She suddenly smiled, which on her unfriendly face looked like a bright flower breaking through the snow.

  “You know, I always wondered who it was that lived there? I even dreamed of flying to the Skyfort sometime, ask to come aboard. From a distance, it looks very exciting. Alright, let’s go.”

  Edith slapped Jack on the shoulder with such force that he staggered. Defenders didn’t always know their own strength, because the servo armor strengthened their every movement. If Edith was making silly mistakes, forgetting about her armor, then she was also worried. Didn’t inspire a lot of confidence... But it was too late, now.

  The second car with the defenders pulled up. It braked, splashing muddy water from under its tires. A loud echo rang out. In this dungeon, any sound was echoed. Jack would have watched Edith’s people prepare the ambush, but there was no time. He clapped the virt-helm on his head and turned on the console.

  * * *

  Entering the Shell, he glanced at the time. 05:45. Not much time left before dawn, but in Alterra the sun rose two hours later. He still had a little more night.

  Peter, are you there? The gateway will open within an hour. Early morning is the best time to attack. I can’t contact you any more, I need to take care of the gateway. See you in the cistern, old bastard.

  Great, Jack. Everything will be fine, and you and Lisa will stop being angry with me.

  Jack activated the symbol to enter the game and, while his consciousness rushed through the rainbow tunnel to Alterra, he went over all he had to do in his head. Conlock Caves. There must be a portal to the First Temple, which contained the altars of the Elder Gods. He needed to use the last stones from Theokrist’s Rosary there... Alright, he was in the chapel. He jumped out onto the city intersection and opened his inventory, glancing at the sky. While he’d been in reality, the Skyfort had already managed to pass above Jackcity and was now retreating to the west.

  He summoned the eerie Ged monster. His trusty steed appeared, already hissing, baring his toothy maw and flapping his webbed wings.

  Looked like his stats had updated.

  Winged Steed of the Dark Servant.

  Expertise: 2

  Health: 70.

  Agro zone: 25

  And what selections did we have in the menu? A wing icon, familiar after his time with the War Hound... And nothing else! And how was he supposed to steer? Perhaps the bridle would help, the gift from the bear-people? Jack gave the command to take off, clinging to the reins. The transformed Ged had already spread his wings...

  “Come on, mule! Necta promised me that you would be fast, so show me what you can do!”

  The strange beast made several hops over the pavement, picking up speed, leaped and flapped its wings over the city rooftops.

  The winged steed was gradually mastering its new abilities. Each flap of its wings became more confident and powerful. The earth fell away and the wind whistled in his ears. That was how the game portrayed an increase in speed. Jack looked at the landscape below, trying to make out details in the twilight. When he held his gaze on his mount’s withers for a couple of seconds, his stats popped up. Again, they were new, offering more information:

  Winged Steed of the Dark Servant.

  Experience: 2

  Health: 70

  Agra zone: 25

  Properties

  Flight:

  Max. duration of a non-stop flight is 100 miles.

  Max. speed: 50 meters per second.

  Max. height 2 miles.

  It seemed that his pet was still continuing to form, even in flight. Jack recalled what he knew about the properties of winged mounts. The mount was weak in all respects, with one exception. Namely, its speed. Jack couldn’t remember seeing this speed in gryphons, sphinxes or hippogriffs. Rightly so. Necta had particularly emphasized its speed. It had very little health, and its agro zone was too small... but the speed was impressive. So, he’d be there very soon. The Skyfort was still sailing in the sky. Perhaps, it was moving away from him, although flying in about the same direction. Who has speed now!

  Attention! Report received from the archon of your city.

  While mining, your workers...

  The Market in your city has reached level 2...

  Residents of your city have founded the following buildings...

  The mage Sartorius has been accepted for service...

  Sartorius? Did old Sartorius manage to get this far? And he’d even asked to join the city. Damn, that’s someone he’d be happy to see, make friends anew, drink a beer in the Mendez Tavern as they listened to Anna’s songs... When this adventure was over, Jackcity was going to become a great city, rich, prosperous, populated by glorious people.

