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© Vadim Poperekov, 2020
ISBN 978-5-4498-8362-9
Created with Ridero smart publishing system
Preface
Vladimir Naumov stood in front of the mirror and saw the person of an average constitution of years of twenty-five with extremely frightening off appearance there. His face disfigured by fire as if a lifeless mask looked at it blue eyes. It should not have a shave and cut the absent hair though in something, it was lucky – he thought.
The tragedy happened when he was only ten years old. Vladimir with parents lived in a country wooden house. At night, their two- floor house caught fire, and his parents did not even have time to wake up, suffocating with smoke. The nursery was on the first floor therefore firefighters managed to save the child who managed to get serious burns of all body. As firefighters told then – old electric, conducting is guilty.
Therefore, Vladimir did not have none of relatives, and he got to orphanage. In orphanage, Volodya did not make friends for the natural reasons and let all the not dissipated energy to reading books.
It bore fruits in the form of the diploma of the university. But because of appearance the way on a career ladder to it was ordered and therefore it worked as the ordinary engineer at the plant for modest salary. There lived Vova in the rental one-room apartment, which was in the bedroom community and even managed to save the saved money for own housing. As entertainments to it served books and computer games in which he forgot what freak it looks. Once on the Internet Vladimir was acquainted with group Tolkien’s fans and decided to vanish with them in the fresh air especially as there all changed clothes in different fantasy characters.
At choice, there were Elves, Orks, People and Goblins.
I will be an ork – Vladimir thought, it would be so possible to hide the ugliness behind a mask of and a dress.
The leader of Tolkien’s fans under an assumed name Agloron appointed departure to the country for their group to this summer Saturday with spending the night in the fresh air in tents. The custom bus took their group to an edge of the deep forest. The stunning view opened on the small mountain towering nearby. Somewhere on it the small rivulet flowing near their place of disembarkation originated.
Agloron broke group into two contradictory parties – on the one-hand elves with people led by the magician Agloron, with another orks and goblins led by the shaman of orks Gromogryzl.
Having played a fantasy scene with attack from an ambush of orks with goblins on patrol of elves and people in which the victory remained for people with elves (them was just more), all dispersed to fry shish kebabs on groups/races, to take strong drinks and just to have a good time.
Vladimir having communicated to other orks after shish kebabs and decently drunk amount of vodka thought that orks on that and orks that drink much.
Very soon began to darken. Reeling, Vova rose from a glade and went to celebrate need. It was necessary to go long as not one him it was impatient and under each next imperceptible bush it was already busy. At last having departed on decent distance Vladimir made the necessary business and was already going to come back as suddenly its attention, the dim spark involved mountains from outside not far. The curiosity, together with crooked the elbow, won and he decided to find out it.
Having approached closer on a spark, he saw in a shallow cave at the foot of the mountain the old woman something cooking in a kettle on fire and decided to leave already as suddenly the blow by something stupid and heavy behind fell upon it, light grew dim before eyes. Vladimir regained consciousness feeling that he bound hand and foot lies on something cold completely naked and understood what cannot be shown that he returned to consciousness.
At last that you caught the virgin, freeloaders! I the great hereditary witch Garvena on a step will bring closer today day of coming of Lyutoglaz to our world! – the happy voice of the old woman was distributed.
From where she knows that I am a virgin? It that real Witch? – rushed in the head of Vladimir.
Now everything is ready to a ritual, and today the Great Demon Lyutoglaz will accept the next victim and will become one-step closer to awakening in our world – the old woman continued.
Pour to the virgin in a throat in this soup, he has to be without fetters when Lyutoglaz accepts it in the victim – the old hag ordered.
To Bays Vladimira brought the vessel filled what – that with smelly liquid and poured to it in a mouth.
Volodya pretended that he took a sip, feverishly thinking how to get out of this situation.
Untie it and depart! – The witch ordered. Then began to pronounce by a loud sepulchral voice unclear words from which hair bristled if they were.
