История Королевы Эльфов / The story of the Elf Queen: Глава восьмая. Необычное занятие Героя Королевы Эльфов

Chapter Eight. The Unusual Occupation of the Hero of the Elf Queen

Camrad_RIP 26.11.24 в 22:38

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Camrad_RIP 26.11.24 в 22:39

As Diantrel had promised, the first session with the staff and ritual circle on the fifth range was really just a warm-up. A light warm-up, a kindergarten. But the real training on ritual magic began for Cyril the next day. And not on the fifth, but on the seventh polygon. It was a huge flat field, overgrown with grass, resembling a soccer field, surrounded by a dense wall of trees. The seventh range was located somewhere in the forest, not near the Royal Palace, like the fifth range. Cyril and his mentor got there through a portal in the form of a tall tree arch, located in the inner garden of one of the palace buildings.

Camrad_RIP 27.11.24 в 19:43

It was a very interesting construction at the crossroads of druidic and classical spatial magic. On the first day, Cyril even stayed in front of this portal for a long time, interested in the structures of its weaving. Diantrel did not object and willingly answered his questions. However, the young man quickly realized that his “advanced skills in creating the basics of magic weaves” were not enough to understand its structure. It was necessary to raise the basics to at least advanced or take specialized knowledge. No, in theory, if Cyril was serious about it, he would understand portal weaves, and maybe he would be able to form such a weave himself. The amount of reserve and his power would be enough for such a thing.

Camrad_RIP 27.11.24 в 20:02

Not the first time, of course, but with practice, he could do it. But without the material basis of the portal arch, such a weave would probably be a waste of energy. To create a portal at least a long distance, for the sake of which it made sense to bother with it, with the help of a single weave, was the level of a specialized master of magic, at the very least. A solid Master of Magic. In his case, he'd probably just waste reserve, and at worst, he could form a patch of unstable space connecting the two points. And an unstable portal is the surest way to commit suicide in a very painful and unpleasant way. The latter was explained to Cyril in detail by Diantrel, while he was looking at the tree arch with his magical vision. She also added that if Cyril was so interested in the School of Space, they could switch to it. However, she suggested they take up that relatively complex area of magic later when Cyril became stronger and gained more knowledge. To which he fully agreed.

Camrad_RIP 06.12.24 в 11:40

This, in fact, was the end of his first acquaintance with the School of Space, and his acquaintance with ritual magic continued at the seventh training ground. Cyril quickly realized why his mentor had chosen this particular place for training. There was much more room to go wild here, and one could not restrain oneself too much for fear of breaking something. That, given the power of the weaves, based on the ritual circles, was necessary. However, Cyril was not allowed to destroy everything and everyone around him at once. Instead, Diantrel began the lesson by showing and explaining to him a number of new weaves related to elemental schools of magic. Some of them, like the textbook fireball, Cyril already knew. Others, such as earth magic weaves aimed at strengthening or loosening the earth, were new to him and needed to be practiced.

Camrad_RIP 29.11.24 в 17:09

When Cyril had mastered them without much difficulty, thanks to the already available knowledge and increased characteristics, he began to form the ritual circle under the supervision of his mentor. First, with the help of barriers and new weavings of earth magic, he cleared a platform on this very ground, cutting off the top layer of turf. Then he loosened and sifted the soil under it, making sure there were no stones or other foreign objects that could interfere with it. Then he compacted it again and further consolidated it to almost rock hardness. It turned out to be such a good, almost perfectly level ground in the middle of the polygon. And already on it Cyril diligently drew the usual classical pentagram. As Diantrel said, it would be quite enough for the first lesson.

Camrad_RIP 29.11.24 в 17:11

As a fuel material, the elf gave Cyril a sack of powder already familiar to him. Carefully pouring all the contours of the pentagram making sure to avoid both sagging and overconsolidation, Cyril placed additional storage crystals at the tips of the star's rays. All of them shimmered faintly from the magical energy overflowing from them. After evaluating the results of his labors, the mentor nodded with satisfaction, made sure there were no mistakes, and started the next stage of training. The elemental magic weaves shown to her earlier could, of course, be used in their pure form, for example, by blasting the enemies with reinforced fireballs. But such straightforwardness was not always appropriate in all circumstances. Small changes in the structure of the weave allowed him to achieve completely different effects. That Diantrel clearly demonstrated to Cyril.

