NOVEL WEB Chapter 62: Chapter 62
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-Report. - Said Fury frowning and reflecting on the casualties among the personnel.
-All of the base's personnel have disappeared without a trace and their location has not been ascertained at this time. Also objects #23 and #31 have disappeared from the base.
-What facilities? - Demanding a more detailed description asked Nicholas.
-The first object is an ancient dagger, according to the isotopes found on it, it is more than 2000 years old. The dagger itself is made of unknown material. Its hilt is decorated with a skull, the eye sockets of which are constantly emitting green light. The dagger itself emits unknown energy into the surrounding space, but no critical effects from prolonged contact with it have been detected. Of the negative effects, only a worsening of sleep in some subjects can be noted. The second item is a red ruby found in one of the Aztec temples in Mexico City. Upon contact with the crystal, a huge amount of energy begins to flow into the human body, which begins to rearrange the human body. All indicators of the body are dramatically strengthened and the body increases in size. Regeneration of the organism becomes almost instantaneous and even after death the tissues still keep the received energy for a long time and are badly succumbed to necrosis. A total of five people were touched by the stone. Four were from the research team that discovered the temple, and the last person to touch the stone was level six agent Peter Green. From the information they received from the other members of the research team, their colleagues could not withstand even ten seconds of contact with the stone. Their bodies would literally explode due to the excess energy in their cells. Agent Green was able to last a minute, during which time all the effects of the transformation were filmed from the chest camera of one of his partners. The only difference in the deaths of Green and the other contacts was the change in the manner of death. Agent Greene simply burned from the inside out. - The agent voiced what he knew about the facilities.-So we lost the dagger, which is a generator of unknown energy and the stone, which in the hands of a man who knows its secrets can stamp an army of super soldiers cooler than Captain America? Did I miss anything? - Fury asked, frowning even harder.
-No sir. Can I go on? - Frowning at the atmosphere in the office, the agent asked.
-Continue.
-The members of the Strike sent to the base were found in full force in the research complex beneath the base. Each of them was found in a random location in the underground complex and were unconscious. Upon regaining consciousness, four of the six agents were found to have varying degrees of mental illness. According to the psychologist's preliminary assessment, Dage and Turn will need counselling with a psychotherapist for at least two to three months before returning to action. The other agents have more severe cases. Gareth and Bright will need six to seven months of specialised treatment. And the most mentally unstable agent was Hugh Paris. He will need to recover for about 12-15 months. Agents Ramlow and Pearce showed no obvious mental abnormalities and after undergoing a number of tests were recognised as healthy. But Agent Pierce was also suspended for six months or more. Ryan Pierce was found last of the squad on the lowest floor in a rather sorry state. His right arm was missing and the wound had been extremely badly cauterised, causing him to bleed profusely when the agents found him. All members of the Strike can't remember anything other than going down into the bunker. Also no unauthorised persons were found on any of the cameras outside the bunker, which left the question of the enemy attacking the agent open. - Agent finished reporting.
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Well, looks like it's time. I've been putting off going to Kamarthage for a long time, but Nightmare showed me pretty quickly that I'm almost powerless against mystical enemies. It takes time to use the flames, and there's a chance you'll get caught with an enemy that's completely immune to them or only mildly susceptible. The same demons from hell with above average strength will probably not feel my fire. So I took advantage of the holiday I was given and for everyone else I am now resting in one of the family villas. For my father I went on a trip to Tibet. Thanks to this case, he's in a real jam now, and he didn't even notice that the signal from the chip stopped after the visit to the base. It won't be possible to pin it on me because of the order I gave him and a simple, almost imperceptible programme that knocked down the timings of the notification about the loss of connection with the chip on his watch. Still, even he doesn't want to sleep with a bunch of metal on him.
So now I'm standing on the doorstep of a temple in New York, about to knock. Finding this place knowing its address was quite easy, but watching the people walking behind me I realise that a normal person just can't find this house. It doesn't exist for them and even if someone inside screams about being murdered the neighbours won't notice. I guess it's something like the muggle repelling charms from the GP.
Knocking on the door, I waited for a few minutes before the door opened, but I found no one behind it. Humming at this simple attempt at mysticism, I stepped inside. The house was furnished exactly as it was in the film. Century old wooden staircases with many artefact racks on the first floor and two long corridors on the sides with no end in sight. As I know the entire building inside is a space controlled by the mage keeper. The rooms and the size of the house can easily be enlarged or reduced according to the owner's wishes. But strong enough mages quietly bypass such inconveniences and move around as they wish. Because of this, I've always failed to understand why artefacts stand so stupidly almost at the very entrance. Even with all the levels of defence put on them it's still pretty stupid.
-Who are you? - Rain's musings were interrupted by a dark-skinned man who appeared on the first floor.
-Rain Pierce. I've come to learn magic. - Said Pierce calmly looking into the mage's eyes.
-And why do you think you are worthy to master this power? - Asked the man.
-For two reasons. Firstly, this building can't be seen by people with weak talent. And of those who can see it, even fewer will be able to resist the urge not to go inside. Secondly, I caught the battle between the so-called Ancient One and the demon and was able to keep my memories of it. - Said Rain as he continued to stare at the man.
