Illusion Caves

The mountains in which we found ourselves were very far from the inhabited lands. I sensed here light emanations of a strange frequency, as well as a deep magical vrunzel. Vrunzel is a mystical vibration that Azeroth itself emits. You can only catch it using rather complex artifacts, but not for me ... For me, it was as easy as shelling pears. As soon as I saw it, I could no longer forget this feeling. It was here that the Vrunzels were very powerful.

"What are we going to do?" asked Turalyon. "What is our task?"

"Don't worry, young paladin," Lirem said with a slight smile. "This place is the fruit of my teacher's teacher's research."

"This valley?" asked confused Aleria. "I do not feel anything except the beautiful nature around."

"This is not just a valley," said the magician, and then hit the ground with his staff, which from nowhere appeared in his hand. A bluish wave spread in all directions, from which reality itself trembled. After that, the wave began to slide in one place, exposing a large stone hole, which resembled the mouth of a giant monster, which just wants to swallow everyone.

"What is it?" asked Turalyon with a calm expression on his face.

"Let me introduce you to the Caverns of Illusion," Lerim said. "I want to take samples from the very bottom of these caves."

"Could we teleport inside?" The elf asked, checking her bow.

"No," the magician nodded. "There are too strong magical and spatial disturbances. So it's best not to risk it."

"I see," the elf nodded, and then turned to me. "And you, newbie, stay behind."

"Okay," I nodded to the elf. If Aleria wants me to stay behind, then so be it. It doesn't really matter to me where I go. In general, I think there may be something valuable to me. It would be interesting to know what is interesting here.

"Can we meet some monsters?" I asked, straightening my robes hung with protective artifacts.

"Yes, they can," said the magician. "Since the magic is very powerful here, simple animals mutated into more dangerous and aggressive ones."

"I see," I breathed and closed my eyes. If there are monsters, then I need to prepare for a possible battle. And this fight will not be for life, but for death. So, I have potions: healing, mana restoration, several general antidotes, and some potions for practical use. I had a potion that replicates the effect of the Invisibility spell, as well as a Cat's Eye potion. I need the last one to see in the dark.

"Well, let's not stay long," said Lerim and exhaled. "Let's go."

We walked forward in a single batch. The first was Turalyon. Since he was a paladin, he could easily defend against very powerful attacks. He could also impose some kind of blessing from the god to whom he prays on us. I don't really understand how these substances work, but I heard that it is not so simple. But oh well.

Exhaling, I felt the darkness swallow us. Lirem hit the ground with his staff without thinking twice, and a source of light appeared on its top. I did the same, and a light appeared on the tip of my staff.

The passage of the cave along which we walked looked very interesting. Hewn rocks, large boulders in the corners, massive mass of stones that looked at us predatory, as if about to collapse and destroy anyone in an instant. Shaking my head, I threw off this obsession and caught up with my companions in two steps. They didn't even notice that I was a few steps behind them.

Very soon, we began to feel that we started to descend. There was no way out, so I had to be even more careful. None of us wanted to fall into the trap of monsters through carelessness. Although we have not yet caught a single monster, which was rather strange.

"Stop," said Lirem. He raised his hand, looking down somewhere. Approaching it, I noticed a rather deep hole that led down. It looked dangerous, and from there, cold was emitting. Trembling, I took a step back. Of course, I have already learned to levitate, but still ... For some reason, this place does not make me feel safe. "And here is our first obstacle."

"What are we going to do?" asked Turalyon. He was tense, but not afraid. Alleria looked down intently as if she wanted to see something. But she couldn't find anything yet. A light haze of fog hid the bottom from sight. It seems that we still have to go down.

"You don't need to worry about it," the magician said, and then added. " Stand closer to each other."

We followed his instructions and quickly huddled together. The elf deliberately walked around me to get closer to the paladin. I will not say that it offended me or somehow hurt me. I just can't figure out if it's because I am unpleasant to her or just a coincidence. Perhaps they have some kind of secret relationship. I nodded my head and waited for the magician to create the spell. After that, we were slowly lifted into the air, and we swam towards the sinkhole.