Camrad_RIP 29.11.24 в 17:15

As a result, the young man spent several hours mastering new techniques under her guidance. The simplest weave the basis of fire magic created fire he successfully used in different modifications. For example, it was possible to rain natural fire from the sky on a fairly large area to immediately cause massive fires. And it was possible, combining the weaves of air and fire magic, to cause a fire tornado, rapidly burning everything in its path. Or to form an ordinary air tornado, but beforehand loosened the top layer of soil in the desired place, so that it was a dust storm. The same ground, having been loosened properly, at least to the depth of one shovel bayonet, could then be flooded with water, causing rain and thus turning the land into an impassable swamp.

Camrad_RIP 29.11.24 в 17:22

Or, by loosening the earth in a certain area and to a medium depth, with the help of dense barriers, which were used as excavator buckets, it was possible to quickly create a simple earth fortification. In essence, an ordinary trench with an embankment. But this embankment could be further strengthened, reinforced, compacted, protected by the same barriers - and here in the middle of the seventh polygon, there was a small, primitive, but quite effective fortification, behind which it was easier to keep the defense. Another, in fact, classic technique, was to flood the area where the enemy would be advancing with water, and then strike it with lightning, increasing the striking effect.

Camrad_RIP 29.11.24 в 17:24

Diantrel explained it all to Cyril in detail and lucidly, showing in her example how to form and combine the necessary weaves to achieve this or that effect. The young man listened attentively and diligently repeated everything after his mentor. At the same time, he was quietly amazed at how serious an opponent a gifted person could be if properly prepared. The power of the spells he cast on the seventh range was an order of magnitude greater than the ones he'd used on the fifth. If even he, with his still relatively low level of strength, could produce such a thing, what would any full-fledged magic master, let alone a master, be capable of? Especially if he would be standing not in the middle of a clear field in a primitive pentagram, but on top of a magical tower built on the source of magic. It's scary to imagine!

Camrad_RIP 29.11.24 в 17:25

But Diantrel immediately brought him back to earth, reminding him that not many adepts could afford a staff made from the wood of a hundred-year-old white birch tree grown on a specially selected natural magical source. It was made not by a simple artifactor but by a real expert in this field, with many hundreds of years of experience and practice. Not to mention the fact that not many adepts would be allowed to burn a whole bag of crystalline magic powder in a ritual circle during one training session. Because although it is a relatively common reagent, it is not the cheapest. Especially a quality reagent like the one they use in Cyril's training. It gives off virtually no negative or garbage energy byproducts when burned. Only the very wealthy can afford such an expense.

Camrad_RIP 29.11.24 в 17:26

The image of Scrooge-McDuck with elf ears sitting on a mountain of gold coins, making sounds reminiscent of the angry swearing of another duck, who was Donald, appeared in Cyril's mind again. After that, he listened with redoubled attention to Diantrel, who continued to explain the nuances and subtleties of various weaves of elemental magic, their combinations and the possibility of using them with ritual magic. As a result, Cyril started training only in the afternoon, after a short rest and a break for lunch. Before that he had completely “worked out” his ritual circle under the supervision of his mentor, perfecting the shown weaves and their combinations.

Camrad_RIP 29.11.24 в 17:28

When they returned from the break, the mentor checked Cyril's equipment, gave him fresh supplies, and led him to the entrance to the training ground, but did not allow him to enter. She stopped the student, took the communication amulet in her hands, and briefly commanded:

Camrad_RIP 29.11.24 в 17:29

"Third option. The usual one."

Camrad_RIP 29.11.24 в 13:17

Cyril didn't have time to ask what she meant because a moment later the seventh polygon seemed to come to life. The young man only groaned quietly, feeling a wave of magical energy of enormous power sweeping across the ground and underground, against which he was like a flashlight against the spotlight of an air defense system. Had it not been for the staff, the young man might not have been able to stand on his feet, as the ground around him began to shake, and the polygon number seven itself began to change. If before the beginning of Cyril's classes, it resembled a soccer field with its evenness and perfection of the lawn, then the same field, but after the bombings, now it turned into a variant of the obstacle course he was painfully familiar with. Only on a larger scale. Hills of different heights rose up, embankments of different lengths and curvatures appeared, and ditches were formed, both dry and filled with water. In some places, small trees and bushes grew before the eyes of the amazed young man, forming areas of thickets of varying degrees of passability.

Camrad_RIP 29.11.24 в 17:47

And all this happened in just a minute. For a few seconds, Cyril stared at the transformed polygon. What a power... He wondered how much effort and time the elves had spent to create this place. Druidic, earth, spatial, and some other magic are clearly used here, and at the level of not even masters of magic, but full-fledged masters. How much does it cost to maintain and use it? The image of Elf-Scrooge-Duck, hissing, sputtering, and beating his fist on the table with stacks of gold coins in a wild tantrum, immediately reappeared in his mind.

