It is exactly noon. The four heroes stand in a line of over 30 people, in front of a large wall that contains a small security booth. It is to this booth that this line stretches – this is the checkpoint. The sun is sending hot rays down the earth, which is why the entire crowd wanting to get into the territory of the Northern Empire is sweating. Of course, this does not concern the four – Martha took out a light umbrella from her subspace storage and covered it with it for the company of the hot ones.
–Yeah, so much for cooperation with neighboring countries... – said Ludwig, shrugging his shoulders.
–Don't tell me... – Martha answered.
Martha was holding in her hands the letter they had received at the border camp of the Arai Kingdom. The letter stated that the Empire refused to cooperate with assisting the heroes arriving from Arai. The Emperor stated that the Empire had sent its heroes to restore the balance, and although Ludwig had already said "well, why are we needed then, let's go home," Sol and Marren collectively convinced him that it was better to make sure that the balance was restored successfully.
Judging by the sun, it was already about 3 o'clock in the afternoon, if not more. Only now Sol, Marren, Martha and Ludwig reached the checkpoint. Having all entered there together, they heard a man's voice, which clearly made it clear that its owner was incredibly tired:
–Papers, please. Not only an identification, but also an official pass, an explanation of the reason, and everything else. You're not born yesterday, you know the rules.
–Not required. We are four heroes from the kingdom of Arai who came to restore the ba... – Sol began, but was interrupted.
–Not interested. Shows me your papers or I call the guards, – said the man behind the glass.
–Ludwig, I want to know something. Is there some kind of camera system or something similar, thanks to which the whole country will know that not a trace remains of this checkpoint? – Sol asked.
–Huh?... – asked the worker at the booth, hearing the words of the man in white.
–Well, I never heard of such things while I lived here... So, we act in such a way that there are no witnesses left?
–Huh?! – the checkpoint worker had already gotten up from his chair and wanted to run to the exit and call the soldiers, but he didn't have enough time.
–Exactly.
Clain, having said this, had already destroyed the glass and cut off the head of the one who was supposed to check the documents. Since the others would still fight, leaving behind blood and corpses, there was no reason for him to use the blade that erases opponents from reality just yet. When the plan was decided, Martha, not at all sure of the rationality of such a course of action, summoned a weapon, reminiscent of a gun in shape, directly into Ludwig's hands. Marren pulled out a knife, and Sol, already holding the weapon in his hand, kicked down the metal door leading to the other side of the checkpoint. The door flew out of the opening and, as it flew forward, it seemed to break the bones of several guards standing behind it. Following the door, Sol, Marren and Ludwig ran out – Martha, who was not a warrior, remained inside.
The door, which had fallen off its hinges, now lay there, and 3 pairs of legs and arms were sticking out from under it. Judging by how low the door was to the ground, these soldiers were flattened and were akin to a pancake. However, this was not enough – the heroes were surrounded by at least fifty more people, gathered in a semicircle near a huge wall in which there was a checkpoint booth, all armed and in armor. If this were not enough, then on the borders of this "army" people in light clothes and with wands were visible – probably mages.
–Marren, I think you'll do a better job against the crowd! – Ludwig said, stepping back.
Sol was more than confident in his abilities, but he also stepped back, letting Marren go ahead. The boy in the plague doctor mask trembled slightly, but, realizing that it was too late to retreat, he, while the soldiers were already rushing towards the heroes, pointed his hand at them. It was dangerously close – the warriors in plate armor were already a meter or two from Marren, and had already raised their swords, but did not have time to strike – in the expanding cone coming from Marren, all living organisms, including grass and trees, literally started to rot and crumble right before everyone's eyes. However, this only covered about a third of the opponents.
Ludwig was fighting to the right of Marren – without retreating an inch, he fired bursts of energy projectiles, which were moving and burning through everything like clusters of compressed, narrowly focused light. The armor could not withstand such attacks and, without even delaying these shots, wielders of armor were pierced by these shots, sometimes several at a time. Even the magical barriers that the sorcerers placed along the edges of the formation were easily destroyed by these laser-like projectiles.
On the left hand of the spreader of diseases was Sol. Unlike the other two, he rushed into the crowd of enemies, and, finding himself in the middle of the enemy army, made one wide swing from left to right. With one swing, he cut into 2 parts more than half of those who surrounded him. The cut was incredibly smooth, as if the armor, flesh and bones were no stronger than paper. Seeing that they were losing on all fronts, the remaining handful of soldiers began to retreat, first moving backwards, and then turning and starting to run.
