История Королевы Эльфов / The story of the Elf Queen: Глава двенадцатая. Успешное задание Героя Королевы Эльфов

Chapter twelve. Successful Assignment of the Hero of the Elf Queen

Camrad_RIP 11.03.25 в 11:24

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Camrad_RIP 04.03.25 в 10:31

The stone wall of the underground hall shattered into pieces of varying degrees of size, and a moment later the adjacent ruins were swallowed up by the swirling impenetrable darkness, diluted by flashes of purple fire....

Camrad_RIP 11.03.25 в 11:30

"Stop!"

Camrad_RIP 11.03.25 в 11:30

The volumetric image projected above the semi-circular conference table froze the moment the Terror of Diyarten broke free. A tall elven woman with a long waterfall of perfectly straight sand-colored hair, sitting in the center of the huge conference table behind a luxurious chair made of light wood and upholstered in white upholstered fabric, squinted her amethyst eyes that glowed with magical fire. She was dressed in an old-fashioned gown, even by the standards of the firstborn. Flawless white, made of silky fabric embroidered with foliate patterns. It was tightly fitted, emphasizing her slender waist and ample breasts. On the one hand, it completely covered her back, shoulders and arms, but on the other hand, it had a more than frank neckline, allowing to fully appreciate the outstanding upper forms of the elf. And also hanging between them was a magnificent golden necklace, adorned with numerous emeralds that glimmered in the twilight of the meeting room.

Camrad_RIP 11.03.25 в 11:31

As well as the gems in the elf's other jewelry, of which she had plenty. On each hand there was a golden ring with large rubies, on her forehead there was a golden tiara, decorated with a whole pleiad of semi-precious stones of all colors of the rainbow, on her wrists there were bracelets, also made of gold decorated with sapphires. Exquisite masterpieces of elven jewelry were worth a huge fortune, which few mortal lords could afford. Сonsidering that they were also masterpieces of artifacting, their price became simply unimaginable. But Alinarel, one of the two firstborn in the Forest, who held the high title of Archmagister, could afford more than that. And she did. The Forest spent even more on her upkeep than on the Queen or the Elder Enchantress. And even such a huge expenditure was more than worth it.

Camrad_RIP 11.03.25 в 11:33

Next to the right armrest of her chair, a tall walking stick made of the white wood of the Tree of Life, covered with intricate carvings and with a large pommel of the purest crystal of faceted rock crystal, was hovering near the right armrest of her armchair. The armchair was also a masterpiece of artifacting and furniture art, bearing a complex of the most complex and subtle weaves of a very wide spectrum. Protective, healing, analytical, and, of course, attacking. In addition, the chair rested on a wide platform in the form of a perfect marble circle, on which were carved the contours of a complex ritual figure. The same platform allowed the armchair to levitate above the ground. There were several spatial pockets of different sizes attached to it, where the owner kept a lot of different things, ranging from tools of magical craft to a small collection of drinks. Sitting in this chair, Alinarel could fend off a small army, with the support of a full circle of strong adepts, or even a single master of magic, without wasting a single ounce of her own strength.

Camrad_RIP 13.03.25 в 17:07

Anyone else, even someone of magister level, might have considered such a means of transportation excessive, or simply the whim of an extremely powerful gifted woman. In part, that was true. But the underlying reason was much simpler. Alinarel was a terrible homebody, both by the standards of her kin and her colleagues in the magical craft. The Archmagister could go decades without leaving the magical tower, built on one of the most powerful sources of magic in the Forest, and given to her at her complete disposal, where she was the sole mistress. All visitors, with the rarest of exceptions, she welcomed in her office. Even the meeting of the Forest's Supreme Council, where the information about the isekais was announced, was no reason for her to leave her fiefdom. Though she regretted it later, admitting that she hadn't expected it to be that interesting.

Camrad_RIP 11.03.25 в 11:36

This time, Alinarel made no such mistake, arriving in person at the meeting after a chase that had turned tragic and nearly disastrous. She lifted her left hand from the armrest and moved her index finger, where a large ruby ring glittered with fire. The image immediately rolled back a few moments. One more movement of her manicured finger, and the moment of the Terror of Diyarten's appearance was repeated, but now it was almost two minutes longer. The most powerful gifted elf of the Forest, who had raised and trained a host of gifted kin, including the current Elder Enchantress who sat not far from her, scrutinized those moments. The magical fire in her amethyst eyes flared even brighter, as did the many gems in the luxurious golden tiara that adorned her forehead.

