Balanced Energies

"The same goes for the chains and our runes—they have weakened as well. The chains that didn't allow even a millimeter of movement have become powerless. And the runes that clung to our bodies like parasites have begun to fade. I think the same applies to the other protective measures. What do you suppose?" Hork asked, stroking his long black beard.

"Let them be. Our world is on the brink anyway..." Caesar unexpectedly stopped and turned his back to Eri and Hork.

"Is he divining again?" Eri asked, surprised by Caesar's abrupt turn.

"Seems like it. I can't understand how his divination works. It seems more like idle chatter. Because all divination methods that exist are based on the same idea—gathering information. And once you gather information, you start analyzing and making assumptions. In the end, you choose the assumption with the highest probability of coming true," Hork explained, stroking his beard with a wise look.

"You only remembered a few words from my sister in bed. And even that vanished before me. The one who lived with the spirits, existed in harmony, and..."

"Oh, come on. You mean you shared your food, water, underwear, and wife with them. I knew you were a cuckold. And I shouted it everywhere. If we hadn't all become what we are now, I would have done things differently," Hork said, stepping back after Eri's blow to his back. Upon impact with his iron boot, a ringing sound echoed as if hitting an iron wall. Then Hork fell onto the stone floor and started writhing, holding his injured spot.

"Ha-ha-ha! I knew you would do that. Last time, my precious ass hurt for a week. And my back too," Eri said cheerfully.

After a few long seconds, Hork calmed down, stood up, and said, "Finally, I've got myself an iron ass. Now nothing unauthorized will penetrate your ass."

"You two can butt each other, but I have questions..."

"Right. When did you become a whore?" Hork interrupted him, smiling as he watched Eri trying to punch his underwear a few times.

"That's enough... Both of you, go and prepare the teleport. Alexander will soon arrive with his apprentice, Baba Yaga," Caesar, who had long since regained consciousness, instructed. He knew that Alexander would activate the teleport in a few minutes. There was enough time to activate the portal, make a cup of tea, and write 5-7 pages.

Caesar wanted to observe these two old friends, who had been through thick and thin and always called each other by their racial names. Thanks to Hork, Eri had become the best drunkard among all the elves. All because of their daily contests of who could drink more... Note: Vallynor must be kept away from these alcoholics.

"As you wish. Eri, I'll see you tonight. I'll show you where the elves hibernate."

"Cancer hibernates, narrow-minded one, your head is full of beer foam."

Caesar smiled, shaking his head as he looked at the backs of his two friends and representatives of their races. Oh.

Looking around and seeing all the disorder, Caesar could have just shrugged. But not now, when Vallynor would soon arrive. The first meeting with him would be special for me. First impressions are very important.

Opening his desk drawer, Caesar took out a crystal bell and rang it several times. Small fairies in very sexy and revealing attire emerged from all four walls.

The largest and most provocative of them approached and said, "Today is not a cleaning day. Something happened... You must be feeling lonely, I suppose?" she asked, spreading her legs and teasingly touching her lower lip with her index finger, slightly parting it.

"No, that's not what you're here for today. I need all of you to leave this place urgently."

"Hmm, alright, Mr. Caesar. But remember, my offer still stands."

***

Awakening, Vallynor felt Alexander release him. He fell onto the stone floor, which gradually stopped glowing. But before the light completely disappeared, Vallynor managed to see thousands of runes and symbols interconnected in a web of curved lines.

These were unusual circles, unlike ordinary star-shaped crosses or pentagrams typically used in magic, considered demonic or angelic. In this magical circle, there was always something symbolic that did not correspond to all the runes and symbols and could spoil the magic circle.

This magical circle was responsible for teleportation. At first glance, it did not contain crosses or star-shaped pentagrams. It did not have the usual circular shape but took on various forms: angular, rounded, sometimes even resembling a stick adorned with symbols, attached to the floor and simultaneously separating the symbols to prevent them from connecting.

"Stop staring. If Gabriel wants to, he will explain how this teleportation magic works," Alexander said, releasing all three of them and starting to move his hands.