I felt a chill, but I didn't show it with emotion either. Even a slight fear ran down my back, but I quickly suppressed it. We began to descend slowly. At any moment, I was preparing to catch myself to keep from falling. But this will happen only if the magician makes some mistake or dispels the spell. Other members of our team that does not possess magic will die. It will be very unfortunate, but I cannot do anything. I would have to save myself first. Shaking my head, I tightened my grip on the staff.

But nothing happened. After passing through a haze of fog, we landed. The landing was light and very soft. It was as if Lerim had already done this many times, and it was easy for him. Perhaps he is ... I do not even know anything about him, except that he is a magician and is my employer.

"Excellent," he said and cleared his throat. After that, he hit his staff on the ground. A wave of light flew away from us, illuminating everything around, allowing us to look around. It was a large hall that had many rock outcrops covered in strange dark blue veins. "Now follow me.

Our steps were muffled. The ground was very hard; I felt it well. The staff struck a jagged rhythm. The magician stopped and began to listen to something. The elf and the paladin also froze and began to carefully look around. Their excitement passed on to me, and I put my staff in front of me, preparing to engage in combat.

And after a few moments, it happened. A large rat emerged from the light fog, the size of a cat. Shaking its head and squeaking something, it quickly galloped away from us. Exhaling, I continued to observe the surrounding space anyway, hoping to find or see something.

"Ratsolab," said the magician. "A very rare species of mutated rats. Found only in places with increased magical activity. There are many such animals in the dungeons of Dalaran. They are more dangerous than normal rats due to their size."

Yeah, I studied them at the very beginning of my training with the magicians of Varan. I even managed to dissect them several times. Some healing potions can be made from their lymph. These healing potions are not very powerful, but even this is enough to save someone's life.

"Come on," said Lerim. "Let's not linger."

We continued on our way, and after a few hours, reached another passage. I felt that the space around us was changing, but I simply could not do anything about it. I tried several times to send an extra firefly around, but it quickly dissolved and disappeared. We have never been attacked yet. And that was good.

The long corridor along which we walked was of natural origin. This was clearly visible from the passage's shape and because it was very difficult to move along it. All the time, one had to be careful not to stumble and fall, not to bump head against the stone ceiling. The humidity was quite high here.

"Halt," said the magician, and we turned into a small niche, which looked man-made. Smooth corners were screaming about it. But is it ... I don't know. The magician sat down on the ground and, with a wave of his hand, created fire. A wave of heat immediately spread from him. The light illuminated the space, driving away from the fog and allowing you to see the place better. With another sweep, he pulled a rather large cobblestone towards him and began to examine it carefully. Then he just smashed it with his magical power.

"Why?" The elf asked.

"You'll find out now," said the magician with a grin. "Just don't throw yourself under him."

"What are you talking about?" asked the elf with slight bewilderment. "Who do you refer as him?."

But Lerim did not answer, but only kept silent. He smiled and didn't say anything. We, too, were silent and merely looked around, expecting to see a reasonable one with whom we should meet. We had to wait a few more hours, during which Turalyon even managed to fall asleep. He put his rolled up, cloak under his head, and fell asleep.

"Psycho-psycho," came a strange sound. I could not resist and gave energy to my own light. It lit up like a lamp, illuminating a low, hunched figure. A sense of danger howled, and a fireball appeared in my hand, ready to explode and burn this monster.

"Wait," the magician said, stopping us from acting. "This is the one I spoke about."

This calmed us down, but we still looked at this monster with apprehension. Actually, I stop enjoying being here. Meryl communicates with some strange creatures. Maybe he still wants to sell us to someone or something. Who knows what will hit him in the head.

This creature came closer. It was ugly. Scarred face with a predatory expression. It didn't add any sense of security. It was dirty and covered with some kind of substance that glittered in the light of the fire. The face turned into the muzzle and then slowly into the dog's nose with the cat's mustache. In general, very freaky.