Camrad_RIP 11.03.25 в 11:37

No one at the table rushed her, silently waiting for her to study the consolidated recordings made by the Underworld Corps scouts, the Secret Guard agents, and others involved in the failed pursuit of Master. The Archmagister watched the key moment from different angles, in different spectra, zoomed in on this or that fragment, and her face took on an increasingly pensive expression. After almost half an hour, she extinguished the image with one finger and folded her hands on her stomach, interlocking her fingers. Sitting to her right, First asked briefly:

Camrad_RIP 11.03.25 в 11:38

"Verdict?"

Camrad_RIP 12.03.25 в 07:28

The Archmagister, turning to one of the few congeners whose seniority over her she fully recognized, said in a thoughtful voice:

Camrad_RIP 11.03.25 в 11:39

"From what I've seen, there's a good chance he died, devoured by that ancient creature of the union of Primordial Darkness and the Crimson Flame of the Earth's bowels. But the chance that he may have missed a fate worse than death is also small."

Camrad_RIP 13.03.25 в 17:07

At the words about a fate worse than death, many of the elves at the table darkened visibly. Especially the commander of the Underworld Forest Guard Corps. However, he quickly regained his sternly impassive face. On the other hand, First's face didn't waver a single muscle and didn't show a single emotion, except for the permanent seal of endless fatigue. He folded his hands on the table in front of him and spoke briefly:

Camrad_RIP 13.03.25 в 17:09

"I see. Thank you for your assistance, honorable Alinarel."

Camrad_RIP 12.03.25 в 07:29

"I'm doing everything I can."

Camrad_RIP 12.03.25 в 07:29

Having looked calmly at his relatives, First continued:

Camrad_RIP 12.03.25 в 07:34

"We'll assume he's alive and escaped. Work out all the possibilities of where he could have broken through the portal from that location. We need to delineate the search area and search for possible spatial magic activity."

Camrad_RIP 13.03.25 в 17:10

Alinarel, cross-legged in her luxurious chair, moved her index finger, and two three-dimensional images appeared above the table. One was a map of the Underworld, the other a map of the surface. Specifically, the Mid Sea region.

Camrad_RIP 13.03.25 в 17:13

"If we proceed from the fact that he was “ breaking through” the portal, then the radius turns out, "slowly said the archmagister, in her mind making the most complex calculations, "Approximately like this...."

Camrad_RIP 13.03.25 в 17:14

Another flick of his finger, and a pair of circles appeared on both maps. The one on the underworld map was a little over a hundred kilometers in diameter. The one on the surface was almost twice as large.

Camrad_RIP 13.03.25 в 17:17

"But if he had a prepared portal arch, and he tuned into it, then..."

Camrad_RIP 12.03.25 в 07:34

On both maps another circle appeared, three times larger in diameter than the first two.

Camrad_RIP 12.03.25 в 07:35

"...the search radius becomes much larger."

Camrad_RIP 13.03.25 в 17:18

"Provided,” the commander of the Underworld Forest Guard Corps said in a grim voice, ”that it was really him and not some hoax."

Camrad_RIP 13.03.25 в 17:18

"I can reassure you on that point,” the Supreme Emissary spoke up. ”Our sun-loving companions have guaranteed us that Master was indeed in that underground hall."

Camrad_RIP 13.03.25 в 17:20

"And you trust them?" The Underworld Corps commander's voice was full of cold skepticism.

Camrad_RIP 13.03.25 в 17:21

"Not one bit, but on this point they provided ample evidence to all involved in the chase."

Camrad_RIP 13.03.25 в 17:22

"Speaking of their, uh... compass, they turned that Master artifact into...." Mirael has entered the conversation. "Can't it be reused?"

Camrad_RIP 13.03.25 в 17:22

"Unfortunately, Mirantir took it with him into the abyss before he could pass it on to his companions, when he fought this creature of the bottomless depths,” Third answered her without listening to the end.

