Ignoring the revolting stench that enveloped me, I carefully examined the mound of bones and assorted debris that had been heaped into a massive pile.
I had no idea how long ago this creature had made its lair here, but the mountain of refuse was truly formidable. Judging by the skulls scattered about, the worm had been feasting not only on animals but also on humans.
Wolves, dogs, hares... It seemed as though it devoured everything foolish enough to get close to its lair.
Looks like it had quite the feast here. Do you see this? Dorian murmured with a hint of amusement. At least it didn't die hungry.
Of course I saw it. The scattered bones, the shredded remains, the stench of decay hanging thick in the air. But how was I supposed to find the promised artifact in the middle of all that carnage?
I cast a glance around, but Claudia was nowhere to be seen. She was probably outside, sharing her thoughts with poor Alexey, or scolding him as a representative of the younger generation. Though why "poor," really? It wasn't like he could hear her, no matter how loudly she talked. Or maybe she was already down by the lake, chasing memories that refused to fade.
I called out a few times, but there was no reply.
It looked like I'd have to do the digging myself.
I selected a slightly longer bone and began sifting through the heap, feeling like some sort of juvenile grave robber.
Skulls, bones, more skulls, more bones, broken trinkets, then bones again... Rubbish all around. If I kept up at this pace, I'd be here until dawn.
"Claudia!" I shouted at the top of my lungs, voice echoing through the silence.
"I'm right here, sonny. What's all the shouting for?" came the old woman's voice, startlingly quick in response. Had she been lurking behind the corner all along? "Calm down, dearie. Nerves cause all sorts of ailments."
"You don't make being calm easy..."
"You should be celebrating, dearie. You've done quite a few good deeds! You helped me and took down that monstrous creature. It was devouring people, mind you. That'll benefit the city as well. And if its residents are happy—" "Alright, alright. I get it. Where's the artifact? How are we supposed to find anything in this chaos?"
"You silly child. It's right there."
"What? Where?"
"See that chain there with the pretty trinket?"
I examined the spot where she was pointing more carefully and caught a faint glint of metal. One of the bones had a chain wrapped around it, with a pendant hanging from it. It was very shiny. Glass, perhaps?
I crouched down to get a better look at it, but I hesitated to pick it up. Something about it didn't sit right with me...
"How do you even know about this artifact?"
"How do you not? Here in the Boar's Ravine, rare herbs grow, and you can often find witches and alchemists lurking around. You haven't heard of Zakhar Goatleg?" She looked at me as if everyone in the Empire should be familiar with this story.
"No?"
"He had one hoofed foot since he was a child," she said, hoping that would jog my memory.
"Doesn't ring a bell, I fear," I said, keeping my gaze fixed on the chain. I still didn't trust it one bit. "How did he wind up with a hoofed foot?"
"God only knows." She shrugged and crossed herself. "He was a wild one. We all kept our distance from him, but he'd wave that trinket around as he went."
"So you're saying that the worm ate this guy?"
"Can you imagine? At first, I couldn't believe it myself. I even went to check, just in case. And voilà! His trinket was here."
"What makes you think it's magical?"
"It was glowing when Zakhar was showing it off. I know you're young, but you can't be this clueless."
I'd show her clueless. Just because a thing glowed didn't mean it was an artifact. Though, now that I thought about it, she might be onto something. Perhaps this glass trinket was tempting me for a reason.
But I couldn't just pick it up. Dorian had already lectured me about the dangers of recklessness, and I could feel that there was definitely something odd about this thing.
Petka's ring didn't make me feel on edge. Something wasn't quite right here.
"Dorian, what's your take? I don't like this thing. You told me that I should always go with my gut. Well, my gut's telling me that this thing is cursed. The air around it seems to vibrate with energy..."
I see you're learning. I heard his joyful voice echoing in response.
Congratulations. Your senses are sharpening. That thing is indeed cursed.
"What am I supposed to do with it now?"
If I were just a bit stronger, I could gauge the curse's strength and guide you to the rune that would banish it. But given the circumstances...
"Don't tell me we came here for nothing," I lamented, casting a glance at Claudia, who was looking at me with a silly, innocent smile plastered all over her face.
Take it with you, and when we have a bit more time, we'll sit down and explore the rune options. I don't think it'll be too complicated.
"You're the boss."
