Rocky: Where are you, Cat? Are you asleep? Tornado, we need Tornado!
I became needed pretty quickly. Romanova must have had more cards up her sleeve, but I was the one invited to perform. Tornado, you say?
“You still haven’t told me what will make the sword stronger,” I said. “Should I upgrade Flaming Bolides? Blazing Warrior? Unlock a new affix?”
“What new abilities are available?”
“Ring of Fire and Tornado.”
Romanova, Cey-Rus, and Svechkin, who had just arrived, exchanged glances.
“Tornado!” Cey-Rus confidently said. “Only Tornado!”
“Why?”
“Ring of Fire is a protective ability, and Dmitry had already learned it, anyway,” the elf explained. “As for Tornado... You’ll understand when you use it for the first time.”
After destroying the Heart, my sword had gained enough experience to unlock another ability. I picked Tornado, the affix recommended by my new friends. The description said:
Tornado: creates an area of True Fire spreading around the wielder. 10 seconds/24 hours.
No damage, no details. Considering that True Fire could destroy any material, it sounded pretty scary. Hopefully, the Silver Stronghold keep would withstand this attack. That said, it had an Absolute-class defense: demonite, three layers of protection... I recalled Svechkin’s words and calmed down, then tapped the tray icon with the message:
Do you wish to respawn? Yes/No
Yes! Immediately, before they could gather their wits, I activated Blazing Warrior, becoming invincible for one minute. Tornado came next.
Spurts of blue flame hungrily danced around me. The wall of all-consuming True Fire looped, wrapping me in something resembling a burning cocoon. The flames poured every which way, spreading at the speed of explosion. I heard rumbling, roaring, and screams of terror as black silhouettes thrashed around, ablaze. Soon, everything was over.
In my Blazing Warrior avatar, I stopped by the respawn circle, slowly lowering Aelmaris. The hall was intact, even if covered in soot. There were no survivors. Dropped loot lay on the floor like a carpet. An endless list of killed characters flooded my combat log, a three-digit number turning into four-digit. Had I killed more than a thousand players with this Tornado? Shut up! Knowing that the next morning, I would wake up famous, I made a mental note to contact Akiru and ask to clean up my kill rating. As an owner of a Diamond account, I probably had that right. Too much fame meant many unnecessary questions.
I didn’t immediately realize that the chorus of triumphant voices in Courier wasn’t addressed to me. Players screamed so loudly as if they had won the State Lottery jackpot. Whatever it was that was changing the tide of the battle, it was going outside.
* * *
Cey-Rus stared at the bow, his expression impenetrable.
The floor shook once again, then another time, as if an invisible heart were beating inside the Silver Stronghold. A growing booming sound reached them from the depths of the fortress.
“They’re again trying to break through!” Cey-Rus said, worried.
“Svechkin’s there...as is Cat. They’ll manage,” the First Maiden replied. Then she took her Key from the stone pedestal, firm resolve on her face. For a second, the elegant weapon flashed blue, its metal glowing with silver sparks.
A bell chimed solemnly. Lines appeared in the global chat:
WARNING! THE FOURTH OF THE SEVEN HAS APPEARED IN THE WORLDS OF SPHERE!
“Let’s go, Maxim,” Lena Romanova said. “It’s time to fix the Balance!”
They stepped out into a tall inspection gallery circling the Stronghold’s main keep. Below, straight lines of valkyries waited, the metal of their futuristic armor sparkling in the light. They were grouped in squares, and winged cavalry soared in the air above them.
The faction army was ready for battle.
Outside, clearly seen through the iridescent Glowing, Pandorum’s fleet advanced on the fortress from all directions. The black silhouettes of astral ships dotted the horizon, trailing smoke from fire volleys and many-colored raygun streaks. Three bright scarlet beams stood apart from the others, each the size of a frigate: they were shot from the monstrous Colossi, the weapons installed on the juggernauts.
“They removed three percent!” Romanova said, surprised. “The Glowing’s regeneration isn’t enough; I underestimated them.”
The rumbling inside the Stronghold suddenly became louder, transforming into a deafening roar. The few portholes on the lower level of the citadel spat out blazing blue flares. For a second, the noise disappeared, and the walls stopped shaking. Thick black smoke poured out of the apertures.
“Looks like Tornado! They’re working,” Cey-Rus concluded.
“It’s time for us to do the same!” the First Maiden echoed.
She unclasped the quiver’s lid and carefully pulled out an arrow. Just like the bow, it was forged from star metal, its fletching resembling gossamer lace. The narrow pointed tip immediately glowed with an angry blue flame.
It was True Fire.
“I’ve always wanted to do it,” Romanova muttered, drawing the bow in a sharp motion. Blue sparks rained down her face and clothes, and the fiery aura around her flashed so brightly that Cey-Rus stepped back, recoiling.
An arrow broke off from the bowstring, and a flaming bolide set out into the pink skies, growing with each second until it turned into a grotesque bolt as large as an airship.
Boom! A bizarre fiery flower bloomed on the spot of a giant siege galleon. It had been torn asunder, destroying everyone and everything on board, including the dome. The power of the explosion was enough to send the burning debris to adjacent ships, igniting them as well.
Romanova smiled, content.
The second arrow, burning a frigate along the way, unerringly struck the horned frame of a juggernaut. The flagship, which looked like an eldritch horror from old stories, immediately lost its magic dome. The force