–You are not getting away... – said Ludwig and brought the weapon closer to his head, taking aim through the non-existent sight.
A second later, he fired a short burst of exactly 11 projectiles – the number of opponents remaining. The shells did not fly in a straight line, but moved in a curve, turning and tracking their targets. 11 people, most of whom were magicians from the back rows of the army, almost simultaneously fell dead, although they fled in different directions.
–I think that's all? – Ludwig asked, looking around.
Throwing his weapon up, Ludwig moved closer to Sol and Marren. The "gun" immediately disappeared when it stopped touching his hands. The trio stood in the midst of over fifty bodies. Judging by the fact that there were no sounds from the other side of the wall, those who wanted to get into the Empire had already left, if not ran away, after hearing that something wrong was happening here. When the sounds of the short battle ended, Martha also came out of the checkpoint booth, looking around at the results of the massacre with a sad expression on her face.
–You, of course, are great, good job at winning... but when the Empire finds out what happened, even if they don't start looking for us, they will declare war on Arai. Great decision, Sol. This is exactly what the future king of the country should have done...
–My thoughts exactly! Of course, when you had already started all this, it was too late to retreat... but you have to know when to stop! – said Marren.
–It's not a problem. Arai is a small kingdom with a very small army, which has been sharing borders with the ever-expanding Empire for more than ten years. Why do you think it hasn't been conquered yet?
–Huh?...what are you hinting at? – Ludwig asked, looking at Sol strangely.
–It was not captured because Oliver and Cirael are strong. Together, they are more effective than a thousand extras... ahem, than a thousand ordinary soldiers, – Sol answered, closing his eyes and shrugging his shoulders.
–This does not change the fact that you created a lot of headaches for them! – Martha said, starting to scream.
–Who?... – asked Clain.
–You! – Martha answered, still screaming.
–...asked? – Sol continued, – It seems you haven't understood everything despite I told it like 7 times. So let me clarify it again. I don't like Oliver and Cirael. I don't consider them my parents. No matter how they suffer, no matter how they feel... – his voice trembled a little, but soon returned to normal, – I won't care.
Hearing these words, Ludwig, standing a couple of meters from Clain, took a step towards Sol and grabbed him by the collar with his right hand, slightly lifting him off the ground. The shooter's face was filled with anger. Martha and Marren turned away because they knew that whatever happened next, it clearly would not be anything good. Ludwig raised his right hand, preparing to strike directly, but Sol, sharply raising his right hand, broke the grip of his seemingly comrade. This did not cause the angry man to yield, but Clain, only briefly looking at Ludwig's hand, gracefully dodged, breaking free of the grip and turning his right side to Ludwig.
–How dare you even say that... they gave you shelter, warmth and the heritage to the goddamn throne... but you... you!
Having said this, Ludwig, whose hand had passed Sol's unharmed face, straightened up and was now glaring at Clain's face. The swordsman himself, at whom this angry gaze was directed, did not raise an eyebrow.
–If you disagree with something, you can always, following the laws of your home Empire, challenge me to a duel of honor. However, I don't think you will win.
With these words, Sol calmly adjusted his collar, not at all worried about the blood that almost completely covered his clothes. However, he didn't expect what Ludwig said next:
–Oh, such fancy words! Fine! Sol Clain! I challenge you to a duel! To you and your twisted ideals!
Ludwig immediately received perplexed glances from everyone who was nearby. Even Sol looked at him in surprise, despite before that he tried not to show any emotions at all. Clain was the first to turn from surprise into wariness and put his right hand on the hilt of the sword, which he had already sheathed. The ceremonial sheath, decorated with jewels, did not go well with the blood-stained clothes of the royal family.
–Don't get me wrong, Ludwig. I will be ready to accept your challenge... after you have completed the task for which you actually went on this trip. I don't want to kill you... now, – Sol said.
–Pfft... good. But if you behave like a scumbag one more time, you will become my enemy, Sol, – Ludwig said, taking a flask out of his pocket and drinking from it.
–I will remember it. Although, I suppose my definition of the word "scumbag" is radically different from yours.
Sol let go of the sword, and Martha and Marren breathed a sigh of relief, however, it was obvious to everyone that this was not the end. Things may have calmed down for now, but the tension between these two has not gone away. Sol was still looking down on Ludwig – literally, he was taller, although only slightly – and Ludwig was still looking at Clain with anger. It seemed that they were ready to tear each other apart, but they believed that for now the mission was more important.