Camrad_RIP 29.11.24 в 18:02

However, that image immediately slipped from the young man's mind as Diantrel standing next to him, announced:

Camrad_RIP 29.11.24 в 18:03

"So, let's get to the training. You need to get to the fourth point, take a defense there, create a ritual circle, and hold it until the enemy is completely destroyed. You have three minutes for that, honorable Cirial. Time is running out."

Camrad_RIP 29.11.24 в 18:04

The white-haired elf said the last phrase with a charming smile. But it made Cyril feel uncomfortable. The young man shuddered, grabbed the staff, and ran towards the specified point. He managed to get there, but it was impossible to prepare the ritual circle in the allotted time. Or rather, to prepare it properly, so it would not cause unstable resonance, which would ruin the formed weaves. With the most unpleasant consequences for the wizard. He had to improvise, sticking the staff into the ground and using it as a support to create a barrier around the small patch of land where he was to keep the defense. The place was not the most convenient, surrounded on three sides by earth mounds of different heights, and on the fourth side by a small pond, beyond which he could see an open space.

Camrad_RIP 29.11.24 в 18:06

When the first wooden golems appeared, Cyril was finishing drawing the pentagram on the cleared and prepared area. It was necessary to fill it and place additional crystals-storage devices under the attacks of enemies. And this time they hit not only with magic arrows, but also with ordinary arrows, using some strange crossbows. Or were the crossbows, not arrows, but bolts? Shit, what did it matter what they were called! What was more important for Cyril was that they were also enchanted! And as if that wasn't enough, he was also hit by disposable magic amulets, local analogs of grenades. He had to simultaneously finish the ritual circle, maintain his defense which was rapidly sagging under the multitude of blows, and hit the enemies in return. It was not easy at all, and the latter did not give Cyril a break, attacking from the passages between the embankments, from their tops, and even through them. And also covering themselves with their magical shields.

Camrad_RIP 06.12.24 в 11:43

By the time the ritual circle was ready, the young man's reserve had sagged by a third due to the fact he was constantly having to expend energy to maintain and strengthen his defenses. But as soon as the circle was ready and he took a place in the center of it, things changed dramatically. Pulling his staff from the ground, Cyril began to form one weave after another. Strengthen the defense, break it into several stages and segments, and power it directly from a part of the storage devices. Yes! Now we can deal with the opponents. Those who are in the line of sight are enough magical arrows. Those hiding behind mounds or their tops will be covered with a rain of fire. We can add a vortex of air around his position to deflect arrows and disposable throwing amulets. Bingo! That's it!

Camrad_RIP 06.12.24 в 11:47

Standing in the center of the ritual circle, Cyril successfully repelled the attack of the opponents and went on the counterattack, knocking out one group after another. They quickly changed their tactics, and now tried to hit from different sides and only from behind cover, without getting hit directly. He had to use a ritual circle to enhance his magical vision, which allowed him to see the enemy's positions through the earth mounds. He destroyed several groups of enemies with almost orbital strikes, creating a weave based on fire magic, filling it with reserve, then projecting it at a distance from himself and dropping a fiery inferno from the sky vertically downwards directly on the enemies' heads. When the last cluster of glow visible through the mounds was destroyed by the impact of the meteor strike analog, Cyril allowed himself to exhale contentedly. But only to scream in surprise almost immediately!

Camrad_RIP 06.12.24 в 11:59

Behind the embankments, five clusters of enemies appeared almost instantly in places where no enemies had been visible before. But now they were quite visible with the help of magical vision. The enemies simultaneously unleashed a volley of disposable amulets on Cyril's position, which resembled ordinary balls of incomprehensible material, about the size of tennis balls. The air vortex, designed to deflect the projectiles, could not hold them back. Moreover, once they were in the air currents, the structure of the weave that made the vortex swirl and protect Cyril destabilized, losing its integrity. These amulets absorbed magic like a sponge absorbs water disrupting the protective spells. As soon as they fell to the ground near his position, runes-symbols flashed on their surface, and the barriers began to rapidly lose energy!

