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Yuri Ivanovich
Deranged sorcerer. Dilogy.

Book 1. The Deranged Sorcerer

Prologue

A long time ago, a thousand years ago...

The guardian from the Sorphite race felt bad. And he could not understand: whether it was from old age, or from the icy, piercing wind. Even a warm woolen robe, covering almost half of the body, could not save me from it. Sorfit absentmindedly listened to the patter of his colleague from the Tag race and mentally wondered: why is he not cold at all? Although the miniature Guardian was dressed much better and more compact: a fur-lined jacket, thick trousers and bulky felt boots with rubber soles. True, his frail little body was tossed from side to side by the wind. But tagi did not pay attention to the bad weather, only occasionally crouching down when there was a particularly strong gust of cold wind and often grabbing his hat as it tried to fly away. Sorfit once again thought about why his body began to freeze so much. So big and thick! Maybe the fat pad has become thinner over the past year? I do not think so…

Tagi, meanwhile, continued the endless argument.

“...Therefore, I will categorically insist that Magical Attunement be carried out at the age of twenty!” And as soon as summer comes, I will convene the Consehal El-Mitolanov! I will demand the cancellation of the Settings at the age of ten. Too early! Children grow up irresponsible and unadapted! Let them fight for the right to become elected at a more mature age! Then the losers will bring tangible benefits to society with their persistence. And four years is quite enough for initial, theoretical training.

– It’s unlikely that Consejal will abolish centuries-old traditions! – sorfit remarked wearily. – But you, of course, have the right to try...

– Why only me?! If you support me, half the victory will be guaranteed! After all, you were once a passive supporter of this reform.

- Oh-ho-ho! When it was! – The Guardian’s huge body shook with laughter and immediately shuddered from the cold without transition. – Listen, don’t you think this winter is especially cold?

- This? “The little tagi looked around in bewilderment at the mountains that tightly surrounded the almost perfectly round, huge clearing. - Not at all! It's the same winter as always. Look, there's even a lot less snow than usual!

- Why am I freezing? – Sorfit raised his head higher. - And some kind of ice in the brain prevents me from thinking...

- It’s hot for him!.. Yes, you didn’t even feel my care and friendly concern! But I definitely warmed up. You can wait... Although, it seems to me that they are already coming!

At the same moment, the head of a sorfit, covered with a shiny helmet, emerged from under the snow at the edge of the clearing. Six agile forelimbs appeared behind the head, throwing snow away. And behind them is the entire long body of a warrior covered in armor. Not paying attention to the Guardians, he deftly rolled to the side and took a fighting stance. Following him, a dozen more large and trained fighters jumped out of the hole. They scattered around the perimeter of the clearing and took up a defensive position. Small tagi warriors immediately began to appear. Each with a magical crossbow loaded with projectile needles carrying a deadly poison on the tips for any enemy with hot or cold blood. And only when the small shooters occupied all the strategically advantageous positions, several sorfits and tags of advanced age and in the robes of El Mitolan appeared from the underground passage. Each one in turn approached the Guardians and greeted them warmly, exchanging a few phrases.

– Greetings from all of Consehal!..

– We dream of seeing him in full force very soon!..

- They gave you some gifts here...

- It’s good that we at least got there ourselves, otherwise we were already freezing from the cold...

- Someone like you will freeze! What a pity...

- Yes, at least he’s drunk, it’s like he’s drunk!..

– And why so long?..

– The rubble had to be cleared along the way...

– Are you ready to welcome young people?..

– We’ve been preparing for this all year!..

– This year is unusual: by decision of Consehal, it was decided to double the number of initiates. Therefore, two hundred children were selected for Adjustment. We need to make up for the losses from last year...

- It's clear. Then take the children out! Are they at least dressed warmly?

- You have no reason to worry! It's not cold at all!

- And you?! It’s strange, why does it freeze me so much then?

- Let's go get the Sphere! – Guardian-Tagi hurried his colleague. – Let’s start quickly, quickly you’ll be on my massage table!

The guests laughed at the old Guardians, but bowed their heads respectfully. And then they rushed towards the children getting out of the underground passage. Although they were exhausted by a long and difficult journey, the snow-covered meadow caused them a whole fireworks display of fun and joy. The El Mitolans did not have time to build them in organized columns in front of the central elevation of the clearing. Children threw snowballs at each other, pushed each other, fought with squeals and joyful cries. Small tags jumped on the necks of powerful sorphites and, colliding on oncoming courses, fell into the snow. It became scary from such games and it seemed that at least one Tagi would definitely be crushed by the heavy bodies of their many times larger Sorphite comrades.

But ten minutes later, when the Guardians came out of their cave with the precious burden, the children nevertheless gathered in something resembling a discordant square around the dais. There were no casualties. The laughter and negotiations quickly died down, the children's faces became more and more serious and appropriate to the moment. Now what every child in the Sorphyte Valleys dreams of will happen. A Great Miracle will happen, changing their whole life. A magical Sphere will be placed on children's heads, and it will attune their organisms to the magical perception of the secrets of the universe. And when they reach twenty-four years of age, the Surge will occur and they will be able to become full-fledged and great El-Mitolans.