"Hello, Hoinz," said the magician and looked at the creature.

"Hi-hvet-tsy," the creature croaked in its own voice. "Gladz to mee-ts you."

He spoke very strangely and with some strange intonations. The magician just nodded to him as if he understood him and then pulled out a small white liquid bottle. He handed it to this Hoinz and said:

"Here's your milk."

Hoinz grabbed the bottle with his clawed fingers and quickly stuffed it into a small bag that opened on his stomach. The bottle disappeared as if it had dissolved in space. Very interesting ... this creature has some abilities. It would be interesting to study it ...

"Whoa-do you- wan-tsy?" He asked with trembling hands.

"Yes," Lerim replied. "We want to study that place in more detail."

"Pzki, "Hoinz muttered under his face and then nodded his head at something. "Problems, yes."

"Did something happen?" The magician asked.

"The olds passage-tsy have gone wrong," Hoinz said, then added. "Bypassing, we must-tsy."

"Then let's go around."

"Then, Tsyks people follow me."

The sounds that the creature made during the conversation infuriated me a little. Apart from the fact that this made the conversation very difficult to understand, it was also evident that Hointz enjoyed such a discussion. It was maddening, but I couldn't help it. All that was left was to watch him both so that he would not try to harm us somehow.

We walked quickly after this creature, sometimes turning from large passages into small ones. We had to walk bent over in some places, as we couldn't walk here. But Hoinz himself walked with ease, and nothing bothered him. Fatigue slowly accumulated.

We stopped at a small fork, and Hoinz began to sniff. He knocked on the ground several times and then walked straight ahead, ignoring the other passages. We followed him, feeling that the temperature began to rise slowly. It's strange why this place is called the caves of illusion. I have not yet met a single illusion.

"Caution," Hoinz said. We all began to look more attentively around, as well as at our feet. The stones crunched underfoot as if they were not stones, but some kind of glass. Looking up at the ceiling, I saw there were just stones. But for a moment, it seemed to me that three large eyes were looking at me. Very strange and dangerous. I would not like there to be very terrible illusions here. They can drive you crazy if you look at them too much. I understand that.

"I feel that we are getting close," said the magician. After that, he clapped his hands, and torches lit up on the walls. This was very unexpected for us.

"Hstsy," Hoinz hissed and closed his eyes.

"I'm sorry," said the magician.

But we no longer paid attention to this. What caught my attention were strange dark blue crystals that glowed softly and emitted highly concentrated magical energy. It was bizarre. What kind of crystals are they?

Approaching one of them, I began to study it carefully. I'm not going to touch crystals at all, as it can be dangerous. And I don't want to put myself in danger. In especially close moments, I did not even breathe. Suddenly these crystals emit poison. Although it doesn't matter anymore. These strange crystals certainly did not appear here yesterday or today. So if they have poisonous gas, then it certainly has already covered a sufficient area. And holding your breath will not save you from poisoning. But let's hope that there are no dangerous fumes from these crystals.

"What is it?" I asked.

"My teacher called it the crystallized blood of Azeroth," Lerim said. "It has a lot of magical saturation and can be used as fuel for some artifacts."

"Is there a wat you can use these crystals for?" asked Turallion.

"Perhaps," the magician nodded and then added. "But I don't know. This is what I would like to explore.

"How interesting," I whispered and directed my magical energy to one of the crystals. In the next second, it splashed into liquid and evaporated. "Damn ..."

"Stop," said the magician. "Don't direct your magic to the crystals. They will simply melt, losing most of their capabilities.

"Hmm," I drawled.

You know, I have some suspicion about this blood of Azeroth. Perhaps I didn't know very much about this world from the stories of my world. Still, some pieces of information could help me get an edge in a given situation. And now, I have some suspicion of this "blood". What if these crystals are part of a place called the Well of Eternity. I do not know a lot about this, but I still remember that this magic source was very powerful. I need to take a little for myself and then experiment with it.

