The chamber was enveloped in darkness, and shadows hugged the columns. The only light came from two candles. They stood on a majestic altar, illuminating the skulls from which it was made. The dead jaws emitted a silent scream. Drakonis stood in the center of the room, his eyes closed, his hands tucked into the sleeves of his robe. He loomed in an incomprehensible language, his head bowed. The atmosphere there was, to say the least, terrifying and enigmatic.
The pentagram drawn on the floor with white chalk now began to glow with a red light. Blood poured from the skulls, flowing down the walls, and filling the lines of the pentagram. It seemed as if it were soaking into the rocky bedrock. A magical, five-pointed star fed on the blood. The chamber walls pulsed faintly. The candles extinguished. Darkness fell. The only sound was Drakonis's fall to the ground.
A white wolf purred softly, being caressed by a man sitting in an ornate armchair. The room was furnished with great opulence and elegance. Paintings adorned the walls, and a pleasant smell of resin wafted from the wooden furniture.
Rob sat opposite, playing with a strap wound around the wolf's fang.
"You have to be sure," the man said affirmatively.
"I am now, Taron." He replied, his inferiority palpable in his voice.
"Remember. You don't negotiate with them. Don't let him blink an eye, and most importantly, don't let him speak. Otherwise, you'll die." He paused for a moment, then added. "Take Kala with you.
" "We're never apart." He nodded in farewell and left.
Taron played with the wolf for a moment longer, then went on with his own business.
Rob pulled the parchment from his satchel and read it again just to be sure:
"It seems everything has resolved itself. From our observations, it will be easy to find him. We just need to finish what we started." At the bottom was the seal and signature "Randolf – Scout."
"Oh, this headache, I thought this wouldn't be a problem anymore. I feel too much magical pressure within me." Drakonis walked through the forest, leaning on his staff. It was tall and metal, and a human skull ornament at its tip glowed with a pale light, illuminating the trail. "The broken stone doesn't stop me. I have nothing to fear; the hordes of chaos have no intention of leaving their cursed lands. I must find another solution or try to get the crystal again. Did that woman have to interfere?!" The skull glowed brighter as the mage's mood darkened, as if they were one. "She was foolish. She wanted wealth. She could have robbed some merchant, not dared to attempt something she knew nothing about." He stopped and looked at Isilar. He remained calm, but still observed everything with his large eyes. The old grimace on his "face" had vanished, the spots now scattered carelessly across the surface and no longer held the same terror they had in Ball's days. "This Rob is strange, I haven't seen him in their ranks before, he must be new. A novice." He laughed mockingly. Their
peaceful march was interrupted by a she-wolf, which ran silently through the undergrowth and stopped in the middle of the road. She looked into his eyes. It was the same she-wolf he had saved from death at the hands of murderous peasants. It seemed strange to him that she didn't run with the pack, or that one was yet to arrive. He felt no fear in the presence of the wolves. He knew he could annihilate them with a single wave of his hand. The she-wolf merely howled at the moon and fled.
The mage had entered the goblin territory. He wasn't surprised to hear the gibberish of these creatures ahead, and a moment later, five of them blocked his path, threatening him with small swords and spears. No doubt stolen from their unfortunate victims. He didn't hesitate, aiming his staff at the first attacker. A beam of purple light pierced his chest. He fell instantly. The remaining goblins were furious, screaming and waving their filthy arms. They charged at the elf. If they had any brains, they would have known that after what had happened to their companion, their chances were slim. The same beam, but much more powerful, felled them all.
Apparently, their roar had awakened the remaining companions. The next six were ready for battle.
An arrow pierced the air. All that could be heard was a whistling sound, followed by the wheezing of the dying creature. He was hit squarely in the head. Drakonis, disoriented, looked up and didn't see his companion. Another arrow pinned the goblin to the ground. The shooter jumped down from the tree. In his black cloak, he was almost invisible. He now wielded two swords. He turned to face the mage. Yes, this was Rob. Not the same as before—foolish and timid. He looked as if he had grown taller in the past few days, his body gaining muscle.
For the next few seconds, one could admire the masterful combat with the goblins. Rob didn't fight like an ordinary warrior, he danced. He spun, slashed, dodged blows, performing acrobatic tricks. The sight was incredible; seconds were enough for all the creatures to lie dead.
"Bravo!" Drakonis clapped his hands. "Bravo!" I felt like I was in a real arena.
Rob didn't answer, unslung his bow and drew back the string.
A shrill, mocking laugh rang out.
"What are you snorting about, you rascal?!" He didn't know why, but he hesitated and didn't release the arrow.
"And what's the point of this whole masquerade?" He couldn't help but burst out laughing again.
"I figured you out. You were poorly disguised. Your peeling skin is a known disease of those who practice dark magic and dig in tombs. Now you will die!
" "I doubt it." Rob couldn't take the effort and loosened his bowstring. "You see, you were late."
"How do you know it was us?!"
"How?" He sneered. "Don't be ridiculous. You already revealed yourself in the village. I'll admit, you played a good game with that Karen. But your eyes. Only the chosen ones belong to the Brotherhood of the Wolf. They're better known by another name, witch hunters, am I mistaken?
" "No, but that's not important anymore. You lost.
" "You're not listening carefully, I told you you were late." Only now did his tone become serious.
"You're lying!" he yelled. "We saw that your ritual failed. You fainted. The stone is useless." Instead of being bothered by the words, the elf replied with a laugh.
"And what does the transformation stone have to do with necromancy? You might have made a mistake, but your masters? If you'd read the books, you'd know that this crystal is needed for protection against chaos. That's all I'm missing." Rob was surprised, he couldn't understand it. "What's intriguing is that you were the one who destroyed that beast of chaos in the village. Why? Only she could still destroy me...
" "I couldn't expose the villagers to death, I had to.
" "How honorable you are." There was a hint of irony in his voice.
"You're always lying, elf. If you already knew everything in the village, why did you help Kali?
" "Kali?" he asked, surprised. "Oh, that's the she-wolf's name. You ask why?" He stopped. "Is it so hard to guess? I wanted to play with you, and besides, if I hadn't intervened, she would have managed on her own anyway. It's clear she was faking it. If she wanted to, she would have ripped out all their throats with her fangs.
" "Play?! Do you know what you're saying? You're always lying, trying to deceive me. You're mad!" He recalled Taron's words. He drew back the bowstring.
"How stupid these people are," he said to himself. "They don't understand anything. Shoot, keep shooting, and see for yourself that I've been dead for over 100 years!"
Rob couldn't believe it. He released the arrow, striking it masterfully straight through the heart. Drakonis staggered back. He looked at the arrow embedded in his body and laughed in his most demonic way. Three more arrows lodged in his chest. The last, aimed at his head, was repelled by the staff's power.
"It's no use," Rob thought. "We lost, he was telling the truth. But how? What wrong did I do, what mistake did I make?"
"Your weapon is useless. I feel sorry for you, but don't worry, there are others." A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
Rob couldn't utter a word. He couldn't accept the fact that he had failed. The she-wolf ran and sat at his leg.
"It's too late, Kali, there's nothing we can do now," he stroked her soft fur. "Go away, let chaos consume you," he yelled at the elf. "You succeeded. You deceived us all, Drakonis."
"You're wrong," a veritable flood of light emanated from the eye sockets of the skull mounted on the staff. "I cheated death…
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