Having looked at the bodies lying on the ground, Sol shrugged his shoulders and, carefully stepping over the corpses, went out to where there was more free space on the ground. He put his hand out to the side and a small portal opened in front of it. When Clain took something out of the portal, it closed. Martha, looking at this, was outraged.
–Hey, how can you do this?! For me, this is, well, family's ability, but you!...
–It would be naive to think that I wouldn't be able to create a small subspace for storage, Martha. Anyway, doesn't matter. This ability of yours to turn objects into small cubes and back again is very useful... so I learned how to do it, too. Otherwise, how do you think we would get an entire vehicle across the border?
Sol threw what he had taken out of his storage onto the ground. This small object, which fit into his fist, after a flash of light already appeared as the same car they were driving before. Marta already wanted to be indignant, but it seems that Marren and even Ludwig were glad that they would not have to walk further. Just like last time, Clain got behind the wheel and turned the keys, which were already in the ignition. As the other three sat down in the same seats they had sat in last time, the car started moving, leaving the result of this carnage for anyone to pass by to see. As they drove along a dirt road through dense forests, Marren suddenly asked:
–Um... I don't know the language of the Northern Empire at all. I know about Martha and Ludwig, they're originally from here... but what about you, Sol? Do you know it?
–I don't need to know it to speak it. I already explained that, I think, – Clain replied.
–Damn Mary Sue... – Martha muttered.
–You know, this reminds me a little of the place where our carriage was traveling. But I really hope that we don't see another meat pillar here, haha... haha... that won't happen, right? – Ludwig said, laughing awkwardly.
–I don't think we will. However, I am sure that we will meet Notredame again, – Sol answered.
Indeed, they did not encounter any meat pillars... however, they still had to stop. Several people stood on the road and waved their hands. They looked wounded and exhausted. Saul slammed on the brake pedal, stopping a few meters away from the four strangers. One of them, a man in leather armor, said something that Marren did not understand. But Sol, Ludwig and Martha perfectly understood the words of the Empire's language. He said the following:
–Help us, if you are brave warriors... we tried to defeat the monster, but we couldn't, it is very powerful...
Sol looked at Martha and asked her.
–And here everyone says... like this?
–No... these four must have read the knightly songs a bit too much, – she answered.
–Okay, we don't have time for this anyway. Let's go forward.
–You little!... – Ludwig began.
–Eh... okay, if you insist.
Finally finishing their conversation among themselves, Martha, Ludwig, and Sol looked back at the four strangers while Marren still didn't understand a word.
–Well, tell me where this "monster" of yours is. We'll deal with him quickly and go forward with business, – Sol said.
–He's just a kilometer west of here, oh valiant knights... its three heads spew fire, and his claws cut steel... a terrible beast... – said another stranger. – We're all sad that we can't help you... go, in a village not far away you'll find a path made from the blood of the beast that we wounded in the torso.
–Well, we we're going northwest, so... okay, let's go.
Turning right, Sol turned off the dirt road onto a small path, where, however, judging by the tracks, carts passed from time to time. At the same time, Ludwig explained to Marren what had happened, and the boy in the plague doctor mask clenched his fists in front of him. Apparently, he was happy.
–That's what I understand! A real heroic feat, like in chivalric novels! – he said.
–Yeah. But I don't like the fact that we're going slightly off course at all, – Sol said and shrugged, without letting go of the steering wheel.
They did not have to travel long – on their way there was a village that was completely destroyed. The charred walls of the houses clearly showed that they had been burned. Apparently, as the wounded "knights" said, the "monster" can really spew fire. A wide trail of blood led further, leading the heroes out of the village and back into the wilds of the forest. Finally, the trail led them to a cave in a mountain that rose above the clouds.
–Come on, is there really a dragon that lives in a cave? Have we ended up in a third-rate fanfic about King Arthur's goddamn round table? – Ludwig asked, looking in surprise at the passage in the rock.
–Seems so.
Having said this, Sol stopped the car and pulled the key out of the ignition. Clain got out of the convertible and the others followed him. They walked deeper into the cave, looking back every now and then. Seemingly, the cave went far into the depths of the mountain. They even thought that, just like in fairy tales, there will also be a huge hall with gold here. Passing through countless passages that could easily fit 3 elephants, they soon came to... a body. A huge creature, covered with scales, with bat wings and three heads, lay in the depths of the cave. Judging by how the walls here were scorched and still hot, there was a battle with this monster. And, it seems, it was clear who killed him: a man was sitting on the body.