Glazik, freed, hovered in the air and surveyed the surroundings, while Annino, fallen to the ground, did not move. Alexander and Glazik noticed that something was wrong with him.

Realizing that Annino was not doing well, Alexander interrupted Vallynor's thoughts, took Annino, and called out to Vallynor and Glazik to follow him.

Vallynor, upon seeing the circle, remembered the old woman's memories and slowly began to understand how this circle worked.

Meanwhile, a notification panel appeared in front of him indicating task completion. He wanted to open it, but he noticed that something was wrong with Annino. He dashed after Alexander, who had left the teleportation room, and hurried toward Caesar.

From the old woman's memories and what he had managed to see, Vallynor understood that this teleportation was located near the castle where the God of Souls used to live. This teleportation was not public but was created for emergency situations. It had multiple entrances, each with a spell that accelerated and shortened the distance, so that every step was equivalent to one kilometer.

On his way, Vallynor saw a multitude of different creatures: gnomes, goblins, three-headed ogres, cyclopes, and others. They all used these paths, although they were not accessible to everyone.

Everyone who passed by greeted Alexander and his companions, but when they realized Vallynor was a stranger, they stared at him with curiosity for a long while before leaving with burning eyes. Others approached and wanted to ask questions, but before they could start, Caesar appeared.

Before Vallynor, an old man dressed in white attire resembling that of a priest appeared. He approached them with a smile.

"This wolf is na...," Alexander interrupted the formalities and immediately got down to business, telling him what had happened to Annino.

But before Alexander could say anything, Caesar pulled out an old rusty dagger of a dark red color from his ring and pierced Annino's heart.

Vallynor was shocked and ready to engage in combat but heard in his mind, "Don't be afraid. He is helping him," a mental message from Glazik that stopped Vallynor from doing anything foolish.

"What is he doing then?" Vallynor calmed down a little, but what he saw and the uncertainty still worried him. He hesitated but understood that this was a magical world where even swords could cure hemorrhoids. So, a sword in the heart could also help rather than harm.

"This poor creature was created using necromancy. Even if the best materials and a soul transformed into a hellhound were used in its creation, it remains artificial. It lacks demonic energy, which is as vital to them as blood. Instead, necrotic energy was infused into it. And now these two forces are fighting each other," Caesar raised his head and looked at Vallynor, continuing to smile. "I pierced its heart with this demonic blade, which once belonged to a necromancer."

Raising his hand and waving it, Caesar invited Vallynor to come closer, continuing his explanation.

"This dagger will merge with the heart of this poor soul and create a balance, preventing either side from prevailing. But to complete the process, you will need to infuse it with necrotic energy through the dagger," he said.

"But I..." Vallynor began.

"Not enough energy? I know. Bring the corpse," Caesar shouted. From behind him, at a distance of five meters, a crack appeared, and a clawed dragon paw emerged, holding a small creature in its grasp. It resembled an alien but had long legs and a very small head, significantly different from the rest of its body.

"This is a demonic parasite called Egregius sanguine. They parasitize on dragons, hiding beneath their scales. In the future, I'll tell you more about them... although now it's unnecessary since you've already learned everything," Caesar added.

"Yes, these parasites possess very strong demonic energy, which camouflages and adapts to the energy of their host. Do you want me to gather necrotic energy emanating from this parasite and combine it with its demonic energy to fill Annino?" Vallynor asked, approaching the corpse and touching it with his hand. Indeed, it felt like scales to the touch. He began to extract both types of energy, instantly directing them into Annino without allowing them to mix. Fortunately, he had experience in such matters, and the memories of the old woman helped him.

During their conversation, the dragon paw that brought the parasite retracted. Then, a humanoid dragon emerged from the crack. From the style of clothing, it could be discerned that it was either a woman or a strange man.

She approached Caesar, made a bow, and smiled.

"I have fulfilled my part of the deal and given you one of my pets. I have come for my part of the deal," she said, still looking at Vallynor.

"Here," Caesar pulled out two rectangular iron plates from his ring, which fit in his hand.

