World Witout Wizards: Guard

The drooling monster went at me with both front and hind legs, leaving deep wounds on my stomach. I was lying on the ground, trying to hold my sword upwards. This was rather difficult, as it was plunged into the drooling beast hovering over me. Meanwhile, my spider-assistant was working in its skull.

Damn it! I'm not going to end my life this way after I spent so much money on potions. I have the best sword in the world and I'm considered to be an official of the HAND. Well, drooling thing, prepare for the worst…

"The Strike of the Sun! Aim for the muzzle!"

The drooling monster hissed disgustingly, spraying saliva and turning its muzzle away, but didn't let go of me. Hellish creature! How can you still be alive with a broken side and half an arm?

The drooling monster stopped moving its hind legs. They just sagged, touching my wounds. Now it could only kill me with its front legs. My movements were limited by the lash as if I were in a lasso loop. The drooling beast tried to grab the blade with its forelimbs and finish me off. I didn't know what to do: 'The Strike of the Sun' was useless, I couldn't defend myself with the sword, my spider-assistant was busy...

Intelligence Check

Base 0

Bonus 0

Dice Roll 3

Requirement 2

Success

But that doesn't mean I can't do anything! Grabbing the drooling monster's paws, I pushed them into the double-edged blade. The beast hissed incomprehensibly but kept reaching for me with its jaws. Only a few inches separated its drooling muzzle from my neck, I could hardly breathe because of the weight of its body…

Salvation came unexpectedly. I heard a muffled scream from somewhere on the side; then someone stuck a spear into the drooling thing, which finally crawled away from me, taking my sword with it. I couldn't catch my breath and stared in amazement at the girl standing over me.

"Vasilisa?" I asked in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"We're rescuing you, dummy," Lysandra said mockingly, "what are you doing?"

"Well, I'm sunbathing," I tried to make a joke, "Can't you see?"

"Vasilisa, we need to go, help me lift Michael. The Black Jaw is ready to kill us…"

Supporting me from both sides, the girls gently lifted me to my feet.

"We have to get out of here before these beasts wake up."

"No. We must kill the monsters and avenge the villagers!"

"You're a fool!" Lysandra swore. "Your wounds are terrible, look at your stomach. You're only alive because the mage is busy doing something else.

"No. I can't go. I killed almost all of them except these two!" I yelled, trying to break free from Lysandra.

"They sacrificed themselves and turned into monsters…" Lysandra explained.

"I agree, we better get away from here," Vasilisa nodded, "we don't have to fight with monsters. It's the duty of the Guards and the militia…"

"I'm a Guard! Let me go!" Even Lyska was confused by my scream. And that was enough for me to break free. Turning around, I noticed that the Black Jaw, as the warlock's disciple called him. He was trying to crawl on its forelegs.

The injured hind limbs and the hilt of my sword sticking out of its belly made it difficult for him to move. A strange substance flowed from his ears; it seemed to be a result of the spider's work.

"He's almost out. I'll kill him."

Attack Check

Base 1(Strength

Bonus -2 (-5 epic, +2 dying, +1 distraction)

Dice Roll 3

Requirement 2

Success

I walked around the creepy creature and furiously kicked it. I managed to take back my sword. Vasilisa hit the beast's muzzle with a spear and I pulled my blade out.

"Hit it in the neck," Lysandra yelled at the last moment.

Attack Check

Base 4

Bonus -2

Dice Roll 2

Requirement 4

Success

I began to chop the Black Jaw as if he was a pile of firewood and not a drooling monster. I first сut off the beast's legs and neck, and then beheaded him. The Black Jaw twitched a couple of times and fell silent forever.

The little spider, all the while attacking the drooling creature from the inside, reported happily, "The task is completed, the enemy is killed. Returning to the host to recharge."

The little bastard seems to think he did all the work here! But there was no time to rest—I had to fight the mage. He hadn't forgotten us.

Having stopped beating the water, he kept looking at each of us from head to toe. His armor became thinner, he shrank, but wasn't letting go of his terrible weapon.

"If you want to live, listen to me!" Lysandra yelled. "He is a blood mage, blood dissolves in the water. Keep him in the lake and he'll be harmless."

Screw it! I didn't want to hear the girl who had almost drowned me in that lake. But she really knew more than me. I would think it over later...

"Michael, attack! The blood in this form is not stronger than steel! If you try, you'll cut the lash!"

She's probably right. What does it mean, 'in this form'? I had no time to ponder. Roaring like a wounded animal, I rushed at Zagreb.

The mage realized that the real danger was Lysandra rather than me and went after her. The warlock's disciple ran away from him. The enemy screamed something in an incomprehensible language and stretched out his arm.

Repelling an Attack Check

Base 5

Bonus -4 (-2 blindness, -2 experienced enemy)

Dice Roll 3

Requirement 2

Great Success

I drew my sword and repelled an invisible stream of energy that nearly knocked me down. The blow was very strong. My blade became wet; blood dripped from it, but it didn't have time to drain. The sacrificial sword absorbed it completely. Zagreb and I were standing a few feet apart.

The mage began saying something in his language, but I didn't let him finish...

Intelligence Check

Base 5

Bonus -2

Dice Roll 1

Requirement 4

Success

At the last moment, I thought my opponent would manage to avoid the blow, so I made a hardly noticeable move with my blade and hit him in the shoulder rather than in the neck. The enemy's armor withstood my strike for a few seconds, but then the black blade penetrated a little deeper, the blood touched the tip...

And I saw the sword drinking blood, so did the mage... but it was too late. It looked like thousands of microscopic ants had gnawed through the passages inside the sword—these were the vessels through which the red liquid rushed to the hilt. Then my sword flashed and so did Zagreb. The spooky blood mage screamed like a child. And the flames ate him up inside and out.

Priority goal has been fulfilled

Northern cult of the sleeping God is destroyed

Zagreb Warokow is killed.

Ask Lord Reichard for the reward

"Serves you right, bitch." I spat in the dying mage and fell to the ground. I didn't have the strength to move. "Lysandra, Vasilisa, thank you. If it wasn't for you, I couldn't have done it…"

"Well," Lysandra admitted reluctantly, "if your water girlfriend didn't drag the mage into the water and distracted him, all would be lost."

"She's absolutely right," a cheerful female voice rang out. With great difficulty, I turned my head and saw a richly dressed lady in a black dress made entirely of black feathers.

"I'm very grateful for the entertainment. These cultists deserved this. I haven't seen such a selfless battle for a long time. But now you have become redundant."

"Who are you?" I concentrated, but the MESSAGE above the stranger's head was unreadable.

"You don't need to know that, boy." Smiling, she pointed her index finger at me, as if that was enough to kill me."

"Wait!" Lysandra shouted, staying between us. "He's a HAND's official."

"Oh, I know, but it's not a problem, because I'm gonna kill you all."

"What about those knights coming our way?" Vasilisa asked, pointing to a path.

"What? To hell with you!" The woman looked at the road, then at me. "It's not my policy, but I'll give you a choice. You must confirm that I, Enmyra White, killed all the cultists, including Zagreb Warokow; and that you just helped me. Then I'll report that the MESSAGE about Light was a mistake. Or I'll execute you as the bearer of Light in the presence of the Baron."

"We'll get out of this," Lysandra whispered.

It was stunning. I was amazed by the choice:

— admit that Enmyra White had won. Then she would drop the charge that I was a Light host. Or, perhaps, she wouldn't…

— tell the Baron the truth, hoping she wouldn't dare kill a HAND's official in his presence;

— let Lysandra negotiate. She is smart and, with some luck, she could handle this.