I reached out toward the artifact, but almost immediately, Dorian's shout made my head ache as if it were about to explode.
Are you out of your mind?! You're not planning to pick it up with your bare hands, are you?!
I pulled my hands back and quickly hid them behind my back. That was actually what I was about to do... Unless there were other options I wasn't seeing.
You will be the second death of me, boy, Dorian groaned. And to think I just praised you...
"Alright, stop complaining. Just tell me what I need to do," I cut him off. "You can tell me how stupid I am later."
Grab a piece of cloth and a stick, put the chain on it, and wrap it up.
A piece of cloth?
I looked around for something suitable. There were plenty of rags lying about, but I had no desire to carry any of them with me.
I tore off a large chunk of my shirt and did exactly as Dorian instructed.
"There's your payment, sonny," Claudia said as I wrapped the trinket carefully in several layers of fabric. "And you said I was lying. Look how shiny and pretty it is."
"Not quite."
"What?" she squeaked, voice trembling.
"There's a curse on this thing. We'll need to lift it first, then figure out what kind of magic is inside, and that's going to take time," I said firmly, fixing her with a serious look. "Also, I had to tear my shirt just to pick it up. I'm sure Alexey will have a few choice words for you as well."
"He won't," she muttered spitefully.
"Why's that?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Because he's not here..."
"What do you mean?"
"A strange, round thing appeared next to him right after I cursed him. He was just standing there like a fool, not listening to my nice story.
Then it yanked him aside. One moment he was there, and the next — poof.
Gone."
Damn it all!
Without a word, I dashed toward the cave's exit, burst out into the open, and spotted a Distortion right at the entrance.
Did that cursed thing drag him inside? He'd mentioned they could do that, but I'd never truly believed it until now. It didn't feel like it was pulling me in the last time...
Without hesitation, I drew and activated my energy sword, then stepped boldly into the unknown. At the last second, I glanced at the surface of the Distortion, a mirrored image of the world beyond. The rule was simple: if the reflection looked too different, there was probably trouble waiting on the other side.
Nothing seemed off, so I pressed on.
Inside, the distorted world still looked almost exactly like a ravine.
The only real difference was the ground, where jagged rocks covered every inch that should have been earth. At the bottom, a strange, muddy yellow stream flowed by, looking anything but safe.
Alexey stood some ten steps away, swinging his sword with frantic determination, trying to fend off two creatures that looked like giant frogs.
Only these had unnaturally large teeth and were a dark, ominous blue.
At first glance, it seemed he was holding his own. His stance was solid, and he didn't appear to be bleeding. Still, his face wore a distinctly malicious expression.
"Death to the frogs!" I shouted as I charged forward, hoping to rally Alexey, signal my arrival, and, above all, draw at least one of the monsters toward me.
With a guttural croak, one of them turned and spat something fiery in my direction. Something that looked uncomfortably like a blazing fireball.
I dodged as best I could. The sphere hissed past my shoulder with a sharp, sizzling sound. I felt a flicker of heat brush my skin. In that instant, I swung my sword and struck. The blow landed squarely on the frog's bloated body.
A sound like meat sizzling on a hot skillet filled the air, and the amphibian croaked loudly before collapsing onto its backside. While it writhed, exposing the entrails slowly oozing from its torn abdomen, I struck again, this time aiming straight for its skull.
For a fleeting moment, I saw before me its enormous, bewildered eyes. It seemed genuinely surprised by what had just transpired. Then, with a sickening pop, its head burst open like a watermelon, splattering us with a shower of meat chunks and bone fragments.
The second frog, suddenly recognizing me as the bigger threat, faltered and began to turn. But it never had the chance to act. In perfect unison, Alexey and I swung our swords, and three chunks of flesh hit the ground with a wet thud.
"Are you alright?" I asked the prince, who was staring at the slain frogs with wide, astonished eyes.
"Alive," he replied, never taking his gaze off the gruesome sight.
"And you?"
"Same here. Though one of them spat at me."
I gazed into the depths of the ravine and noticed something unusual.
On the far side, where we had entered, a stone pedestal had suddenly appeared. Sitting atop it was a frog, but this one was about twice the size of the ones we had just dispatched.
"You got pulled in here?" I asked Alexey.
"I warned you that Distortions can do that," he said, stepping closer and eyeing my shoulder. "Let me see. With my second Gift, I'm practically a healer-in-training."