"Boy is just a beginner," said Alleria with a strange expression on her face. "Pretty dumb one."

It's unpleasant. No, I understand that this is my first exit as a magician, but she could still call me by name. It would be easier to build relationships.

"Alleria," Lerim said softly, "You shouldn't insult your comrade."

She just turned away and began to examine the crystals and think about something. I don't understand why she treats me this way. Now I clearly sense the slight negative that comes from her side. But I have not done anything yet to deserve this attitude. What is interesting, her relationship with Turalion is completely different ... As if she is in love with him. Anyway. Whatever.

"All right," said the magician, "Make yourself comfortable, and for now, I will collect the particles for study."

He pulled out many test tubes, as well as forceps. I had the same tools. I bought them for myself on the cheap from the wizards of Varan. I got such a set at a discount. I also pulled out the test tubes, took some earth, and then sealed it with magical energy. Then I went to the crystal and broke it with the forceps. It was long, and therefore quickly entered the test tube. After that, I sealed it again and hid it in my pouch. In the third test tube, I broke a smaller crystal and affected it with magical power. It almost instantly turned into a liquid, which glows with a slightly bluish light and emits a light smoke. After that, I immersed another crystal there, but I no longer influenced it with magical energy. I sealed it again and hid it in my pouch.

Lerim also collected crystals and particles of the earth with other stones. Sometimes he came across a strange breed that had very precise cuts. Organic objects have attracted attention, as well. But you need to work with them much more carefully. The collection of particles of organic matter, which was influenced by magic, is challenging. You need to be careful not to damage or spoil the future sample.

Exhaling, I hid this test tube in my pouch and shook my head. What to do next ... Approaching the nearest wall, I began to study it. Illuminating myself with light, I looked at the thin veins that mingled with each other. Some were pitch black. Others were blue, such as crystals. Having touched the black vein, in an instant, I was immersed in a strange state.

The space around me was blurry and floating. Many eyes were looking at me from the very thick fog. They were so scary that it is impossible even to convey. I froze with fear, and the hair on my head moved. I did not even try to feel this creature, as I understood that it would not lead to anything good. The mouth of this monster opened, and I felt something breathed on me. The next second, my reserve went crazed. The magical energy spun out of control and nearly exploded. Closing my eyes, I felt how it all disappeared, and I went back. That was an illusion ... just an illusion ...

I pulled my hand back and tried to calm myself. My gaze slid to the blue vein. Without thinking twice, like a fool, I touched it. In the next second, I felt an endless space spread around me. It was so large and empty that I felt a slight sadness. For a moment, I felt kindred spirits. It was very strange. Strange tentacles separated from me, which began to inhabit the space and call these kindred spirits. I sensed my magic source, which worked at such a tremendous power that can not be described. It was very strange and dangerous. As soon as I closed my eyes, I was back in reality.

It seemed as if not even a moment had passed. Lerim also continued to collect soil. Turalyon looked at the crystals with caution and then looked at the elf. The elf looked at him the same way. For a moment, I even felt jealous. May you die Turalyon ... I also want somebody to watch on me like that. Lola does not count.

I cursed him in my mind a couple more times. Exhaling, I looked at the mixed vein. This already caused me a slight apprehension and an unwillingness to look at her and even touch her. But I overpowered myself and touched it. A strange forest appeared around me in an instant. It was very rich in greenery. No matter how I looked around, I could not find anything unusual. But then everything changed. Several figures appeared in the sky. One of them began to descend. I could not see the face, but what I could sense was the enormous power. I don't even know how to compare his strength. She was so incredible and unbridled to me. I don't think there is any intelligent person who could match the strength of this creature.

