Volume 1: «Preparation»
Chapter 35: «Gryphon Eyes (Part 2)»
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Ilmira was very interested in the results of Aaron's research, so she demanded to see them urgently. It was understandable, all of his previous inventions were unique in their own way, as well as incredibly revolutionary and practical to use. If someone had told her a few months ago that a magic tool could be used by a knight, she would naturally not have believed it. Even if it had been true, such a tool would have been the most real garbage...
But all that is in the past, Aaron has clearly demonstrated that magical tools for knights can exist. And most importantly, they can even be very useful.
At this point, there were only two major projects, the Sightseer and the Falconer's Eye. The first magical tool was intended for use by members of the Black Falcon squad, it could be used for many purposes, especially to gather various information and data. Another tool was perfect for the knights of the White Falcon, who often had to fight long distances, hitting targets with special arrows from great distances. It was a mask covering his forehead and eyes, with special thick lenses. Through the consumption of magical energy, the tool helped the archer to approach the target, calculate the trajectory of the shot, and hit the enemy with phenomenal accuracy and lethality.
Both magical tools were uncomplicated to produce, but extremely difficult to develop, to this day Ilmira had a hard time imagining how Aaron had managed to come up with something like this. There were other, but not so complicated and unique, developments...
During the last three months Aaron was working on an important and special project, which according to the scarce information he told his parents, must surpass by far everything he had created before... This project was called The Illusory World...
— Where are we going? — Ilmira asked, following her guide to the newly built Guldar barracks.
— If you want to see the Illusory World, don't expect me to show it to you separately... — Turning to face her, the son replied. — I have to find my father first, I'm not going to make many demonstrations.
— But then why go to the barracks?
— Not to the barracks, but to the training ground, Aaron answered. — Father's getting used to his prosthetics, mocking the Knights of Orion...
— Let's hurry, I want to see," Ilmira commented excitedly, visibly quickening her pace.
Soon, mother and son arrived at the training ground, where they caught an amazing scene...
A tall man, about two meters tall, thin and graceful, dressed completely unseasonably, wearing only dark pants and a white baggy shirt. There was a thin trail of frost and snow on the ground, but he didn't seem to care, since he was barefoot. Three details in his appearance stood out clearly...
Made of wood, and covered with a thin layer of metal, a prosthetic right shin and foot, which was controlled by magic, and in its functionality was almost completely identical to an ordinary human leg made of blood and flesh. A similar prosthetic was also in place of the left forearm and hand. Both prostheses, in addition to satisfying the basic functions inherent in the body parts they replaced, also had a number of features, primarily helping in combat. The replaced limbs were strong, conducted magical energy quite successfully, and were used quite effectively in combat, instead of weapons.
The last feature in the man's appearance was the goggles firmly attached to his head, in the manner of a headband. It was one of the variant prototypes of the Falcon's Eye, which was designed primarily to mimic the function of the organs of vision. Such a magical tool allowed the blind to see almost as well as any sighted person. The only, but significant disadvantage was that it consumed a lot of magical energy, not everyone could use it for this very reason.
Only powerful users of magical energy, with a large amount of reserve, could use such prostheses and glasses. Einar Bach, being a mid-ranked fire demigod, can effectively use these magical tools, which his son gave him a couple of days ago. Admittedly, even for him, the energy consumption when using them causes a little discomfort.
— Look, it's my husband... — Ilmira said. — Such a handsome and brutal man.
— God, woman... — Aaron snorted. — We're here on business, you'll admire him tonight.
— Ugh, how rude," the mother scolded her son. — Such an indecent and vulgar boy, you can see that the old man let you down...
— You're one to talk. — Aaron brushed him off. — Weren't you the one who yelled curses when the knights found you in the cellar of the clan Arser?
The woman said nothing, looked away from him, observing the duel her husband was waging.
Einar fought a dozen knights of the Black Falcon squad alone, unarmed. They were armed with wooden training swords, enchanted to imitate the weight of real weapons. The swords were blunt, so it was nearly impossible to cut anything with them, but because of the increased weight, a blow with such a weapon could still cause pain and even injury.
Leading the dozen knights was Orion, who a week ago had become the first knight of the highest rank of all Aaron's subordinates, which was a huge accomplishment. Many people don't have a lifetime to achieve something like that, obviously the head of the special forces squad is a genius in some sense, at least his rate of progress is phenomenal. Certainly it's much easier for knights to rise through the ranks than mages, much less demigods, but even so, a fifteen-year-old knight of great rank is too much. If anyone reaches a great rank among knights, it is closer to the age of thirty, or even thirty-five.
Even so, being a great knight, and with a dozen loyal companions, all of whom were knights of the middle rank, Orion did not seem confident in his abilities when he took his position opposite Einar. On the contrary, he seemed somehow lost and helpless...
— What are you waiting for, attack," Einar said calmly, taking a relaxed posture. — Don't make the invalid move much...