Camrad_RIP 06.12.24 в 12:06

In the meantime, the enemies did not even think of easing their onslaught. They went on the attack. While some showered him with magic arrows and enchanted crossbow bolts from the tops of the mounds, others went head-on, covered by several hulks with reinforced shields. Cyril tried desperately to hit back and maintain his defense, but his reserve was already less than half full. The crystal powder of the ritual grits was almost all burned out and needed to be refreshed, and the storage crystals were almost used up. Realizing he couldn't hold all the enemies, Cyril panicked for a moment desperately trying to think of a way out. But he didn't have time. Another point attack of the enemies, who got too close under the cover of a special large golem with a powerful magical shield, broke through the barrier. A reinforced magical arrow struck Cyril precisely in the chest.

Camrad_RIP 06.12.24 в 12:17

His personal defenses had worked, at the cost of discharging several of the protective amulet plates embedded in his vest, but it still felt like he'd been punched in the chest. The young man fell onto his back, gulping air with his mouth in pain. At the same second, a sound like a bell was struck, and all the opponents froze. After a few moments, their magical glow faded away, turning them into mere wooden dummies. Diantrel, who had gotten up on all fours, came up to Cyril, who had inexplicably appeared from nowhere. The white-haired elf helped him to his feet, looked at her student with an attentive look, and whispered something. In the same second, he felt a wave of healing magic sweep over him. It was weak, but it felt good. The pain from the blow immediately disappeared. Diantrel checked that he was all right, and then said in a calm voice:

Camrad_RIP 06.12.24 в 12:19

"I must admit, honorable Cirialle, I was sure you would have prepared at least the bare minimum of defense and attack spells in your staff beforehand so you would always have them at the ready. It didn't require much effort on your part and would allow you to spend less time creating defenses around your position at the beginning of your training. As well as delaying the first enemies, buying yourself some extra time."

Camrad_RIP 06.12.24 в 12:20

"The heavy-breathing young man leaning on his staff only bashfully bowed his head in acknowledgment of his mistake:"

Camrad_RIP 06.12.24 в 12:21

"Guilty as charged, honorable Diantrel. I'll be sure to correct that mistake."

Camrad_RIP 06.12.24 в 12:21

"I'm glad to hear that,” a faint smile appeared on the elf's face.

Camrad_RIP 06.12.24 в 12:22

"But that wasn't your main mistake, it was that you wasted too much energy."

Camrad_RIP 06.12.24 в 12:23

"What do you mean?"

Camrad_RIP 29.11.24 в 18:07

With a graceful gesture, the elfess lit up a bird's-eye view of the range next to her in the air. Just above Cyril's position at the moment he was hitting the opponents hiding behind the mounds. Or rather, it turns out that he thought he was hitting the clusters of enemies with fire from the sky. In fact, only his first attacks really hit the clusters of enemies. All the rest of the attacks were on single dummy statues that imitated the magical emanations of a group of enemies. While the real enemy units were accumulating elsewhere, under the cover of camouflage. Watching him passionately shooting at nothing, Cyril bit his lip in frustration and couldn't find anything to say. The mentor, however, took Cyril's blunder quite calmly:

Camrad_RIP 29.11.24 в 18:10

"I suppose you now fully understand how important reconnaissance is when working on an enemy beyond the line of sight, honorable Cirial?"

Camrad_RIP 06.12.24 в 12:25

"More than that,” the annoyed young man nodded.

Camrad_RIP 06.12.24 в 12:25

"Then why haven't you used any of the search weaves you know of?"

Camrad_RIP 06.12.24 в 12:27

"Somehow I hadn't thought of that..."

Camrad_RIP 06.12.24 в 12:27

"Really?"

Camrad_RIP 06.12.24 в 12:27

"Or rather, I relied too much on my golden headband."

Camrad_RIP 28.11.24 в 21:28

"That's more like it. So now take a break, regain your strength, and then we'll continue the training."

Camrad_RIP 06.12.24 в 12:28

And they continued until the evening. Only this time, before the start of the round, Cyril had carefully prepared several defensive and attacking weaves, carefully inserting them into his staff. The prepared spells “fell” into it without the slightest problem, like bullets into a clip. In addition, he took the time to create a separate complex weave to prepare the site and draw out the basics of the ritual circle. It was already more complicated, but Cyril managed to do it. Diantrel watched carefully to ensure he did not make any mistakes in the formation and the combination of weaves. And he did it by himself, his mentor did not give him much help, only a couple of times pointed out weaknesses or not the most successful knots. Before going to a new round, Cyril tried out this new complex weave several times at the entrance to the training ground. The effect was more than satisfactory. One blow with the tip of the staff on the ground, and in a few seconds there was a flat, well-tamped ground two by two meters in front of him, with the outlines of a pentagram drawn on the dense surface.