It's just a scratch. Don't waste time on it, Dorian said impatiently. I need a bit more strength... Just a little more...
"Later. We have more important things to worry about right now." I nodded toward the pedestal with the frog. "Let's take it out."
Alexey peered into the ravine's depths and frowned.
"I don't like the look in its beady little eyes. Let's head back while we're still in one piece. That thing looks like it's in some kind of trance.
And you're hurt."
"This?" I looked at my torn, bloodstained sleeve. "It's just a scratch.
We'll deal with it later. Let's finish what we started and destroy the Curse."
Alexey cast another glance at the frog and reluctantly nodded in agreement.
"Alright, but don't charge at it like a bull. We'd better sneak up on it."
Carefully, keeping the frog in sight, we moved forward with utmost caution.
"I'm going to have a few words with your spectral friend once we're done here," Alexey hissed as we stepped forward in a slow arc toward the pedestal, keeping an eye on the monster perched on top, watching for any sign of movement.
"You and me both."
Fifteen steps from the stone pedestal, the frog suddenly croaked loudly and lunged directly at us.
Immediately, Alexey and I jumped to the side. I felt the ground shake beneath my feet from its heavy landing.
I spun around to see the frog start to inflate a bubble. As I was pondering the best approach to get close to it, the creature spat the projectile straight at Alexey.
The prince dodged swiftly to the side, and the bubble burst against the wall behind him, splattering sticky droplets everywhere. Immediately, a few bloody spots appeared on his face.
"Die, you slippery bastard!" he shouted, charging at the frog, which was already inflating a new bubble.
I took a few quick jumps forward and plunged my sword directly into its back. Did it think that Alexey was more dangerous because he was bigger? A rookie mistake!
The air reeked of burnt flesh. The frog let out a deafening croak before whipping around to face me. As I stepped back to brace for its next move, it opened its toothy maw and hurled another bubbling projectile straight at my face.
I barely dodged it, throwing myself to the side as the bubble hissed past and burst with a wet splatter. I used to think frogs were only fast when jumping, but this one moved with terrifying speed in everything it did.
No sooner had it spat than it charged, barreling forward on its hind legs. When it was just a few steps away, it lunged. I felt a rush of air as its jaws snapped shut just above my head, the sharp clack of teeth striking where my neck had been a heartbeat earlier.
Acting on pure instinct, I drove my sword into its belly. The blade sank in with a sickening, rubbery resistance, and a burst of hot fluid gushed over my hands as I dragged it through the flesh.
First, I was hit by a wave of hot, foul-smelling air, and then its insides spilled out in a gory mess. I tried to roll to the side so it wouldn't crush me, but to no avail. Within seconds, the carcass collapsed atop me, pressing down with its enormous bulk.
"Alex!" I tried to shout, but no sound came out. The creature's entrails were draped heavily over me, forming a dense, suffocating layer that blocked my airflow.
I felt Alexey tugging at my arm, struggling to pull me out from under the frog's weight, but it was no easy task.
Panic set in. I was sure I was about to suffocate, when suddenly the frog's body flickered, burst into a blaze of light, and shattered into a cascade of blue and turquoise sparks. The glowing fragments drifted toward me in a slow, luminous cloud.
I coughed, finally managing to suck in a shaky breath, and at that moment, the sparks surged into me like a rushing stream, carrying with them an unexpected wave of relief.
Well done, kid! Well done! Dorian's voice praised me as I lay there, stunned, bewildered by what I had just witnessed.
"Orange!" I heard Alexey's cheerful voice, and I turned to see him pointing excitedly. "Look!"
A drop of blood traced a line down his right cheek, yet he looked elated as he held up the magical crystal that remained after the frog's demise. It was a breathtaking specimen, by far the largest and most radiant of all we had encountered thus far.
"And you doubted me," I said, getting down on my hands and knees, coughing a few more times, then rising to my feet. "Let's go take a look at that stone thing."
"You think there's something inside?" Alexey asked, his voice tinged with curiosity.
The sharp, distinct vibrations in the air left no doubt in my mind.
Something was hidden inside that makeshift bestial throne. Whatever it was, I could feel it watching and waiting. But I kept my thoughts to myself and said nothing to Alexey.
The stone pedestal now appeared somewhat empty. At first glance, its surface seemed perfectly smooth. But as we drew closer, we realized it was covered with shallow indentations.