In the next instant, some other unknown presence was ripped out of my body. The pain shook my whole being. It was scary ... I wanted to hide. Sighing, I closed my eyes and then went back to reality. I barely managed to stay on my feet. The sense of the world around me has become very narrow and strange. As soon as I turned my head, I realized that only a few moments had passed. Nobody even paid attention to the fact that I was immersed in various illusions for several seconds. Now I understand even better why this place is called the Cave of Illusions. It is surprising. But you know what ... I better not get caught in them. Then I wouldn't feel so ... wrong.

It is hard to explain. I went back to the whole group and sat down on the floor. I need to put my thoughts in order and understand what happened to my magic source and reserve. Meditation almost instantly consumed me, and I looked at the evenly pulsing source heart. The reservoir was also around. But, no matter how I tried, I could not feel any changes. It seems that it really was just an illusion, without any influence on myself. Okay…

"How are you?" asked Lerim, everyone. "Is everything all right?"

"Yes," Turalyon nodded. I also shook my head. Alleria also said nothing. She continued examining her bow as if trying to find something suspicious about it. But I saw nothing that could arouse suspicion. She seems to be too.

"What's next?" I asked him.

"Nothing like much," the magician replied. "We're just teleporting out of here."

"Won't it be dangerous?" asked Turalyon confused. "You spoke about some energies."

"That's right," Lerim nodded. "It is extremely dangerous to teleport here, but this is an entirely different matter from here. It's as easy as shelling pears."

"And where will we go?" I asked.

"First, we will move to the entrance and then return to Dalaran," the mage said. "The task for which I took you was not planned long."

"That's good," Alleria nodded. "Then, I can quickly return to my sisters. Turalyon, do you remember what you promised me?"

"Of course," the paladin breathed and scratched his head. "I will fulfill my promise. You know."

My thoughts that they are somewhat closer than just comrades are beginning to be confirmed. They seem to be even more intimate than just friends. How interesting to watch this? You know, I even lost my envy, which was growing before. I'm just happy for them. Although on the other hand ... How will the elf live when Turalyon dies? He's just a paladin, not even a mage with a chance to live for a very long time. But these are not my problems. Indeed, they will find some solution to this problem.

"Let's go," said the magician. We got up and stood around him, ready to teleport. Lerim closed his eyes, and magic signs began to glow around us. A blinding glow rose, and then it subsided. There was no sense of movement.

Frowning, I surveyed the same cave in which we collected earth and crystals. Very strange. The spell hadn't worked.

"What happened?" asked Turalyon, putting his hand on his sword. "Magician ..."

"I don't know," Lerim said in a completely different voice. Now there was not even an ounce of kindness or joy there, only tension and a strange apprehension. "Teleportation, for some reason, turned out to be blocked and inaccessible. This is very bad."

"What are we going to do?" The elf asked, looking around warily.

"We will climb the same way," the magician answered and tightened his grip on his staff. "If this happened, it may happen that we will be attacked. Be ready."

"Yes," Turalyon replied, somewhat in military-style.

We started walking slowly, trying to repeat our path. It is a pity that this Hoinz has already disappeared somewhere. So you can get lost. The magician confidently led us forward, bending around the gorges, and bypassing places that looked dangerous. I don't think I could get out like that. Although ... to think so, I have a spell in my arsenal that allows me to detect traces of another person. Why, then, this spell shouldn't reveal my own tracks.

Continuing the path several times, we got lost. But, using the footprint theory, we were able to get out of such traps. So I was glad that my theory was quickly translated into practice. Lerim said there was a separate spell for this, but he liked my method better.

When we finally came out into the big hall, we exhaled with relief. We were tired and distraught that we were unable to teleport from there. I don't know how long we have been walking, but it seems that the night has already passed. Fatigue slowly took its toll. The energy potions that the employer and I had were quickly running out. One such potion can give additional strength for about two to three hours. For the best potion makers, such a potion can give about five hours.

"Soon," said the magician and tried to teleport us again. He tried to do it after every turn, but it always turned out to be a failure. But that wasn't what surprised me ... I was surprised at the size of Lerim's reserve, and that he had never drunk a mana restoration potion. Neither the paladin nor the elf was surprised by this, since they simply do not know how much energy is needed to teleport. I can guess roughly ... Is this person an archmage, or someone even stronger. If so, how old should he be?