He was dressed in a white cloak; all his clothes under the cloak were the same color. His long white hair turned black at the very ends, as if he had been dyeing it black, but the dye began to wash away. It was hard not to find parallels appearance of Sol Clain, but there was one thing that made them very different. The stranger had a mask on his face... no, it was hardly a mask. It was a white circle with no slits for eyes or anything else. It was clear that under his cloak on his belt, on the left side, there were 2 swords. This man jumped off the corpse of a colossal monster and, upon landing, said... something. When his chin moved, which was visible behind the mask, only white noise was heard instead of words.
–Huh? The hell you are saying? – Ludwig said.
–Careful... I don't know why, but I feel... he is hostile.
Having said something else with his white noise voice, the stranger took off and, pulling one of the swords, which looked absolutely ordinary, ran towards the heroes. It would be more accurate to say that he leaped, because he got to them in one dash... or not to them. He ignored Martha, Ludwig and Marren, because his target was Sol. Sol, however, was in no hurry. After all, as soon as this unknown person began to lower his sword to strike, everything froze. Perfection was activated. Sol elegantly pulled out his blade and made one horizontal strike... everything froze. Perfection was activated. When Sol suddenly froze, the stranger himself began to move in this stopped reality. However, he did not attack with his sword, but instead punched Clain in the stomach with his fist.
And only now everything began to move again. When Ludwig, Martha, and Marren turned around, they saw that Sol had been sent flying and crashed into the cave wall, and the stranger had put his left hand forward. Immediately, the masked man ran towards Sol again, but now the perfectionist was already ready to meet him – Clain parried the blow that the stranger struck downwards, after which he dodged and moved away from the wall.
–Well, it won't work out perfectly anymore. It won't be a perfect fight if I can't finish it in one blow... so I won't hold back.
Sol said this completely calmly, but although he didn't show it, he was a little scared. Before this, no one and nothing could resist Perfection, but this man... he was dangerous. The stranger suddenly stopped attacking and again said something in white noise. But Sol didn't care. He, taking the sword with his left hand, put his right hand to his chest, and then swiftly extended it to the side and up, saying:
–Clain Family's Special Spell: Emotional Turbulence: Egotism.
One snow-white wing, first made of light and then appearing in flesh, appeared behind Sol. After that, he again took the sword in his right hand. Martha, Ludwig and Marren suddenly felt a huge force pressing them to the ground and, unable to stand on their feet, fell. However, the masked man stood calmly on his feet. When Sol finished his transformation, the stranger nodded and rushed towards Sol again. This time, Clain was the first to attack – as the enemy approached, Sol turned his blade into an intangible conceptual form in which he erases objects from reality. When his sword became like this in an instant, Sol made a strike from right to left. No matter what the stranger did, he couldn't stop such a sword... or so Sol thought.
The white masked man's sword met Sol's blade and stopped him. Clain saw with his own eyes that although it had previously been an ordinary sword, it now had the same properties as the conceptual weapon in Sol's hands. Judging by the fact that he held the sword in his right hand, he was right-handed, just like Sol. The heir to the throne of Arai, was surprised, but did not lose his head and created a flash of light in his left hand. It lengthened into a shape similar to a short spear, and with this light he pierced his opponent to the side. But even here the enemy stopped the attack – instantly grabbing the sword in his left hand and now holding Clain's sword like that, he met the spear of light with his right hand and seemed to distort the light itself, taking control of it.
Sol ran out of free hands, but the stranger did not shy away from using not the most noble techniques. The masked man sharply kicked Sol's ankle with his right foot, causing Sol to fall to the side, but quickly planted his left foot on the ground again and regained his lost balance. At this time, he weakened his attacks, because of which the stranger was able to easily throw them away and himself strike a slash with his blade. Clain, thanks to his eyes, clearly saw that the blade was now ordinary and inflicted ordinary physical damage. So Sol regained a solid stance on the ground, he was able to jump back so that his opponent's sword passed through the air.
–So, first you copied Perfection, then you copied my True Blade, and now you're also changing my light?... do you think if you copy my abilities, it will make you more skilled? Do not make me laugh!
Clain lost his calm. His face contorted with anger. Now Sol took off and rushed towards the stranger. Clain made a sharp thrust with his sword, but the masked man parried the blade and took it to the side, which is why Clain was now vulnerable, because the unknown person was on his right side, his hand with the weapon had already moved forward. The stranger, stabbing downward, pierced the foot of Sol's right leg with his sword, thereby pinning it to the ground. Immediately, the masked man created a new sword in his right hand, which made Sol couldn't help but remember Oliver, who also was known for creating weapons. Unfortunately for Sol, he had to resort to the ability of the same Oliver he remembered from the original universe – Sol disappeared and, along with his clothes and a sword sticking out of his leg, appeared a few meters from the enemy, thanks to which he was able to dodge the decisive blow. Wincing, Clain grabbed the sword that was sticking out of his foot with his left hand and pulled it out.