Camrad_RIP 06.12.24 в 12:33

After practicing this technique a few more times to make sure there were no mistakes, Cyril resolutely went on another run. This time he successfully managed to take the position indicated by his mentor between two hills, organize the defense there, prepare a ritual circle, and meet the enemies. As a result, the attack of the wooden golems was successfully repulsed, despite the enemy's attempts to enter from different sides, camouflage, and send false units. Cyril was vigilant, conserving his strength, and before each serious blow, he made sure that where he was hitting, there was an enemy. For this purpose, the young man did not rely only on his magic headband, but also actively used all known to him variants of search and scanning weaves.

Camrad_RIP 06.12.24 в 12:36

A simple but effective analog of radar, only magical. Weak, but covering a large area with elemental magic, like a rain of fire. Or a hail of equally weak but numerous magical arrows, more like bright sparks. They were unable to damage the enemies, but they were quite effective at cutting through their attempts to disguise themselves. When the last group of enemies who had tried to hide in the deep ditch separated from Cyril's position by a crumbling mound of earth had been destroyed, he breathed a sigh of relief. He had only a third of his own reserve, the pentagram was almost completely burned out, and the storage crystals had been drained dry, but victory was his. Diantrel, who appeared next to Cyril, praised him for successfully completing the round and called a break.

Camrad_RIP 06.12.24 в 12:38

When Cyril regained his strength, they continued the class. But to some surprise the young man, instead of chasing him to another round, Diantrel decided to tighten his skills of magical search. The mentor began to explain and show him how to conduct magical reconnaissance with the help of various search weaves based on the ritual circle. These were variations of magical vision in different spectra, suited to certain types of disguises. She also showed in more detail how to use the magical analog of radar. How best to send a search wave or a pulse of magical energy in the desired direction, and depending on the response determine whether there was something in that direction. She explained how such a search could be deceived and how to use it in order not to give away one's position to the enemy.

Camrad_RIP 06.12.24 в 12:40

In particular, she clearly showed how it was possible to project several search weaves at a decent distance from oneself with the support of the ritual circle, which, having released a simultaneous impulse, allowed to determine the enemy's location quite accurately. If they will be under cross-scanning. A kind of magical direction finding. The use of such projected weaves at a distance search minimizing the involvement of the ritual circle in the direct search significantly reduces the risk of illumination of your main position. Mastering and practicing these techniques took Cyril the rest of the training day, and he was not able to shoot at the enemies again. But in the end, Diantrel was very pleased with the way her student mastered the new techniques. He managed to find all the enemies who, under the guidance of his mentor, were trying to hide on the range in one way or another.

Camrad_RIP 06.12.24 в 12:46

However, she warned him that such techniques would not be enough against strong opponents or really good hideouts. Sometimes it was necessary to do a pinpoint search with a noticeably larger amount of reserve. Or he might be able to detect the fact that something is camouflaged but not be able to figure out what it is. But this is a separate topic for the lessons, and in general, Diantrel was very satisfied with the past training, even though Cyril had not reached the eleventh level. Although he had gained about a third of the invisible, but clearly perceptible scale of experience. But after the training was over as if waiting for this moment, the System sent him a new message.

Camrad_RIP 06.12.24 в 12:48

Warning. The knowledge of “basic methods of magical search” has been added to the Player status. The changes will be made automatically.

Camrad_RIP 28.11.24 в 21:28

Attention! Knowledge of “basic methods of magical search” is upgraded to “advanced methods of magical search”! Changes to the Player status will be made automatically.

Camrad_RIP 28.11.24 в 21:29

Attention! The knowledge “basic fundamentals of common elemental magic weaves” has been added to the Player status. The changes will be made automatically.

Camrad_RIP 28.11.24 в 21:21

The two pieces of knowledge, one of them developed, almost made Cyril fall to the ground. Luckily for him, his mentor must have expected something like that, because she immediately took him under her arm and helped him to the observation platform at the entrance to the training ground. There Cyril sat for a few minutes while the knowledge he had gained was downloaded and installed. Fortunately, it didn't take as long as the advanced versions. Thanks again to the knowledge he already had, the new knowledge quickly overlapped with it, supplementing and deepening it. Cyril had an idea of how to create the same textbook fireball or throw lightning, but now this understanding had grown stronger, and the ability to create them had sharpened, as well as the understanding of how to do it correctly. It was as if he had worked long and hard to perfect all those general fundamentals of elemental magic that other adepts spent a year of study on. Or even more than one, depending on one's luck.

Camrad_RIP 29.11.24 в 18:16