Lik and Amy vs the dark Circle

  "It's scary, of course, but you can't just abandon hundreds of plague patients."

  "Of course, you're right. I'll tell the rest of the doctors, they're getting ready to go, but we need guards on the way. Get to the military barracks and ask Legate Sagitta to send a squad of soldiers with you."

  "And what will you do?"

  "I will stay here, I will observe the newly arrived patients from Aleroth, and Mardenia needs to be looked after. If he had been cured, I would have been much calmer, maybe I should visit the catacombs myself."

  "No way! My brother and I will go there ourselves, but it's too dangerous for you there."

  Well, while my brother is resting, we can go hunting for greenskins.

  from the book military studies 1:

  `There are three types of swordsmen: amateurs, braggarts, and masters. If you know the basic techniques of swordsmanship, then you can easily distinguish an amateur from a master. The amateur holds the sword somehow, and he does not stand firmly on his feet. The braggart, having picked up the tops of his skills, shows his art for the sake of ostentatious bravado. You will find them at any fair: they are usually drawn in front of admiring girls. A true master travels from city to city, teaching beginners the science of fencing, but he always keeps his best shots a secret. He will teach you everything that you can learn yourself... but not everything he knows himself."

Chapter 3. Catacombs under the city.

(Amy)

  "Brother, are you crazy?! Where are you going?"

  "Mardenius must be saved."

  "These are the catacombs of the undead. Do you have any idea how many dead people he's raised?"

  "I'm not going to go too far."

  Oh, and he's calling me a suicide. We're standing at the entrance to the catacombs Lanilor directed us to.

  "Let's go already. We will not go further than the first level."

  I let my brother go ahead, hang the shield on him, and follow him down. After examining the room, I see a book on a pedestal.

  "Brother, wait. Someone's notes are here."

  From Mardenius' notes:

  "The ancient catacombs have not been entered by living beings for many years, and even I, Mardenius, would not dare to enter there. I ordered my students to seal the entrance, because I felt the ominous emanations emanating from the depths of the catacombs. None of the brave men returned. To tell the people who settled there about the nature of evil. But in the very breath of the dungeons there are signs of the magic of a certain powerful wizard.

  I have written to the Duke of Ferol at Storm Castle and asked him to send several troops to Aleroth to deal with this scourge. Alas, the Duke ignores my messages.

  This book should be a message to everyone who comes here. Come back before it's too late! Trying to solve the mystery of this terrible place, we lost half a dozen worthy people. May these deaths be the last in these catacombs. And may the gods rest the souls of the departed!"

  "Lik, are you sure you want to go down there?"

  "Of course, yes! Let's clear this place of the undead in the name of the seven gods!"

  Again! Spirits for that...

  No, one day I will definitely run away to my dark knight in his circle from this paladin with a codex instead of brains. No, one day I will definitely run away to my dark knight in his circle from this paladin with a codex instead of brains.

  Pressing a lever in the wall, I unlock the entrance grate.

  "I beg."

  I wave my hand to my brother as he passes. When he gets close, he cautiously goes inside.

  After passing through the corridor, we enter a room with a pentagram on the floor. There is a scroll nearby.

  "The servant Roland, accused of betraying his master, was tortured on Feleron's orders. The criminal refused to admit his guilt, and then Feleron ordered that his eye be burned out with a red-hot iron. The scoundrel's teeth were pulled out one by one, and his right arm was also taken away. In the end, the traitor confessed to what he had done, and the executioner was allowed to end the sufferings of the criminal by boiling him in tar. It later turned out that Roland was innocent and thus gave false testimony. Feleron decreed that any servant who finds the audacity to shamelessly lie to his master, especially while under torture, will share the fate of Roland."

  I put the scroll away from my brother's eyes. He doesn't seem to have recovered from the encounter with the orcs yet.

  After walking through the rooms, we come across a magic sphere. I carefully pick her up and put her in my backpack. Then I pick up the key and the second sphere. So far, we're lucky and the undead inside the catacombs are the lowest.

  From Feleron's diary:

  "1207 sembten 24

  It takes much longer to prepare the revival ritual than I expected. The thought of how long I'll have to lie dead before I'm resurrected makes my blood run cold! I have too many dead enemies who only dream of dragging me to the Underworld. It is absolutely necessary to devote all the time allotted to me in search of a recipe for an endless life.