The stranger nodded and calmly waited for Sol to pull the weapon out of his leg. The heir to the throne, now holding his opponent's sword in his hand, breathing heavily, not from pain, but from anger, stuck this sword into the wall of the cave... or rather, did not stuck it. He hit the wall of the cave with a blade, because of which the mountain that covered the heroes and the masked man was destroyed and, divided into hundreds of huge pieces, scattered to the sides. Surely, this was seen by residents of many cities that were hundreds and thousands of kilometers from here. The rocks that had previously been around everyone were now scattered everywhere, and the top of the mountain was now falling on Sol, Martha, Ludwig, Marren and the stranger, but it seemed that the two white-haired ones did not care, although the other three were almost screaming in horror. Sol just swung his sword upward when the stones were close enough... and they all disappeared.
Another white noise came from an unknown person. Judging by the position he was in, he was laughing. Having said something else in his white-noise language, he put the newly created sword into the sheath that was on his belt, and the sword that Sol was holding in his left hand disappeared. Continuing to speak, the masked man pointed at Clain, and then, taking one step back, fell into the ground. Literally, it sank into the ground, as if it were some kind of liquid. Sol, still breathing heavily and twisting his face with anger, closed his eyes. The wing that was behind him first became light and then disappeared completely. The three remaining heroes finally stood up from the ground when this energy stopped pressing on them. Ludwig immediately ran over to Sol and grabbed him by the collar again, like he did earlier that day.
–Who the hell was that?! – said the marksman.
–Good question. I have no idea, – Sol answered, gradually returning to calm.
–But he clearly was having something against you!
–Agreed. But that doesn't mean you have to be angry at me now. I'm afraid that's my business... although I don't know who this person is.
Ludwig let go of Sol and took a deep breath. "Now we will have a lot of headaches...", he said. Martha and Marren approached these two just at that time.
–Judging by the way he copied my abilities, he has some kind of power thanks to which he is able to use the powers of his opponents, – said Clain, shaking off the dust from his shoulders.
–This guy spoke strangely... my brother talked about this. This happens when someone cannot synchronize with the universe in which they are now... – Martha said.
–Considering how much he wanted to kill you, Sol, we'll probably see him again. This strange man in a mask... – Marren said, lowering his head.
–I suggest calling him "White Noise." You know, it fits, – Ludwig said, with a shrug.
–Indeed, it fits... okay. It's time for us to move. Hopefully we won't meet him yet... although I admit, I'm really interested in what's under that mask, – Sol said, heading towards the exit of the cave.
~*~
It was getting dark. The convertible, which by some miracle survived the destruction of the mountain, drove up to a tavern in a small town. The heroes decided to spend the night here and set off tomorrow morning, as in Berul earlier. Sol got out of the car and stretched, because all his limbs were swollen from how long he had been sitting behind the wheel. Everyone else also left and entered the building. Approaching the girl who was wiping glasses behind the bar, Sol said in the language of the Northern Empire:
–We would like to rent one or two rooms upstairs. I have money with me.
The girl, who already attracted the attention of the heroes with the goat horns protruding from her head, turning her gaze from the glasses to the visitors, burst out screaming:
–SOL?!
~*~
In the file that was open on %*$@#'s desktop, words began to appear on their own. These words were strange, as if it were not a text, but direct speech addressing her. But %$@^$ was not surprised. This is what she expected. The words read: "I'm here. I... it's really me. With all my memories, and most importantly, with the same goal... yes, I won't be able to see you live anymore, $^##%, but I'm glad that at least I can save the world from destruction. Soon... soon it will all be over." ^#$%@ closed the document and...
Hm? Do you want to know whose names are hidden under the jumble of signs? Yes, I have to agree. Author wanted it to be an intrigue, but in reality, this intrigue is second-rate. Well, then watch, without interference created by the one who calls himself Author.
Gerda closed the document and a tear rolled down her cheek. Martha, who was now just a character on the pages of a book, is forever dead to the real world. The Martha who was real to her, and not the one who was a character she invented. But it's fine... now they will definitely be able to destroy Kai and save their world... "Isn't that right, Martha? Please tell me that this sacrifice is not in vain..." Gerda said out loud, turning off the computer and lying down on the unfolded sofa. She didn't think she could sleep today... but she had to at least try.