  Yes, only adventures never end, that’s the thing. He refused to read the report and sent it to his Inventory.

  BELOW, THE DAMAGED CUPOLA of Adomaah’s smithy appeared. Jack tugged the reins, squeezed tight with his knees to the mount’s sides and eventually forced him to land. There was the already familiar cleft in the rocks, the long series of steps leading to darkness... Here was the pile of ashes, the remains of the hero, Voldos. Jack stepped over his resting place and ran down the corridor. Quick, quick... don’t waste time at this intermediary stage. He needed the portal .But the corridor stretched and stretched... until it ended at a blank wall.

  What the hell? He couldn’t be wrong. Everything was falling perfectly in line. Voldos had access to the First Temple! What kind of joke was this? He stared at the wall and glowing letters appeared on it. Immediately, the info window popped up, helpfully translating the ancient runes:

  Only one who has known the world and looked into his face may pass this way.

  More riddles? Look into the Face of the Earth... Look into the Face of the Earth... Ah! Well, of course, only a player who has collected all the fragments of the Face of the Earth would be able to access the portal. And old Jack was just that very player.

  He pulled out his Face of the Earth fragments and pressed the final piece he’d received from Voldos’ drop to the tripled stub. The parchment shuddered in his hands, merging into a single map.

  Face of the Earth.

  Unique

  Interactive map of the continent.

  Attention! You are the first player to collect the Face of the Earth.

  You receive 1 XP. You have 64 XP.

  Earn 6 XP unlock new skills.

  And the wall in front of Jack melted. The corridor stretched farther, and in the depths, there was a purple glow. He went more cautiously now, fearing some obstacle in the form of another monster or dead warrior. However, he didn’t encounter anything else, because he had already taken care of Voldos at the beginning of the corridor, and he, after all, was a great warrior who had fought with a God.

  So, he found himself before an arch, a lilac star shining inside, filling in the emptiness with its soft glow. An inscription popped up above it:

  Welcome to the abode of the Gods, great hero!

  “It’s nice when people recognize you right away,” Jack muttered, stepping into the light cloud.

  The radiance flashed, and he was momentarily blinded... when the darkness returned, Jack glanced around. Where was he? Oh, hell. His gaze locked eyes with Dark Necta.

  * * *

  At first it looked like the Goddess’s ghostly figure rising before him, but Jack realized in the next instant that it was a statue. He was in some sort of dungeon, darkness reigned within. Details of the decor gradually began to grow more distinct. Sinister ornaments made of chains and skulls, columns wrapped with spiny shoots. In the center, the statue of Necta stood and in front of her... well, of course! The altar, the one on which should activate with the stones on Theokrist’s Rosary.

  Yes, he was already here, in the First Temple, in that section dedicated to the nocturnal goddess. And behind her, he saw a staircase leading up. Just like in any temple, Necta was in the basement, and Vecta was above it, on the surface of the earth.

  Jack walked confidently to the altar and took out the Rosary. One of the black stones melted, and flames rose on the altar. And in them, the image of the hero appeared.

  “Onward, my friend, do not delay!” Theokrist called from the fire “there is very little time left, and the Great Mystery of Alterra...”

  But Jack wasn’t listening anymore, he gazed at the stairs behind the statue. He saw reflections of light moving slowly there. And footsteps sounded. Something glowing was roaming the floor above. The temple trembled. A crack ran through the dark ceiling, from which beat sharp, bright beams of light. Several stones fell near Jack.

  “Connection established! Spells activated!” a thick bass voice thundered above Jack.

  He didn’t understand what this was. He didn’t think that it is what his quest was supposed to look like. More like an alien intervention. And if the Inner Circle was being driven somewhere by Skyfort, maybe, straight here? In the First Temple? Just in case, he pulled on the Power Gauntlets and flipped the Twilight Shield from his back. The stairs behind the statue of Necta were flooded in a bright light and the steps grew louder. Someone was coming down.

