История Королевы Эльфов / The story of the Elf Queen: 20-2

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Camrad_RIP 29.05.25 в 16:10

As soon as Cyirill used the token and began to imbue the ++Strong One with magic, it immediately began to move, gradually picking up speed. Leaving the clueless Gaiacal to continue casting spells with the generator and stoking the fire, the young man returned to the upper deck. On the way, in response to the cries and questions of ‘What's going on?!’ from the non-combatants, especially the dark elves, who didn't understand anything, he simply replied, ‘FUBAR, that's what's going on!’

Camrad_RIP 12.06.25 в 06:16

And, characteristically, he never lied! Just as Cyril climbed onto the upper deck, thick black smoke burst out of the receding passageway (NOT RECEDING FAST ENOUGH!), from which a crimson light was shining, and inside which flashes of crimson flame could be seen. Or rather, they weren't even clouds, but actual tentacles that purposefully rushed toward the underground inhabitants who hadn't managed to escape. Before the eyes of Cyril and that part of the crew and passengers of the ++“Strong” who were looking back, a pair of unlucky, hefty frog-like amphibians, as soon as they were touched by the tentacles of black smoke, instantly turned to ash, burning in crimson flames in literally a second. Only their smoking skeletons collapsed onto the stone floor of the underground hall, and even those were immediately engulfed by black smoke. The same fate befell a pair of desperately writhing snakes, the size of anacondas. Anacondas from Hollywood horror movies.

Camrad_RIP 14.06.25 в 13:20

This was accompanied not even by a rumble, but by a distinct roar and the thunderous sound of heavy footsteps that shook the earth. At that moment, it seemed that everyone on board the “Strong” shouted the same thing in different languages: “GO!!!”. In response, Udnir barked something incomprehensible, but clearly obscene, trying to squeeze the maximum speed out of his mage tank. Amplifying his voice with a special amulet, he yelled one command after another in his bass voice, the meaning of which Cyril understood only thanks to Diantrel:

Camrad_RIP 14.06.25 в 13:20

"More heat! Gaiakal! It's not a pity to strengthen the flame, spend everything! More heat, more power magic! I weaken the weight as much as possible!"

Camrad_RIP 04.06.25 в 09:25

The meaning of the last phrase became clear when a wave of magic rolled through the mage-tank, saturating the weaves embedded in its hull, lightening the weight of this colossus first by a third, and then, as it were, by more than half. From which the "Strong" immediately sharply increased its speed, moving away more and more quickly from the black smoke filling the main hall, through which the Eastern Underground Path passed. But this technique began to eat up the reserve like crazy, rapidly absorbing the magic that was generated by the source created by the token. And in addition to the weight compensators, energy was also required by the engine, the sagging protective barriers, and the guns. And the generator itself, despite the efforts of Gaiakal, who remained in the engine room, had not yet reached full capacity. Your bitch, damn!!!

Camrad_RIP 04.06.25 в 09:27

Mental command. Confirmation. Yes, bitch, yes!!! Another token charge burns out, recharging the almost depleted source of magic in the main storage crystal. How voracious this dwarven engineering is, how much fuel does one such tank need?!

Camrad_RIP 14.06.25 в 13:22

"Good! Good! Come on, my dear beloved Gayakal, come on! Even more, come on, my dear beloved!"

Camrad_RIP 14.06.25 в 13:22

Udnyr, apparently, took the new burst of energy as a credit to the dwarf who remained in the engine room, allowing him not only to maintain his pace but even to speed up a little. Of course, Cyril had no intention of dissuading him. To be fair, Gayakal really wasn't sitting idly by, having managed to fire up the Strong One's generator, which began to produce more and more magical energy.

Camrad_RIP 14.06.25 в 13:23

But the young man only allowed himself to breathe out when the reflections of the crimson flames and the clouds of black smoke filling the main hall disappeared around the bend in the underground passage. And he wasn't the only one. The moment the side wall of the huge underground hall, which was turning smoothly, hid them from the incomprehensible horror, everyone on the upper deck breathed out at once. For a few seconds, only the growing roar and rumble of the ++“Strong” could be heard. And then it was as if a dam had burst, and dozens of cries in different languages merged into one:

Camrad_RIP 14.06.25 в 13:24

"Go! Faster! What the hell was that!? Warn the city! Speed up!"

Camrad_RIP 14.06.25 в 13:24

"QUIET, DAMN!!!"

Camrad_RIP 14.06.25 в 17:31

Udnir's commanding bass, enhanced by magic, drowned out all other cries, forcing everyone to fall silent.

Camrad_RIP 03.06.25 в 09:39

"Put aside panic and hysteria!!!"

Camrad_RIP 14.06.25 в 13:25

Without taking his eyes off the controls of the ++“Krepky,” he began issuing commands:

Camrad_RIP 14.06.25 в 13:25

"Everyone, take your places! Get ready for battle! The rest of you, stay out of the way! Anyone who panics will be thrown overboard!"