-Follow me. - After a moment of silence the man said and headed down one of the corridors. After walking through a few rooms he opened one of them and stepped inside. In the room was an ancient stone archway, with runes inscribed along its arc. The man's hands began to glow and he touched six different runes after which the space inside the arch glowed and it became a portal to Kamarthage.
The man walked through the archway and without stopping took Pierce to one of the rooms and left him at a wooden door with images of two dragons. As Raine was about to knock, a woman's voice sounded from behind the door.
-Come in.
-And what brings you to me, Mr Pierce? - As she brewed tea, the Ancient asked.
-Wanting to be empowered so I wouldn't feel helpless anymore. - Said Ryan still standing in the passage.
-Sit down. Few people come here for reasons like that, I was thinking of something else, but it's acceptable too. - Said the Ancient, glancing at Pierce's hand.
-You don't have to worry about that. My body is doing fine and in three or four months I will be able to write with my right hand again. I remember your words well at that moment and I'm ready to take the burden of this mystical war upon myself as well. As you realise, I myself am partly immersed in the magical and otherworldly side of our world. - Said Pierce turning his left hand and then showing the flames of hell. Watching the Ancient's calm face at his actions he confirmed his hunch that she already knew of his essence and powers.
-I sensed you were a Lycan, but the hellfire really surprised me. If it's no secret, how did you manage to master the weapons of the highest demons of hell and spirits of vengeance? - The Ancient One asked calmly.
-It might be due to my mutation. - Pierce gave a vague answer.
-How interesting. But if you are so good at controlling your conversions, what pack do you belong to? - Pouring tea into glasses, the woman asked.
-I don't belong to any, to be honest. I haven't even made contact with a single Lycan yet. - Shrugging his shoulders, Raine said.
-It's hard to believe. I wonder if you could address it. - Sipping her drink, the Ancient One said.
-Okay.
Looking at my appearance, she frowned and wondered.
-"To be honest, Mr Pierce, you've managed to impress me again. You really don't have a convert, but somehow you've almost managed to get to the alpha stage while remaining pure. - With a sigh, the woman said.
-Pure? - Pierce began to wonder.
-Not all at once. If you can pass my test, I'll let you read a couple of books from my personal library on your species and, of course, I'll arrange for your training. - The Ancient One said with a smile.
-Do you agree?
-Yes.
-Well, that's good.
-I will send you to the centre of the mirage labyrinth to the statue of truth. You will have ten hours to complete it. To find your way out, you will have to learn to feel. - Said the Ancient One, and without giving Pierce a chance to ask a question, she opened a portal beneath him.
-Are you sure this test is appropriate for an untrained person? It is designed for students who have been studying the mysteries of the universe for at least a year. - Said a baffled Mordo, who appeared from the shadows in one corner of the room.
-I want to check him out. There's something about this young man that doesn't seem right to me, and while he's busy being tested, I need to go somewhere else. The fact that he hasn't forgotten our meeting is surprising, but the mark of the otherworldly on him makes me wonder. This creature usually marks only the most colourful personalities in the world, and not so crudely. Instead of a light stamp on his aura, he has placed a prominent mark on his body. While I check my assumptions you will have to see to it that you pass the test. - Said an extremely thoughtful Ancient.
-Okay. - Mordo said, for the first time seeing his teacher so deeply immersed in her thoughts.
What does it even mean to feel her? Feel what? Magic? That's what I came to study with her for. What is this stupid test in the style of a first-grader who came to school and the professor stands up in front of him and says, "How to solve the logarithm for me? And this monotonous labyrinth is pressurising. Grey walls and a lot of fog. I feel like after I learn magic, I'm gonna be very prejudiced against fog. I've killed five fucking hours walking through this snow-white shit. I can't feel anything, that's all. Strange wasn't subjected to this shit, he was given books to read and then practice began. In the sixth hour, I started hitting the walls with hellfire, but they didn't give a shit. What are they made of? And then there's this fucking statue of a monk with a smirk that she says is in the middle, which makes me realise more clearly that I'm just walking around in circles. Every time I see this "work of art" I am straight up burning with the desire to destroy it. And if in the first 20-30 times it was still figurative, then further on I involuntarily started to have a fire cover with a rather bright fire effect when it appeared. I feel like 10 more returns and I'll even have a sharingan.
When I was one hour away from the end of the trial, I started to worry and began to brainstorm ways to get out of this mess. Because the magical basis of the labyrinth makes me feel like a topographical moron. I go straight out to the centre left, go right, come back from the bottom. I'm just like Zor... yeah nah... what if it works... basically I have nothing to lose, right? I'll see what happens. Opening the part of the system responsible for storing gifts, I pulled out the ticket that had been stored there since the first day I came to this world. Roronoa Zoro's topographical cretinism. This ticket granted me Zoro-level terrain orientation skills for an hour. And if the magic of this place and really works on the type of knocking down the direction and spoiling the orientation skills of a person, we will proceed from the theory that - on - will give +.
Let's try the northern passage first. - Said Raine tearing up the ticket and heading west.
And in principle I did not feel anything, only the confidence in the correctness of my chosen direction became more. Ten minutes later, under Mordo's surprised and incomprehensible gaze, I was out of the labyrinth.
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