  The light spilled from the stairs into the darkness of the underground temple. It was a warrior in gold armor. His whole figure emanated radiance. The warrior peered at Jack for a heartbeat, then swung his sword. Jack ducked behind the statue and squeezed his eyes shut. Even through closed eyelids, it flared brightly. A Light Attack, like the Harbingers and their Tridents. Jack raised the Twilight Shield higher to cover his face, and rushed toward the stairs.

  The next light strike he took on the shield, and he and the stranger circled around the hall, looking at each other.

  “Jack the Tramp. Scand. Expertise: 64,” read the enemy. “Not bad, probably, for a mere mortal.”

  “You don’t even have anything,” Jack said.

  There were no stats over the warrior’s head. He was tall, powerfully built, and clad in golden armor. On his head, he wore a helmet with a scarlet crest. Overall, a good-looking guy.

  “The gods do not need stats,” the warrior smiled. “But you made me worry, I admit. You deserve to die by the hand of a God. I’m Victorious Ged. You destroyed so many of my personal mobs that I thought I should bestow upon you a special honor. Let the others carry on with the First Temple, and I will deal with you.”

  He swung his sword, but Jack was ready. He tried to activate Sprint. It failed, and the Skill icon was pale, blocked.

  Before the power of the original gods, the magic of mortals recedes! *

  * Note: In the First Temple, the use of Skills not permitted.

  This was bad, very bad!

  He understood perfectly well that the god’s chatter was to distract him. When the light beam fell from his enemy’s blade, Jack picked up the shield and rushed him. The light attack was probably supposed to sweep any enemy away, however the Twilight Shield possessed the ability to absorb any blow. Plus, the hand holding it was wearing the Power Gauntlet, which equalized the forces. Jack broke through to Ged, swung his black sword and immediately retreated. His opponent’s sword shot up in return, but couldn’t turn the black blade away.

  Ged glanced sideways at the sliced cuirass on his chest.

  “Not bad. You’re as strong as me... It’s amazing. But Gods can’t be killed. I didn’t even feel the wounds, can you believe it?”

  They again circled the hall, waiting for the moment to skirmish again.

  “Now I’ll tell you what’s next,” God said. “I know not from which quests you got this weapon and why you are as strong as God. That’s a good sword. Cut my divine armor. Yes, and the shield... nothing can withstand Ged’s light attack, still your shield managed. But the outcome of the fight is predetermined.”

  Jack decided that the enemy was sufficiently full of himself. And he wasn’t very attentive. Well, alright then! He threw the shield up, attacked and, cast his arm up and out with the sword, managing to catch Ged again.

  “That’s exactly what I was about to say, and you interrupted me. It’s not polite!” the god smiled, retreating. “You can cut, prick, use magic. You cannot prevail against God. But I’ll kill you sooner or later. Look!”

  Ged rushed to the attack, swung his sword, struck his shoulder against the shield and forced Jack to back away. The divine blade slid under the Twilight Shield and grazed his thigh.

  You receive damage!

  You lose 20 hit points!

  Ged jumped back. Still, Jack kept him alert.

  “You see,” the god continued. “Another time or two, I’ll catch you, and that’ll be it. And the spawn point will be right here. There is no closed chapel. You materialize in the temple. And I will be here waiting for you.”

  Gathering all his strength, Jack attacked. He struck with the shield, cast Ged’s weapons aside, got in close and put his sword through the god’s face. Ged teetered. It was unlikely that he’d caused significant damage, but getting struck in the face, well, it always makes you a little nervous. Ged leaned back, slightly tilting his face up, and Jack plunged the Shadow of the King into his chest until the middle of the blade.

  He bounced away and... what the hell? Ged didn’t even stagger, although his blood splashed on the gold cuirass. Alright, again taking a fighting stance. He was even grinning, that scum.

