For a few seconds, I was face to face with the creatures. I saw their insect-like shells, black tinged with blue, and the specks of light on the pointed tubes of their tentacles. The purple rays stung the Shield of Shadows, destroying its health bar. Aelmaris spat out a series of Flaming Bolides, swarming the central pursuer.
Only two out of five reached their target, but that proved to be enough. True Fire was no joke. The “spider” disappeared in a fiery explosion, transforming into a shriveled rag that crashed into the mountains of solidified magma on the beast’s back.
You dealt ??? 1002490 True Fire damage! ??? died!
Unique achievement unlocked: Enemy Unknown! You are the first player in Sphere to receive this achievement! You receive 3 free attribute points! You receive 999,000 XP! You receive 1 free attribute point!
One down! The other two darted past me under their own momentum and quickly turned around for another attack. I braced myself, also gaining altitude. Two charges left. Two enemies. There was also Blazing Warrior. I had a fairly good chance. Come on, then!
Against my expectations, the “spiders” suddenly left the attacking trajectory and sharply turned away, retreating. Astral Portals lit up in the distance. So they had decided to flee instead of fighting. I laughed. Scared, huh?
But then, I saw a giant shadow, enormous even in the Shadow Plane. It came from behind me, drowning everything in darkness. Something was coming. I turned around and cursed as white bastions, crystal spires, and dull silver towers appeared in front of me, bathed in an iridescent glow. A huge flying fortress hovered in the sky, a mysterious winged mask smiling at me from its flowing blue banners.
The Silver Stronghold. And there I was, thinking that I was the one the “spiders” had fled from!
A group of people was standing on the observation deck under the arched gates. Impassive valkyries stood guard around them. All of them looked familiar: I recognized the First Maiden’s silver mask, the Gravekeeper’s hat and bandages, and Cey-Rus’ golden curls. I came down and left the Shadow Plane.
“Thanks for your help, but I didn’t really need it,” I said, giving a mocking salute.
“As if we were trying!” Romanova snorted. “You presume too much!”
“The call for help came from the leaders of the Forgeworlds,” Cey-Rus said. “That’s where we were. We could get here faster than their fleet.”
“Then you’re late!” I pointed at the ripples on the lava — the only thing remaining of the fallen Seraphim. The sea of magma had needed only a few minutes to swallow the juggernaut.
“How did you get here?”
I shrugged in silence — what’s the difference? I was surprised myself; trouble kept sticking to me like glue.
“No surprises there,” Svechkin said with a soft chuckle, touching his hat. “It’s the result of you being one of the Seven. Whether you like it or not, circumstances will keep pushing you into situations that only a bearer of a Key can solve. That’s how the Balance works. Everything in Sphere adheres to this law.”
Interesting. So Mara had summoned me to this world because something that only the Seven Brothers could deal with was about to happen? Was the Mistress of the Succubate an instrument of the higher power that foresaw the breach? That’s why the Silver Stronghold had come there as well? I realized that there was a lot I didn’t know, but Romanova distracted me by making strange gestures.
A large spectral simulation of her hand appeared outside the stronghold. A disgusted expression on her face, she picked something up with two fingers and pulled it out of the magma. The body of the destroyed “spider” rose from the depths, rocking slowly. Obeying the First Maiden’s sharp motion, we stepped aside, making room for the crackling spiky mass put there by the giant fingers.
That creature was far from small! It was a ten-foot-long charred heap that reeked of burning. Despite the damage received from my Bolides, the weird entity was still alive. Its staying power was incredible! The black shell had swollen and burst, and the sharp barbs on its tentacled limbs were broken, revealing green bubbling flesh. A puddle of green-blue slime immediately started forming around the creature.
“Do you know what it is?” I asked.
“Not yet, but we’re about to find out!” the First Maiden said through her teeth, fearlessly stepping closer.
Chapter 19
SOMETIMES, SPHERE was too realistic for its own good. The sight of a fantastical beast being dissected was repulsive, too naturalistic, as far as I was concerned. There was no other way to get the loot and full information about the creature, but digging through its completely real-looking entrails wasn’t for the faint of heart.
I gave up when they started pulling a suspiciously humanoid figure out of the bowels while the creature lay spread like a starfish on the table. So the visitors weren’t NPCs rather than ships piloted by living beings? It had two legs, two arms, and a head connected to some slimy strands. The sight of a limp crippled body fused into the insides of the “spider” was so disgusting that I decided to wait for the autopsy results in the command room. The Gravekeeper followed me.
“So, how’s it going? Did you find the Key in the Forgeworlds?” I asked him.
“It turned out to be harder than we expected,” Rocky-Svechkin replied, frustrated. “It’s a long story. Either the Magister beat us to it, or Adam decided to play it safe...”
“Adam?”
“One of our team. He’s not in the hiding place, and his Key is missing. The