"One of them will allow me to obtain a quality soul, and the other, two hours with this boy, as agreed. Now everything is here. I am leaving, but I will return soon... to Vallynor, as he is called," Caesar concluded.

"What?" exclaimed Vallynor, continuing to channel the gathered energy. He had been listening to Caesar's conversation with the dragon girl and was surprised by what he heard. She wants to communicate with me, not devour me? Her words did not imply that she wanted to kill him or use him sexually.

Vallynor looked closer at the girl and noticed that although she appeared human, she wasn't. She had the head of a small dragon, attempting to assume a human form but failing. Instead of skin, she had white scales, and her hair was long.

Caesar immediately understood that Vallynor was scared and misunderstood the situation. To clear up the misunderstanding, he explained all the details.

"I promised Mirinthea the opportunity to communicate with you for two hours... Why? We have lived for centuries, locked in this world, and one could say we know everything about everyone. All forms of entertainment that have existed and been created in this world have become tiresome to us. But you, you're a creature, an individual who has lived in another world, a free world, and you must have many interesting things. History, politics, development, art, religion, and so on. For you, it may be ordinary, but for us, it's something new after thousands of years. And perhaps by learning more about your world, we can discover something new about the gods and what is happening in the universe."

"Can I call you Vallynor?" With a nod of approval, she continued, "You see, we have all been confined, unable to die or even disappear in a normal way. We have become dead inside ourselves, trying to shorten the days with pleasures such as drinking and sex. Perhaps it seems strange to you, but we, creatures locked in a cage for centuries, have done everything we could. Now we simply live out our last days. But you, you're a breath of fresh air. Everyone will want to talk to you, interact with you, and learn more about you and your world. And I took advantage of this opportunity," she said, smiling, turning around, waving her hand, and bidding farewell, "We will see each other soon. If you thought I wanted to have sex with you, know that you have a chance."

As Mirinthea disappeared, Vallynor was left in shock. Would he sleep with such a woman? After all, she was a mutant lizard. The only thing that could be called beautiful was her dress, not herself.

From the slightly open crack, a mocking voice sounded, "If it comes to that, I will show you my human form." Then the crack closed, and behind it were numerous creatures with burning eyes, looking at him.

Vallynor could already guess why they were staring at him like that. But now he had more important matters to attend to. Closing his eyes, he fully concentrated on helping Annino.

"Is this the apprentice of that witch?" one of the observers asked.

"Yes, it must be him. I can't remember him, but from his aura, I'm sure he belongs to a necromancer. And I know all necromancers. So he's definitely a novice," another said.

"It's a shame he already belongs to a necromancer. Otherwise, I would have tried to make him my apprentice," said a man holding a violin with a melancholic voice.

"I don't care. I'm just curious to learn more about the outside world, even if it can't compare to our village," said the dwarf girl, holding an empty book with a pen in her hands.

"I'm more interested in how he performs in bed. Hopefully, he doesn't have any experience. Then..."

"Yes, understood. You want to sleep with him. There are many girls who find sex monotonous and boring... and a few guys too."

"Haha, do you think this boy would agree to have sex with another man? Don't forget that was in the past, years ago, when men fought amongst themselves. It was a complete mess. Girl on girl is still tolerable, but men invoke disgust. Many of us still can't accept it."

"That's true. I've heard that Mr. Eryladar and Mr. Horkim have become one of those couples."

"Ery is an elf, so I wouldn't be surprised. But Horkim, the great drunkard..."

"Former great drunkard," the guy sitting nearby and listening corrected.

"Yeah, yeah. After being defeated by Ery, he turned into a great alcoholic. We dwarves and dwarfs can't stand it. Ery, fuck him, will soon lose his title, along with his honor," said the gnome sitting next to him, evaluating Vallynor's equipment, which he considered rubbish. Hearing how they talked about his leader and their great title, which the gnomes and their dwarven brethren were so proud of, he felt ashamed for his entire race.

"Don't leave me here. Don't insult me. Horkim will soon start arguing with Ery, so that title will change hands like a whore going from one to another... What was I going to say? Oh, right. Ery has a chance to become one of them. But Horkim would be better off kicking Ery's ass while he's fucking his sister."