Camrad_RIP 14.06.25 в 13:26

This had the desired effect: the shouting stopped at once, and the crew of the mago-tank rushed to carry out their commander's orders, taking up positions at the firing points. However, Cyrill seriously doubted that if this really was THAT balrog-like monster, it would even notice them. Meanwhile, Udnir continued to issue orders:

Camrad_RIP 14.06.25 в 13:26

"Abnar! Send word to everyone you can! First to Dor-Tarmon! Let everyone be ready to leave quickly!"

Camrad_RIP 14.06.25 в 13:27

"I'll do it!"

Camrad_RIP 14.06.25 в 17:31

"Ditral! Kiral!"

Camrad_RIP 03.06.25 в 13:27

Cyrill did not immediately understand that the commander addressed him and the mentor, having changed their names in the dark dwarven manner.

Camrad_RIP 03.06.25 в 12:34

"Help strengthen protection!"

Camrad_RIP 14.06.25 в 13:27

The young man turned to his mentor, waiting for confirmation, but First spoke again:

Camrad_RIP 14.06.25 в 13:28

"Protection won't save us, don't waste your energy on it! We need to get out of here as quickly as possible! Focus all your efforts on accelerating!"

Camrad_RIP 16.06.25 в 19:11

"Who else could you be? Where did your mother, that wicked wife of yours, come from?" Udnir barked.

Camrad_RIP 16.06.25 в 19:12

"I am the one who has already seen this creature and survived! Do as I say, drive down the tract as fast as you can!"

Camrad_RIP 16.06.25 в 19:12

"Don't teach me how to drive my..."

Camrad_RIP 16.06.25 в 19:17

*Duuuuuuuurrrrrrrrm!*

Camrad_RIP 15.06.25 в 06:45

Another jolt, accompanied by a loud rumble, shook the underground hall through which the Eastern Underground Tract passed, and debris fell from the ceiling again. And this time, according to Cyril's feelings, there was somehow a lot of it!

Camrad_RIP 14.06.25 в 13:29

"Son, dirt, earth, deep pit, slop!!!"

Camrad_RIP 17.06.25 в 15:19

Cyril wasn't sure he understood all of Udnir's words through Diantrel, but he got the general idea. The reason for his dissatisfaction was not only that the debris falling from the ceiling periodically hit the barrier covering the mago-tank, but also that it cluttered the road. Of course, the powerful wheels of the ++“Strong One,” clearly reinforced with magic rolled over them easily, but because of this, the tank began to shake quite a bit. Cyril, almost falling, involuntarily remembered the road to his maternal grandparents' dacha, which was permanently in a state of “the Wehrmacht only retreated yesterday.”

Camrad_RIP 14.06.25 в 13:30

Udnira apparently didn't like this either, so the commander of the mago-tank did something on his command bridge, and the young man felt the previously silent weaves embedded in the ++“Strong One” come to life. A moment later, their purpose became clear. A reinforced protective barrier appeared in front of the mago-tank, which, like a snowplow in front of a locomotive, began to scatter the debris of rocks and stalactites that had fallen onto the track. The shaking immediately decreased noticeably, and for half a minute, the mago-tank drove more or less normally. But then, practically right in front of the ++“Strong One”, a whole stalactite fell, which was too big to be knocked aside. At the very last moment, Udnir cursed briefly and managed to swerve sharply to the left, avoiding it. As a result, a small part of the crew and most of the passengers, including Cyril, fell onto the deck. At least no one flew overboard! Damn it!

Camrad_RIP 14.06.25 в 13:32

With Armina's help, Kirill managed to get to his feet and felt another wave of magic wash over the ++Krepkoye. This time, it was specifically on the deck, awakening some kind of weave embedded in it and beneath it. At that moment, he felt as if his legs had become slightly heavier, but any shaking on the deck had simply disappeared. ‘A field of overload compensation and position stabilisation,’ came the understanding through a mental connection with his mentor. The magic was as complex as it was useful, especially on sea-going vessels. With such a field, especially if it is properly configured and tuned, even a ten-point storm will not be scary. No matter how much the ship rocks, those standing on the deck will not be affected. For them, the force of attraction will be directed strictly perpendicular to the surface on which they stand, even if that surface itself is perpendicular to the plane of the earth. In addition, such a field compensated for inertia and lateral overload, up to their complete levelling. Again, with proper debugging and tuning.

Camrad_RIP 15.06.25 в 13:41

The dwarves seemed to have the last points completely under control, as Udnir's next maneuver, which bypassed another oversized rock fragment, was completely imperceptible. It was as if Cyril was not on the deck of a mago-tank rushing at a fairly decent speed, but standing still. But just in case, he grabbed a special handle attached to the central superstructure. Just in case. Armina followed his example, standing next to Cyril.