In process of reading a spell, and there was it exactly a spell for transfer of vital force through space to the demon, the voice of the witch became louder and closer to Vladimir.
Through the slightly open eyelashes, Vladimir saw an approaching old woman with a dagger. Having collected all his will in the first Vova at the last moment intercepted her dagger with his hands, at the same time spilling the contents of his mouth in her face. The witch was confused by the surprise, which Vladimir took advantage of and intercepted the dagger from her hands, stuck in her stomach. The witch leaned back, screaming in pain. Splashes of blood of the witch from a dagger got on Vladimir’s body and in several moments on an altar. The space around Volodya began to spin, started turning. Cotton after which he fainted was distributed.
Chapter 1. Goblins
I regained consciousness, feeling that I somewhere connected am carried. Legs and hands became numb from pain. Having opened eyes, I lost a speech power for an instant – around in a dense grass there were low little men less than a meter high with green skin and the wrinkled faces. Four porters carried in free hands a spear of rough quality, reminding a spear of primitive people. They went apparently to the tents standing not far.
– Hey boys, it is good to play the fool! – Loudly I said to these green guys in hope that it is some silly joke. I have likely hallucinations and at all not green people, and quite to themselves such simple children in white dressing gowns carry me on a stretcher now.
In reply, one of these little green men uttered rapidly something, but I did not understand any word from told. These little men resembled very much computer characters – goblins.
Soon they reached a glade around which the semicircle located tents.
The biggest tent left the goblin who unlike other goblins on a neck had a necklace from small crocks of small rodents. In his hands, he was holding a staff of a bigger skull.
– Grrbvkhukh to the tkh? – This goblin rumbled, pointing a finger at me.
– Arrgkh vren tkha – continued he, showing to a staff on me.
– Who are you such? Why I was connected? – loudly I was indignant.
– Kungkh drin vtykh – loudly said the goblin and touched the staff my forehead, empty eye-sockets of a staff sparkled a green flame and right there went out.
For an instant, I fainted…
– Now you understand me? – I hear a voice at myself in the head from nowhere.
– Yes well to hell what occurs? – I thought.
– I am Gliston, the leader of the tribe of goblins «A green grass» and the shaman of the 7th level! I communicate with you through a spell of thought
Speeches. Answer who you are such stranger? – The leader looked at me with feeling of own superiority.
– My name is Vladimir Naumov. I do not know how I appeared here. Why I am connected? – I answered.
– This night in the side of the Middle Mountains there were lightning and most of them beat in the area of poles of ancient. In the morning on this glade, my soldiers found you and delivered here. And now I have to be convinced that you do not constitute for us danger. – having said it he suddenly fixedly began to look to me in the face and made hand pass, from top to down.
My eyes were closed and consciousness failed in darkness. the come dream was some strange: I dreamed what happened to me since that moment as I regained consciousness on the witch Garvena’s altar till the moment as threw out me on this glade Ancient. There was a feeling as if whom – that stands nearby behind a shoulder during my dream and watches me.
It was difficult to call awakening pleasant precisely. Having opened eyes, I found out that I lie on a laying from withered straw in one of huts of goblins. After a while couple of goblins came into a tent, threw to me some rags, which are bearing a faint resemblance to trousers and a shirt.
Having put on and having reeled up couple of rags on legs, I with high spirits proceeded for goblins to the leader’s tent.
The leader in the tent sat on the decorated chair with such important look as though he sits on a gold throne.
– The stranger, you arrived from other world to our world with the name «Centroniya». Your memory of other world until your capture by the witch is closed for me. Therefore, we cannot release you just like that. Especially as you know nothing about this world at all and do not know local language.
– Dress this amulet, it will help communication until you learn to tell and understand our language.
The goblin approached me and gave an amulet on a rope. Having put on it a neck, I addressed the leader:
– What will be with me? Why you left me in live?