"That's true. But the title of a great alcoholic is a debatable matter. Lately, Eryladar spends all his free time drinking, while Horkim works in the forge, even during his free time," said the man who corrected the girl.

"Why have you all gathered here? Go about your business. You can talk and scratch your asses in the tavern... And who is this boy?" Suddenly, a voice from behind the large group of onlookers spoke, belonging to Horkim, who had been secretly listening to the conversation. He could no longer stay silent. He wanted to shout at what he had heard. Fuck! He had a secret stash of highly valuable and rare resources, and if the world were to disappear, he intended to use those resources to create something and once again feel like a great blacksmith, a creator of things. But there was a problem: what to create and for whom? Swords? Who needs them? Everyone already has legendary swords, chains, sticks, undergarments, and the like. Because of this, he became a disgrace to his homeland, and it was shameful and humiliating.

Vallynor occasionally looked at the large group of creatures who were initially talking about him, but the topic unexpectedly shifted. He noticed a man dressed differently from the rest. He wore narrow rectangular golden glasses, faintly smiled, made a bow, and disappeared.

Caesar felt something and abruptly turned around but saw nothing. He continued to watch until Horkim appeared and expelled all the onlookers, even those whom Caesar had been observing closely. They waved him off and gossiped among themselves, while the remaining ones observed Vallynor and listened attentively to what was being said.

Horkim approached Caesar and handed him a piece of paper. Then he turned and walked away.

"Don't you want to greet him?" Caesar tossed the report, realizing that he would never read it in his ring again, and called out to Horkim.

"He'll be with us for a while, so there will be time. He's busy right now."

"I thought you'd want to make equipment for him. Weapons, armor, and accessories—a complete set," Caesar said with a smirk.

Horkim was already walking away and was quite far. But suddenly, he stopped with a raised foot, began stroking his beard, and turned back. Stopping in front of Caesar, he said, "Go on."

"I know that lately you've been spending too much time in the forge, trying to recall your former glory," Caesar said with a weak smile, not immediately getting to the point.

"And?" Horkim already understood what he was implying. But he wanted to hear Caesar's words to the end before saying anything. He had learned to be patient, something many gnomes lacked.

"Create a complete set for him."

"I have no resources, nor do I have the desire. And even if I do it, what will I get in return? I don't think he has become wealthy," Horkim said mockingly and turned, preparing to leave. However, inside, he was already considering this option. Even if everything is done for free, I don't sit in the forge for the sake of wealth. I want to enjoy the process. But I want what I create not to rot and gather dust. Hork will do it without gratitude, but he will only create after getting to know this boy better.

"Hmm, what about the wealth of the Forest Queen?" unexpectedly interjected Vallynor, who had been listening to their conversation. Happiness filled his heart, and with hope, he waited for Horkim to agree to Caesar's request. But he received a refusal. When Horkim asked about money, Vallynor couldn't help but recall all the treasures possessed by the old woman. He still didn't know how wealthy he had become and what treasures he had in his rings.

"Where from? Don't lie. That old hag has lost everything. She couldn't give away her treasures. Who are you trying to deceive?" Horkim was initially surprised and started dreaming, but he quickly snapped out of it and couldn't believe the words of this boy. Who was he, and could he be trusted?

"He's not lying. Vallynor killed the Forest Queen and inherited her belongings. The resources are already there. What else do you need to agree?" Caesar, as always, warmly smiled, looking at the hesitant Horkim.

"I don't know. I..."

"Can you teach me to be a blacksmith?"

"What?" Horkim was surprised upon hearing Vallynor's question. After all, he was a necromancer. Was it true that he wanted to become a blacksmith? What was going on? Was that normal?

Caesar silently smiled, but his eyes attentively looked at Vallynor. Then he asked, "Why do you want to become a blacksmith? Since you're a necromancer." Horkim, upon hearing Caesar's question, inwardly thanked him for asking Vallynor what he himself wanted to ask. He was unsure what decision to make.