Camrad_RIP 14.06.25 в 13:34

After about half a minute, the rockfall ended, and the ++“Strong” continued moving more or less normally, even accelerating a little, thanks to the fact that the mago-tank's own generator was already running at full power, generously feeding it with magic. So as long as there is fuel, there is no need to worry about... Fuck! Focusing, Cyril mentally asked his mentor:

Camrad_RIP 14.06.25 в 13:35

"Ask Udnir how much fuel we have?!"

Camrad_RIP 15.06.25 в 06:46

"What?"

Camrad_RIP 15.06.25 в 06:46

"Find out how much fuel we have! Just in case!"

Camrad_RIP 15.06.25 в 09:02

Diantrel nodded in agreement with the student and voiced his question to the tank commander, fortunately, she was with him on the bridge:

Camrad_RIP 15.06.25 в 09:03

"Sir, how much fuel do we have?!"

Camrad_RIP 15.06.25 в 09:03

"We have plenty of fuel left over! We can even drive all the way to Undermountin, you dirty son of a bitch, you whore of a wife!!!"

Camrad_RIP 16.06.25 в 19:18

The end of Udnir's sentence was prompted by the fact that various underground creatures began to rush out of the side passages on both sides of the road. Some of them were quite large. And all these creatures ran, crawled, jumped, and flew in the same direction - away from the horror that had emerged from unknown depths behind them. And, of course, it was easiest to run along the road, which is why a couple of underground inhabitants almost ended up under the wheels of the ++‘Strong One’. Fortunately, none of the animals attacked it, apparently realising that a mage tank with a stalled generator and a mage tank with a working generator are two different things.

Camrad_RIP 15.06.25 в 13:42

"Get out of here, you cursed creature, you have no mind, you are a bad woman!!!" Udnir commented, unable to contain his emotions, as the menagerie rushed past them from all sides.

Camrad_RIP 16.06.25 в 19:27

At one point, Cyrill even thought that the dwarf would start honking, but apparently the tank didn't have that feature. Which, in principle, makes sense. As they say on Earth, rhinos have poor eyesight, but with a weight of three tons, that's not really a problem. For about a minute, the mage tank raced through the underground passage surrounded by beasts. At first, Cyril even thought it was one huge underground hall, unreal in its size. But then he realized these were different halls, albeit very large ones. It was just that the passages between them had been artificially widened by the underground inhabitants when they laid the tract. So much work had been put into this...

Camrad_RIP 14.06.25 в 13:37

Thoughts of the construction feats of the underground BAM workers flew out of Cyrill's head when, after another rather sharp turn, immediately followed by the transition boundary, another underground hall began. And if the previous ones were mostly like a fairly wide tunnel, albeit with a very high ceiling, this one turned out to be different. The ceiling here was not even higher, but the main thing was that Cyril and the other fugitives found themselves in a real space by Underworld standards.

Camrad_RIP 14.06.25 в 13:38

As far as the eye could see, among the rocks and stones, there were dense islands of various underground flora, many of which glowed brightly. Here and there, entire colonies of mushrooms of all shapes and sizes sprouted. Some large boulders, rocks, and entire glades were completely covered with glowing and iridescent carpets of moss. Giant columns of stalactites and stalagmites that had grown together looked like the trunks of giant trees. Many of them were also abundantly covered with various mosses or plants, which further enhanced their resemblance to trees. On the left side of the road, Cyrill noticed an underground lake with ink-black water, from which a small stream flowed.

Camrad_RIP 15.06.25 в 13:46

And all this gigantic space, by the standards of the Underworld, was literally teeming with underground creatures. Dozens, if not hundreds, of all kinds of animals were everywhere! They were huddled in packs, alone, already having found a place to stay, or just arriving and still searching. There was a natural commotion all around! And all these creatures were clamouring, hissing, screaming, squeaking, growling, and expressing their extreme dissatisfaction with such overpopulation and forced cohabitation in other ways. Short but fierce skirmishes broke out between the various inhabitants of the Underworld every now and then. The road running through this underground space was also filled with all kinds of animals, including some fairly large creatures. And as if that weren't enough, more animals continued to arrive, both along the road and from other passages in the side walls of this gigantic underground hall.

Camrad_RIP 15.06.25 в 13:47

Cursing, Udnir was forced to brake sharply to avoid hitting the animals that had flooded the road and were in no hurry to give way. Not out of love for nature, our mother, but because it could well provoke a mass attack by the already agitated animals. With their mouths agape, most of the crew and passengers of the ++Krepkiy stared at this crowd, as if somewhere here they had announced boarding for Noah's Ark. Udnir began to voice the general idea:

Camrad_RIP 15.06.25 в 13:48

"What the..."

Camrad_RIP 15.06.25 в 13:48

But he was interrupted again by the sharp cry of First:

Camrad_RIP 15.06.25 в 09:03