As we walked through this hall, we stopped for a moment. The next second, all the fog that hid us parted to the side, leaving us in a circle. From it began to emerge, strange stone figures that slowly surrounded us.

"What the hell is this?" Turalyon hissed. "What the hell are they doing here?"

"Calm down," said the magician, carefully examining these creatures. I also looked at them and absolutely could not recognize the creatures of Azeroth in them. But who they reminded me of is the stone people from one film about Thor. I watched it for a very long time, and this memory came from nowhere. Amazing. "They are alive and intelligent. Perhaps we can come to an agreement."

"Try it," Alleria said, preparing to draw an arrow and shoot at someone. But in whom ... I can not find the leader of these stone creatures.

"We come in peace," Lerim said, and then continued. "We would like to go ahead and leave this place. We don't need this battle."

The creatures remained silent. Their stony expressions on their faces did not change. I did not see any emotions there, but they can have some.

They won't leave," Turellion said. "We will need to fight our way through."

He drew his sword and spun it in a circle. After that, he began to whisper a prayer to himself. Slowly, a white glow flared up around him, with iridescent tints, which washed all his allies and forced the enemies to step aside. Shaking myself, I prepared for battle.

A flying monster emerged from the crowd of creatures. It was pretty scary. Monser eyes glowed with demonic, red fire. The purple robe was cut into pieces and showed us stone ribs. In the monster's hand, there was a long, for staff, like a spear.

"Come, my children," he said in a quiet but penetrating voice. "So many new faces."

Everyone could feel his look on themselves. An eerie feeling, I tell you. I do not feel very pleasant after this. The magical energy overwhelmed him.

"Who are you?" asked Lerim. He, too, was ready to create spells. But the magician who opposed us did not answer, but only continued to say:

"Many of you came to this holy land, not knowing that it was your ultimate goal. But your journey was not accidental; you have suffered and are looking for how to heal your spirit. Take a look around. You are not alone."

This is obvious. We are definitely not alone. The stone-headed monsters surround us and are so full of their anger and desire to devour us. The magician extended his staff, pointing at us, and said:

"Go, my faithful sons, and give these unfortunate people freedom from the shackles of life," his staff lit up with a light green glow. "Make them hear the word of death and bring their lost souls home."

The stone heads began to walk slowly in our direction. The magician created protection around us and said:

"Alleria aim at this mage, right in the head."

"Understood," said the elf.

She quickly drew the arrow, it lit up with a slight greenish light and then fired. The arrow flew at high speed, leaving behind a green glow. There was just a moment when the arrow crashed into the magician who wants to kill us. But he was not taken aback, but very quickly created a wall of dark green color in front of him. The arrow got stuck in it and just fell to the ground.

"Death sets everyone free!" said the magician, and waved his staff.

The stone heads picked up speed immediately and attacked us. Turalyon was the first to fall under this wave. A small group approached him and prepared to enter the clinch, but the paladin would not be a paladin if these warriors were his death. He swung his blade sharply, slicing them in two. Blood spurted in all directions.

"Cash-chic!" roared Lerim. In the next second, a web of energy spread from him. It walked along the ground, leaving small cracks, and then everything around us burst into flames.

But it did not frighten an enemy magician at all. He slowly began to sing in an unknown language, and then Lerim's spell simply extinguished. We were surrounded by molten earth, with a large number of corpses. Well, at least so.

"We are gathered here to mourn those we have lost forever. Weep! Weep, weep for their souls - they were so dear to you, and now they are lost forever," he whispered and waved his hand. The shadows of the dead stone heads rose into the air. Then the magician continued: "Speak, and they will hear you."