– Ancestral spirits told me that in you there is a magic spark. And it means that you can leave the good magician at due desire and training. I can train you in what I am able to do itself, but you will have to swear an oath on blood in devotion to my tribe, or can go wherever one wishes. But know if you leave now, then most likely you will die. Around there are a lot of dangers which to you without knowledge and the help not to experience. You have time to think till tomorrow’s morning for now go have a rest. Also remember, Noted that we the only tribe of goblins, which does not eat people…
I was taken away by the same goblins «escorts» back in that pathetic tent in which I regained consciousness. Lying on straw, I tried to collect the thoughts. What turns out, I actually in other world and it is not similar to a hallucination. Here really there is a magic and I am a potential magician??
Probably the leader did not leave me the choice, to go now to uncertainty means to die. But also there is no wish to swear an oath somehow. In the world of magic, judging by books, oaths have much bigger value, than in the native world. It was lucky that these goblins do not eat people, and that to be to me their lunch. And a name that what at the leader – Gliston, suitable (I burst out laughing internally).
With these thoughts to me the dream came, but long did not allow to have a sleep to me.
– Hey Noted get up – two goblins stood nearby. One with a spear, and here the second probably was female, judging by half-open green rotundities. She held in hand a bowl with something not bad smelling.
– Is you will be?
– Yes, I will be. Thanks for food.
Took from it a bowl with some soup by the form consisting of an unclear grass and broth. Here reached me that I perfectly understand them. But when I speak, I pronounce it seems native words and in too time as if I break language over pronunciation of words unfamiliar to me. Food was frankly nasty, but a little nutritious. Having eaten, I began to reflect over the unenviable destiny and did not even notice how I fell asleep. Having woken up, I saw that light of the morning sun makes the way through holes in a tent, in the head cleared up, there was a wish that – to undertake that. Having looked out of a tent found two hour goblins guarding at my tent.
– I am ready to a meeting with the leader, take away me to him. – I told them.
We reached quickly, because the village was small and had almost a hundred small tents capable of accommodating no more than five hundred goblins.
In a tent Gliston already sat on «throne» and having stared at me, asked:
– Did you make the decision the Stranger by the name of Vladimir?
– I agree to your conditions the leader Gliston – I blurted out, having understood that I and had no choice per se. The instinct of self-preservation cried out that it is necessary to agree or I in this world will not last out also day unaided.
– Approach and extend a hand forward, I need your blood for fulfillment of a ritual of an oath.
Having internally shrunk from fear, I gave it a hand.
– About ancestral spirits of the tribe a green grass, accept blood of this person who wants to join the ranks of our tribe. Shaman, holding in his right hand his sugar with a skull, taking in the left ritual dagger, slightly cut my palm. Then having palmed off the staff under blood drops, waited so far several drops will fall to a staff. Empty eye-sockets of a staff blazed bad green light.
The shaman began to smile and only wanted to tell something how eye-sockets of a staff blazed in red color. The staff consisting of a set of small skulls suddenly brightly flashed and was scattered by gray dust. The shaman in mute dullness looked at the ashes which remained from a staff, and then, having focused the eyes poured by blood on Vladimir, cried:
– Get out of our land, you have the seal of goddamn blood, you do not belong here, man!
– But how so? I hoped that you would help me.
– On you there is a mark of blood of the admirer spiteful demon Lyutoglaz, and he so just will not release you any more, he needs your soul.
And here as if flash the inspiration came: on me blood of the wicked witch Garvena got and there were even traces on a body as if from burns.
– And where to me to move? – Sadly I from myself squeezed out.
– Go to lands of people, and do not come back, here are not glad to you.
– Fast-legs, you will see this person to border of people as far as you will be able – the leader addressed one of the goblins standing nearby.
– Gliston, but is not simpler to kill this person and problems will be less? – Bystronog at the leader took an interest, gloomy glancing at me.