Camrad_RIP 13.03.25 в 17:23

"That's a shame, he was quite helpful in finding Master,” the Elder Enchantress sighed frustratedly.

Camrad_RIP 13.03.25 в 17:23

"I'm sure our solar allies share your grief,” said Sivila, who had been silent until then. "And speaking of them. What's the situation in the Underworld now?"

Camrad_RIP 13.03.25 в 17:24

The Supreme Emissary answered her, looking gloomy:

Camrad_RIP 12.03.25 в 07:33

Everyone involved in the pursuit had to retreat. The emergence of this monster from the depths of the bowels of the earth disturbed all the surrounding wildlife in the many underground halls around them. The inhabitants of the Underworld seemed to go berserk, and the pursuers' camp was attacked several times by the maddened beasts. In addition, the retreating party was not in the same underground hall as the main camp, so they had to make a detour to reach it. When they reached it, they found that the cover squad left in it had been ravaged by the maddened beasts. Regrouping, they retreated to the Neutral Territories under Normgrave and set up a temporary camp there, where they are now licking their wounds and thinking about what to do next.

Camrad_RIP 13.03.25 в 17:27

"How big are the losses?"

Camrad_RIP 12.03.25 в 07:33

"Among the firstborn, a little less than a quarter of the participants. But among our mercenaries, the losses are much higher, with less than a third surviving. Mostly those who didn't panic. Worst of all are our dark kin, they have the largest losses. Survived only those who rushed to escape first and managed to join the retreating Bright Paladins. Among the dwarves, about half of them survived."

Camrad_RIP 13.03.25 в 17:54

The words were accompanied by a wistful sigh from the Supreme Treasurer, who was already calculating in his mind how much the loss of human mercenaries had cost the Forest treasury. And that was not to mention the deaths of their kin, for which no amount of gold would compensate.

Camrad_RIP 13.03.25 в 17:55

"Were there any conflicts?" asked Sivila.

Camrad_RIP 12.03.25 в 07:33

"Many loud words were said, especially by the commander of the Bright Paladins, but most of them were addressed to our dark kin. In our address, they were much less, but there were also some."

Camrad_RIP 13.03.25 в 18:00

"Filrandin made a mistake,” the Underworld Corps Commander muttered grimly, ”one that cost him and some of his warriors eternity."

Camrad_RIP 13.03.25 в 18:01

"Not just him,” Sivila shook her head no less grimly, ”we were counting on a battle with Master, and the emphasis was on protecting the mind from his tricks. We were not prepared for such a monster. It was a mistake that almost cost us dearly."

Camrad_RIP 13.03.25 в 18:02

"Agreed, but no one seriously envisioned that we might encounter the Terror of Diyartan. The city was thought to have been buried long ago. The only thing that saved us from total catastrophe was that the Sun-Face wasn't afraid to send his paladins and his First Herald in the guise of a mortal,” Third nodded.

Camrad_RIP 13.03.25 в 18:04

These words were accompanied by a melancholy sigh from the Supreme Treasurer:

Camrad_RIP 12.03.25 в 07:32

"We can't ignore this. We'll have to thank the Priest King somehow..."

Camrad_RIP 12.03.25 в 07:32

"We'll discuss this later," First interrupted him. "Right now we need to focus on finding Master."

Camrad_RIP 12.03.25 в 07:31

"If he is alive," Alinarel asked carefully.

Camrad_RIP 12.03.25 в 07:31

"Let's assume that yes," First one cut in. "And we still need to find out the situation with the city."

Camrad_RIP 12.03.25 в 07:30

"It won't be easy,” Third shook his head, pointing to the map of the Underworld, ”there were three underground halls directly bordering Diyarten. One is now destroyed, and to get to the second one we'll have to make a long detour through the Wild Territories, which are even more dangerous than usual. And the third is too close to a hive city of brain-eaters of the... not the friendliest."

Camrad_RIP 13.03.25 в 18:05

At these words, the faces of all the elves darkened.

Camrad_RIP 12.03.25 в 07:29

"So, for now, I suggest that we not take any hasty steps in that direction, but rather focus on identifying possible anomalies of spatial magic."

Camrad_RIP 11.03.25 в 18:10