The shadows summoned were black magic. That's for sure ... The shadows surrounded us very quickly, and then howled loudly. The magic protection went in waves from their cry, and in the next second, it just burst, crashing down on our ears. From this scream, the energy in my reservoir seemed to go wild, becoming uncontrollable.

"They will hear our pain! They will hear our longing! And they will feel with all their hearts that we remember them!" shouted the magician. "And I ... and I will be their guide, I will sing for them, for death. After all, I am the singer of Death - Cratus."

Closing my eyes, I tried to control myself. It was challenging. Neither Alleria nor Turalyon could do anything. Lerim himself sat on the floor and tried to keep the blood flowed from his nose and his eyes. It seems that only I remained on my feet. Without thinking twice, I created a spell and launched it at this Cratus.

Lightning slammed into him and cast thousands of sparks from his armor. But I didn't stop there. A ball of fire erupted from my staff and covered this singer. The fire affected him somewhat, as he threw off the control from the shadows of the corpses, and they simply dispersed in space, leaving behind an unpleasant smell of decay.

"You miserable creatures are just our pale reflections, mirrored in the darkness of false light, blindly looking for at least fragments of meaning," he said, throwing off the fire." I will give you peace of mind. I know your souls are begging for freedom every second."

The next second, a dark blue sphere slammed into my defenses, which I exposed on reflex. It exploded, enveloping my defenses in the dark fire. Fortunately, I put enough mana into security and withstood this attack. Another such blow fell on my defense in the next second, threatening to break through it soon.

Without thinking twice, I hit the ground with my staff, and a stone wall formed in front of our team. This Cratus spell slammed into it and exploded. Shards flew in all directions that were like shrapnel. But the remnants of my defense were able to withstand it, which was very good.

"A few more seconds," said the employer, "A few seconds, and I'll be back in line. Alistair, you will take care of the healing other."

"Got it," quickly answered him, and launched a dozen fiery arrows at the enemy. He wrapped himself in protection and just continued to stand in one place. His minions, too, have not yet taken any action and were waiting for something.

"Why are you fighting," this Cratus sang mournfully again. "I'll get what is mine anyway."

"Not so fast," said Lerim, and then stood up. From his breathing, even reality seemed to bend. It was not just power that emanated from him, no ... he was a power. Only this power does not compare with the power that I felt in the illusion. Which is why things weren't so scary now. "I will be your opponent."

As soon as he said this, I immediately bent over Turalyon and cast healing spells on him. He slowly came to his senses. I poured him a potion of regeneration and the last potion of restoring stamina to not waste a lot. Hope this is helpful. I healed him first, as I will need cover from these stone minions when I fix Alleria.

"Kha," Turalyon coughed and stood up abruptly. He spat out his blood and grabbed his sword. "Alleria!"

"Stop," I told him. "Cover me, and I'll take care of her."

"Got it," said the paladin. "I trust you, don't let me down."

"I won't let you down," I whispered more quietly. The elf looked worse. That is why I chose elf as a second patient. We need to distribute the wounded. I poured a regeneration potion into her mouth and began to cast healing spells quickly. Almost all the mana had to be spent on it. To complete the treatment, I had to drink a whole bottle of energy recovery potion.

At this time, Turalyon was fighting the minions, who attacked him in hordes. Around him shone a light that left behind a rainbow of swift and decisive blows. Blood dripped slowly down his face. Fortunately, it was not yet his blood, but the blood of these creatures. Lerim messed with Cratus in full. Flashes of spells could be seen around, sometimes turning into a roar and a strong whisper. The tenant was very, very serious.

"Quiet," I said as the elf reached for her dagger. I had to be very quick to stop her hand. It was close.

The elf rose and immediately drew her bow, firing an arrow at Cratus. He did not even turn and repulsed it with his staff. In the next second, I already created a shield that was supposed to protect us from the beam that melted everything in its path. It was very dangerous.

With a crash, he hit my shield, and it scattered. The remnants of mana dispersed in all directions. From this attack, a quarter of my reserve left just like that. But it's good that I was able to withstand this attack. Exhaling, I twisted my staff and created chain lightning covering a dozen of the creatures that surrounded Turalyon from behind.