– It is impossible to kill him, it will be looked for and then will contact us, and excess problems are not necessary to us.
And quickly, he cannot stay with us for long – as if something very scared, said the shaman. Then the shaman called that goblin and began to whisper something in their language, but judging by the expression of his face, whether it was something good.
The bad presentiment wakened in me and in spite of the fact that I was promised to be seen to people, I was by no means not quiet. Collecting did not take a lot of time. In total through half of hour we with my gloomy conductor walked through the woods towards the of Bystronog was equipped with short hunting onions with a quiver of arrows and a spear of nasty quality. On the way I tried get to talking the goblin, left me a medallion. Probably were afraid of it to take away because of the words of the shaman about a mark of the demon, but the soldier was silent.
So we by the evening reached the foothills and began rise to pass them. On a lodging for the night located in an imperceptible depression in the ground on a slope of the mountain and, having a little had a bite, settled to sleep.
At night, I woke up from a rough poke of the stupid party of a spear. When wanted to be indignant already from so ill-treatment, saw Bystronog doing characteristic gesture of silence. In me, the fear woke up.
– Get up, it is necessary to leave urgently, I feel danger – the goblin – the hunter whispered. Honestly, from the wood through which they went later some time the short roar, which developed into noise of an animal fight, was heard.
Having quickly gathered, we carefully continued our rise on the mountain in the twilight. Through what – that time in the sky because of mountains seemed two moon as if two twins floating on a sky. Rise complicated the blown strong wind; it blew a body through as if there were no clothes.
– Let’s take rest here – Bystronog showed towards imperceptible deepening in the rock – here we will hide from wind and we will have a sleep.
I, desiccated and frozen from the wind, curled up with a cripple inside a forced place for a night out. A little warm, I went to sleep, but the goblin apparently was not going to sleep.
I woke up from a quiet scrape of stone about a stone quite near and a formidable fish of a dozen swallows. The wall I slept at went away and had dirty, healthy kids with guns in their hands. I did not even have time to be scared, as I saw that one of these children with fangs protruding from the mouth on a green hare swung at me with some stick. My head was burned by pain and through the darkening consciousness I saw that Fast justified his name by running away quickly.
Chapter 2. In captivity of orks
I had a strange dream – I, tied on my hands and feet, lie in a small cave with low vaults in a pile of some cloth and watch myself as if from the outside. And here the voice – Hi the stranger behind was distributed.
I smoothly turned back as if forcing the way through water in the pool and was stupefied with what was seen —
In front of me stood or rather paraded a transparent silhouette of a man buried in armor from his feet to his head with an open fence. He held a transparent long two-handled staff in hand and smiling looked at me. Behind his back, he saw a cone-shaped shield, and behind his belt, a one-handed sword in knives was pushed.
– Ghost? – reached me.
– Yes a ghost – he grinned – Unlike you.
– Why? How? – Pinned with fear I uttered or wanted to utter, but he understood me.
– I am a ghost of the killed fighting magician, and you is similar, only – that the initiated young man with abilities to magic, time you appeared out of the body, and your body lies hardly live nearby. Look on yourself – what you see?
After examining myself, I found myself dressed in my favorite earthly clothes, consisting of jeans with a ruby and shoes on my feet, but everything was a little transparent.
– These are your habitual clothes, the image which is subconsciously taken from your head. – the magician explained.
– But why you here? And what is your name? – I took an interest.
– When I was alive, my name was Siuris Stongblaind or Siuris Lightning. In my lifetime, I was a second-level magician in Guild of Rainbow Magicians. Our Guild fights against powers of darkness in the person of demons, orks, the trolls, dark elves and other representatives of races worshipping the dark gods living in this world. On Centroniya at us is, and light gods as opposed to dark. And our award was created for fight against the evil in all its manifestations. I had a purpose to find and take away in these mountains a dangerous artifact from shamans of orks which is a part of the whole uniform artifact of dark god Gloom, to thereby prevent inducement of a bowl of scales towards powers of darkness. Having got to smartly arranged trap, I got beaten then I cannot far depart in the form of a ghost from the artifact supporting my existence in such look for already about two hundred years. Time to be presented to you came. – the ghost grinned.
