distortions, throwing up “garbage” visions, or in the most extreme case leading to a false trail. In addition, at such moments, it could also show who and where the gaze was directed from by displaying an image of the search source on its surface. The latter, however, was risky, as it could illuminate the very fact of the reciprocal gaze in case of carelessness.

Camrad_RIP 20.11.24 в 07:29