But that didn't help him much. A short stone head appeared from somewhere and cast a spell. The gray ball hit the paladin in the back and threw him away from us for several meters.

"No!" shouted Alleria and jumped forward, emerging from under my protection. At that moment, Cratus, who was fighting Lerim, bounced back and created a strange dark orange field around him. It stretched out and gripped the elf, slowing her movements almost wholly.

"Sometimes, you need to escort your loved one to the door!" hissed Cratus and then raised his staff. "Requiem!"

In a second, a spell was formed, and I saw one powerful beam falling on us. Without thinking twice, I created protection over myself. Lerim did the same. But no one had time to protect the elf and the paladin. A powerful blow struck my shield, and the next second it bursts with a roar, and an ocean of pain swallows me. It seems as if I was immersed in boiling water.

I almost fainted from the pain. It was so strong that I could not stand. Lerim also knelt down on one knee and tried to get up from the blow. This is what I understand, the most powerful spell. Alleria lay unconscious on the ground.

I tried to get up, but I couldn't move a finger. Cratus slowly flew up to the paladin and stopped. Alleria just came to her senses and looked with horror at what was to happen next.

"I'm taking my price!"

He pierced Turalyon with his staff. His body shuddered, and then a gray shadow came out of it, which hung in the air. In the eyes of this shadow, there was not even a drop of life or anything that somehow showed that he can be somehow recovered.

"A worthy price," said Cratus, and the shadow slowly began to soak into him.

"Not so fast!" shouted Lerim. "White Ragnarok!"

Snow-white lightning burst from the mage's staff. A spell rushed forward at high speed and crashed into Cratus. He froze, and his face finally twisted. Light spots appeared on his body, slowly inflated, and then burst sharply, releasing a snow-white light.

"Wii!" the sound sounded. Cratus opened his mouth, and light burst out of him too. The number of holes in it increased, as did the amount of light that burst out of it.

With an explosion, Cratus burst, throwing parts of his body in all directions. They quickly began to dissolve, absorbed by the light. Lerim fell to one knee. Right now, he looked exhausted. A sunken face, visible bruises under the eyes, and a completely gray head. Now he looked more like a dead man than a living one. With shaking hands, he pulled out a mana restoration potion and drank it in one gulp. He began to slowly recover.

"Ooh," I fell to the ground with a groan. The pain continued to walk through the body. Sometimes I shuddered as if my body was about to start walking by itself. I began to reach for the pouch to pull out my potion with trembling hands, but nothing worked. The hand barely obeyed.

Lerim slowly approached me, leaning on his staff, and began to conjure. I felt the body slowly rise above the ground and follow me. The second one to join me was an elf with tears flowing from her eyes. She could not even move, as well as speak something. The third one to join us was the corpse of a paladin.

The corpse looked very bad. His eyes were missing, as well as his teeth. There were terrible ulcers on the skin, from which dark blue fluid mixed with red oozed. The limbs were twisted at unnatural angles, and in some places, even bones protruded. It looked terrible, but I couldn't stop looking at him. There was something strange and eye-catching about him.

"Now," said Lerim. "We will be in Dalaran very soon."

Magician lifted us all up that ledge and then continued to drag with him until we were in open space. Dawn was shining somewhere in the distance. A teleportation spell flashed around us. The sensations of moving were excruciating. When we moved, I groaned in pain. Not even that ... I almost passed out.

"Now there will be a help," - said Lerim. I was already incoherent. The picture around me crumbled into tens and then formed into something awkward. Mana in my body was furious and tried to break free, like a thousand goosebumps.

Someone quickly intercepted us. I could no longer see but only hear.

"Wounded on the couches," said a stern male voice. "A corpse to the morgue. So, we have an elf and a citizen of Dalaran here. Clear. Call the emergency team!"

The next second I passed out. It was a salvation for me.