A small sphere rested upon it, from which delicate tendrils of nearly invisible dark smoke gently drifted upward. It was precisely from this mysterious orb that the faint vibrations emanated, vibrations I could now feel more strongly than ever before. The air before me seemed to tremble with an almost tangible pulse, and I was overwhelmed by an intense, almost primal urge to seize it.
Pick it up. Don't be afraid, Dorian said, his tone encouraging.
With a trembling hand, I reached out toward the enigmatic sphere.
As soon as my fingertips were within a few inches of it, it suddenly slid toward me of its own accord, then dissolved into a swirling spiral of dark smoke, wrapping itself around my hand as if alive.
For a moment, my breath caught in my throat, and then came a deep, steady inhale, accompanied by a strange, profound realization:
something inside me had shifted. It was an uncanny, almost surreal sensation. As if, in an instant, I had become someone else. Stronger, more formidable than I had ever been before.
"Max?" I heard Alexey's voice, distant yet unmistakably concerned.
"Are you alright?"
"Yeah." I nodded, refusing to take my eyes off my hand. "That was one incredible little sphere..."
"What sphere?" Alexey asked, frowning. "There's nothing there, Max. The pedestal is completely empty."
"You didn't see the sphere?" I pressed, voice thick with disbelief.
"I think your wound is messing with your head," Alexey said with a shake of his head. "Let's get out of here before something else lunges at us."
He really seemed to be unaware of the sphere. How intriguing...
Quite the enigma, Dorian mused. What you just witnessed was a concentrated essence of pure energy. In my world, such manifestations often appeared near magical beings. Like this creature, for instance, which here is known as a Curse.
"The sensation of it coursing through me was truly extraordinary," I admitted.
Through us, my friend. Never forget that. Dorian chuckled.
Judging by the tone of his voice, he hadn't felt this exhilarated in ages. You have no idea what a proper energy surge is like... It's an experience you'll never forget.
As we stepped out of the Distortion, I found myself lost in thought over Dorian's words, barely noticing when Alexey's hand gently settled on my shoulder. Suddenly, the wound flared with a prickling sensation, as if countless tiny needles had simultaneously pierced my flesh.
Having been treated by healers before, I was familiar with that feeling, yet this time, it was far more intense, almost unbearable.
"Are you trying to tear my skin off or what?" I hissed through clenched teeth, unable to endure it any longer.
"Don't be a pansy," he replied with a frown. "I'm not yet a tenth-rank healer, so I can't do this without some pain. I'm considered one of the best in my class, just so you know. And if you're not satisfied—" "Alright, I get it, I get it," I said, trying to keep my tone even. "I'm just tired, is all. By the way, you've got blood on your face..."
Alexey wiped the blood from his cheek with his palm, then looked at me with a faint smile.
"And now?"
"All gone. The gash seems shallow enough. The girls will like it," I remarked with a wry smile.
"I have no doubt about that," he replied with a chuckle. "I've grown used to it by now. With you, it's the only way things work."
"Did you manage, boys?" Suddenly, Claudia appeared before us, her presence commanding. "Such fine lads! I knew you could do it!"
"We nearly died back there," I shot back, unable to hide my irritation. "You've got no shame, old woman!"
"The old crone's back?" Alexey asked with a smirk. "Tell her she's a horned kikimora!"
"She hears you just fine without me. She's looking at you right now.
She looks kind of down."
"And rightly so," he said, his tone softening a bit. "Maybe she's got a tiny spark of conscience left after all. So, did you get the artifact? Was there an artifact at all?"
"There was," I said, patting my pocket. "But only a cursed one."
"How do you know that?"
"I just do."
Alexey let out a long sigh, shook his head, and pulled out his phone from his pocket.
"Shit," he muttered, staring at the screen as if faced with a death sentence. "Five to eleven... We're screwed. We should call the night prefect and tell him we'll be running late."
"Forget about it," I recalled the last time we were late. "We'll explain when we get back."
"It's gonna be way past midnight by the time we get back. They'll have sent a search party by then," Alexey groaned.
I sighed.
There was no helping it.
"Call them, then," I grumbled. "I was planning for us to go to Belozersk this Saturday to sell some crystals, but I've got a sinking feeling it's all going to fall through. I'll probably end up stuck in my room again, missing out on double desserts..."
"This blows."