  1207 sembten 31

  How foolish of me to discuss my research in the field of death and resurrection with the short-sighted fools from Aleroth! They called me a crazy knacker and refused to continue the discussion. Don't they understand that without experiments on lower animals (cats, rabbits, and slaves), the movement of true science is impossible? You fools! They will also learn the power of my resurrection spells. I will rise from the dust to strike and crush them all!"

  "Sis, stop reading. Take the sphere and move on."

  After putting the book back on the shelf, I go over to the Face and remove the ball glowing with blue lightning.

  I wonder if this necromancer has already gotten up or if something went wrong in the ritual? Judging by Mardenius, the latter.

  Damn, orcs, and big ones too!

  "Hey, hey, man. Smaruk wants to talk to you."

  I put my hand on my brother's shoulder and pull him back.

  "What do you want, orc?"

  "Me and these friends." He points to a dozen smaller orcs next to him. "Search for the magic axe. Clearly! The name of the axe was chopping. We don't have a chopper! We want a chopper. Are you helping?"

  My ears. What kind of chopper is that, by the way?

  "Yes, we'll bring it if we see it."

  "Go look for it. Me and my friends will wait here."

  I drag my brother into the aisle with me.

  "Amy, you're crazy! What kind of axe?"

  "Are you suggesting we fight this big guy? You can barely hold a sword in your hands, you idiot. That's why I dragged you to the healers."

  "But these are orcs!"

  "Lik, the fact that we're fighting now doesn't negate the fact that we used to get along together for 600 years. Do you even like any of the other races?"

  "The elves."

  Well, who would doubt it.

  "Come on, elf-lover, you're mine."

  "Hey. Unlike you, I'm not dating a scumbag who attacked me with a sword in his hands the first time."

  "It suited both of us. Yes, and we agreed while the catacombs were being cleaned."

  Hmm, the statue.

  "I don't recall this woman among the gods."

  "Lik, I think there's a diary in there."

  I'm examining an old notebook.

  From the diary of Georg Badger. A soldier who became a hired bodyguard:

  "Silvana was fatally wounded because of my cowardice. The bandits took the money and just stabbed her with a sword. Leaving him to die. When I returned, she was still alive. Although her life was draining away before her eyes.

  Sensing my approach, she held out her hand to me. I leaned over to support her. But as soon as I got close to her, she grabbed my hair and slowly, with great difficulty, uttered a terrible curse.

  — You left me to the mercy of the robbers, Gregor. You did not fulfill your duty and did not protect me to the end. And I curse you. You will pay a heavy price for your dastardly betrayal. You will protect my statue in a way that you failed to protect me. You will remain with my statue both during life and after death. And if only you can find someone you can protect by being brave and not caring about yourself, my curse will be lifted."

  "This coward was a bodyguard and abandoned his employer in battle. She's dead. The statue is probably hers. Oh, there are more notes here."

  "Since her death, every day I have been attracted to her grave with a statue. Now my life is coming to an end, and I write these lines knowing that they will be the last. I'm afraid that even death won't release me from my obligation. I pray that one day I will be able to show valor and, freed from the curse, find oblivion."

  The face approaches the statue and activates it.

  "My guardian, hear me and come to my call. You've already failed me once, but I'm giving you a chance to show valor."

  A well-preserved zombie appears.

  "My guardian, will you lead me again. Can you protect him and free yourself from the curse?"

  "No... Never..."

  oh, my gosh. Only the zombies in the bodyguards were not enough for my brother. Okay, the zombies will die in the catacombs anyway.

  Swear that this time you will do your best to protect your ward. You won't run away and cover it with your body. Staying with him until the end.

  "I... I swear..."

  "Well, let's go or something. Face, put away the sword."

  "It would be better if I called your dark knight."

  "You summoned him yourself, so be patient."

  Walking into a room with three pentagrams on the floor, I stop at a stone pedestal.

  "Dear Horace

  , to prevent insignificant doctors from entering my workrooms, I created three pentagrams at the entrance to the catacombs. To open the passage to the secret chambers, you need to place a magic sphere in each pentagram.

  Sincerely, Feleron the fearless."

  After reading the message, I take out all the spheres and place them in the middle of the pentagrams. After waiting for the portal to activate. I'm driving my brother and my zombie into it.