  “Jack the Tramp, I’m a god, after all. I do not fear wounds, which for a mortal would be critical. But you interrupting me all the time is extremely rude! So, I’ll wait for you at the rep point, I’ll kill you again and again. You will drop to level one. And then what? I wonder what will happen if a level-one player dies again? Or the tenth time? The hundredth? Sooner or later, Alterra will consider this a mistake and erase your account. A good mechanism, eh? You’ve become a problem, and I’ve decided to get rid of this problem once and for all.”

  In the god’s left hand, an axe appeared, he went on the attack, striking alternately with both weapons. Any of them could be fatal. And then to resp in an open place and... and each time Jack’s level would drop, making the next death easier and faster.

  Ged acted so boldly that Jack managed to catch him and deal a few successful blows. Even a very strong player would be forced at least to moderate the rush. But Ged continued his attack. Hell, he probably had a thousand lives, no less. If there was a limit at all. And all the while, he wouldn’t shut up.

  “What, mortal? Do you think you have it in you to fight a God? The God of battle? To fight Victorious Ged himself?”

  “Ha, yes, I named my donkey after you. Called him Victorious Ged. Now, there are two asses with the same name in Alterra.”

  Was he frowning? Yes, you need him to lose control. Let him get angry.

  “And you’re not a real god, either, eh?”

  “Are you certain?”

  “You are an impostor.” Jack reflected the axe with the Twilight Shield, and cut Ged’s leg. He nearly fell. As he turned, he hit the falling man from above. “You’re a false god. A Forgery.”

  Ged retreated to grit out, “You have no idea whom you’re talking to. I am a God. More real than the program code written by some little Poindexter. I am a God of this world. I rule them. I decide who lives and who dies. I am the most powerful being here!”

  “And why do you need this power? How do you use it?” Jack leaned over again, picking up the King’s Shadow. “Are you rebuilding civilization? Are you helping people rebuild the world? Or maybe you just play in Alterra? I do, too. And thousands more omega.”

  Cracks above their head spread faster. Several cobblestones fell from the ceiling. What the hell is going on in the upper church?

  “The world is dead,” Ged muttered. “It can’t be revived. And why? There is no civilization, there is nothing to revive!”

  Aha, he was backing up. Here we go.

  “You’re the most powerful being? And you rule a pathetic patch of earth, sandwiched between the ocean and the Wastelands? You are not a real God, but a cheap fake. You lie in a capsule. You pretend you’re a giant. Just like many others.”

  Now, Jack began to increase the pace. Another blow, another, and another. Damn, when will you begin to weaken?

  “Alterra!” Ged shouted. “This is the world where my power is visible to all! I float above the people in Skyfort! I watch you from above! You’ve trudged into my temples for a tiny buff! Alterra! Here is my world! Here are my holdings!”

  Ged dug his heels in and stopped retreating. They both showered one another with blows. God let them land, but didn’t weaken. Jack had to watch both his opponent’s hands and rely heavily on the Twilight Shield.

  He decided to take a risk. He went left, now almost completely open, unable to use the shield. Come on, fake god, here’s your chance.

  Ged yelled and rushed forward. Jack’s sword was able to repel the sword, but the ax made a pass across the ribs.

  You receive damage!

  You lose 15 hit points!

  But now... a long lunge. The sword plunged into Ged’s throat. It had to be a crit, No way it couldn’t be. He’d pierced right through. Jack jumped back, pulling out the blade. What the hell, he wasn’t even shaken. Can he really not be defeated?

  “You are resisting. Don’t you want to beg for mercy? Good, it will not help. The gods do not release their sacrifices.”

  “Sacrifices?”

  But this was an idea! It was a stunning idea. The gods don’t release their sacrifices. What a super idea! Now Jack had a plan. It was a very good plan, if only because he had no other.

  It was a simply amazing plan, but he had to get everything right on the first attempt. He wouldn’t have enough life left for a second one. Only his enemy no longer wanted to aggravate him anymore and was keeping his guard up. What would provoke him, eh?

 

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