Having presented and having told Siuris the story of hit to this world and «hospitality» at goblins, I stopped the story on capture, apparently, orks.
– Lyutoglaz you speak? It means all this time imperceptibly collected souls from other worlds, increasing the power. Goblins wanted to deceive to make you serve them; in fact, you would become their slave until my death
Days and a trained magician can have a very long life. I see on your aura that you do not lie. It is long-awaited good luck I will help you Vladimir Marked and together we can get out of these caves with my artifact.
– I agree what needs to be done?
– Do you see this ring on a forefinger of my right hand? – Ghost took the non-existent Latin sleeve off his right hand and showed off a thick gold ring with a large diamond on his index finger. It is a projection of my artifact which teleports us in the closest citadel of my award. All problem is that only living magicians can use an artifact. When I got to a trap, could not use it because cunning shamans of orks provided this option and agitated the astral field so that it became impossible to move. Before death, I hid a ring in an astral spatial pocket, which is supported at the expense of an artifact, as well as I am after the initiation of the beginning, you spontaneously produce mana – the resource necessary to create spells. Let’s hope that you will have enough mana that with my help to call an artifact from an astral. After that, you should dress a ring on a forefinger of the right hand and to saturate a teleportation spell which projection I will create before you at the right time.
– How will I call an artifact? And How I will saturate this projection?
– You will understand intuitively, and now you should recover. You and so for the first time stayed long in an astral, just wish to return to the body.
I wanted to come back and here I was pulled towards my lying body, fascinating as if a rush of air.
– Get up the asshole, for you came – the sharp rough voice was distributed, and I felt a strong kick on edges. After that, with pain in the area of the sternum, he was stuffed and chained with blood.
Having opened eyes, I saw two dirty orks facing me. Big big fellows, with dirty faces of greenish shade with fangs peeling from under the lower lip, were very similar to a computer game. They were dressed in an armor of rough quality, one had on a belt a bludgeon, and at another behind a belt a sword in the sheath which rusted from an old age and the wooden board behind the back fitted by a skin of an unclear animal.
– A block look do not kill him if it does not live up to the necessary moment, then the leader learns who will be guilty of it – hissed the voice full of rage belonging to the appeared shaman of orks judging by a staff in his hands.
– Gartran, but he’s just a pathetic man, a piece of meat, why are you so sad about him?
– Not your mind business, the Block, you and should not think, put it on legs and conduct for me – the sharp order hail of the shaman which orks – soldiers did not dare to disobey was distributed.
Some time we went along monotonous corridors did not appear before the massive door upholstered with iron with a bolt from this party and a big keyhole yet. Before a door couple of orks on each side in an armor stood sentinel and at weapon, it is better quality, than at escorts.
In my head, all thoughts were about Siuris and his artifact. Where it? Where am I conduct?
– Vladimir – quietly rustled a familiar voice in my head – the shaman can notice me, wait so far you will remain alone.
I was rough brought inside the room opened by the guards and put on a chair in the center of the hall.
The small room to the right of the center occupied a wide table with two benches opposite to each other. On the center a chair on which I was put and the fire which now brightly burned and roasted carcass of the unknown animal on a spit reminding a pig only was difficult at the left is larger. Over a fire the opening in a ceiling where smoke left was punched. And on corners of the room wall torches burned.
A pangolin of snakes out the door opposite the one we walked through. A blue shade scaly skin as if a diving suit enveloped a tail, hands and the head, as at a lizard, not hidden under the cast-away hood.
– Gartran, I am glad – with to see – from you. – The pangolin hissed, flicking out tongue at a conversation the doubled language – this is my captive? – showing to a forefinger claw on me.