The Guardians rose majestically to the dais in the center of the clearing, and the Sorfit nodded to his colleague to make a speech. And for the umpteenth time he was surprised by the cold that was bothering him. "What happened with me? I only had this before the battle with an army of dragons in my youth. Then the creatures attacked suddenly - and my inner voice warned with cold. Maybe now?..” The sorfit’s eyes quickly glazed over from a magical trance, and his mind mentally soared with penetrating vision above the rocks that surrounded the sacred clearing like an impenetrable wall. Nobody! Only black stones, twisted trunks of low-growing pines and white snowdrifts between them. “Perhaps the dragons bypassed the spell wall? – Without opening his eyes, he carefully examined the entire visible sky to the horizon. - Nobody either! So, I’m freezing from old age!” His gaze cleared and stopped at the top of one of the surrounding rocks - and froze there. The pathetic statements of the Guardian Tagi reached the ears:

– Our state is the only one in terms of the strength of its incredible friendship between two reasonable nations! Kill anyone who dares to sow enmity between the Tagis and the Sorphites! Our unity is eternal! And may it be so at all times!!!

Tagi shouted the last word of the solemn speech and looked back in surprise at his frozen colleague. Then he hissed in a low voice:

– So will you stand like a stone or will you give me the Sphere to cast?

“Oh yes, of course, I’m sorry...” Sorfit blinked and was about to hand the carefully supported Sphere into the small hands of his colleague. But then his gaze, alarmed, again darted to the top of the rock. It seemed to Sorfit that she trembled. And sure enough, the rock tilted more and more, threatening to collapse down into the clearing. Straining his vision, the sorfit discerned ugly cylinders swarming near the top.

- Anxiety! – his suddenly hoarse throat exhaled with all his might. - Colabas! We are surrounded by colabs!

In complete silence, these hoarse screams sounded like a black omen. But they were immediately drowned out by the roar of collapsing rocks...

Chapter 1
Traveler

A terrible storm broke out. Whole clouds of dust, sand and even small stones rushed through the air, trying to simultaneously deprive both hearing and vision. This is in addition to the fact that it became impossible to breathe under the multi-layered linen bandage, which Cremon hastily placed over his mouth and nose at the first gusty gusts of wind. And what seemed strange from the very beginning was the incredibly increased heat. It was as if a tornado had rushed from the very center of the Enchanted Desert. Streams of sweat ran down my back disgustingly, and the fabric of my clothes began to create a disgusting greenhouse effect.

“The only thing missing is thunder and lightning and rain! – Cremon thought irritably. He bent his face to the very ground and, almost on all fours, feverishly tried to find at least some more or less suitable shelter. “If this happens, I will be one hundred percent sure of the unnatural background of this storm that came out of nowhere!”

And, as if having overheard his concerns, a clap of thunder rumbled, followed immediately by a second one, but closer. A bright flash of lightning snatched from the quickly thickening darkness a crazy dance of whirling objects, among which even a few large branches flashed.

"Wow! – Cremon gritted sand on his teeth in anger. – On whom were such ordeals sent down! And who, I wonder, has power over such forces? O sheitar! “He hit the protruding edge of the rock painfully, because his hands were busy searching the surface. - Looks like I found something! At least I’ll be protected from the sides.”

Cremon barely squeezed into a narrow crevice between the stones, dragging behind him the backpack thrown off his back. Then he quickly unfastened the connecting “zipper” on his luggage container and opened it, doubling its area. He fumbled a little, but finally put the backpack above his head and rested the edges on the rocky ledges. Then he sat down with his back in the depths of the recess, pulled his knees close to his face and lowered the lid of his structure almost to his shins. Now only the feet remained open to the raging elements. But they were protected, perhaps, better than all other parts of the body. Boots made of thick leather with high sides on the toes were riveted with steel plates. Wide, insulated tongues, laced with shiny semi-steel tape, could withstand even a decent blow from a saber. Not like a shot of flying small stones. Unless a huge branch falls, right on the butt, and even on your favorite callus... But here, depending on your luck, you can’t insure yourself against everything. And it’s so good that he didn’t receive any damage when he fell into this “punishment of Mother Nature.” It was difficult to call what was happening anything other than punishment.

After all, half an hour ago Cremon had no idea that he could find himself in the epicenter of a fierce storm. He passed the last saddle and looked out at the slightly winding valley that lay ahead that he had to cross. Somewhere there, at the end of it, behind several large hills, was the village of Agvan - the goal of his long journey. It was there that he hoped to find what he was looking for, to resolve all his doubts, questions and aspirations. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, and the shadow of a running hare flashed along the white deserted road. A light breeze was blowing, and to the sound of cicadas, Cremon, invigorated by the proximity of the finish line, began to cheerfully descend into the valley. Out of a surge of good mood, he began to hum a frivolous song about the desire of every traveler to meet everywhere a hospitable hearth, delicious food and non-capricious, affectionate women. He could not even imagine what would happen to him just a couple of kilometers later. 1
We had to wage a real war with the re-enactor of these events until we forced him to translate all measures of length, weight and time into concepts acceptable to us. Otherwise, his week consists of six days, and an hour is divided into one hundred minutes, and the hours in the day are not like in all normal worlds. And who jumped how much or how fast he was driving, you, dear readers, would have to calculate with a slide rule. But now you can read and not be distracted by comparative analysis that no one needs. – Note ed.

Now I had to squeeze between the stones, like a snail in a shell, and wait for how it all would end.

Suddenly it poured out like a bucket. Dense streams of water fell on Cremona and tried to literally wash it out of its temporary shelter. The guy held the life-saving backpack above his head with all his might. It seemed as if someone was pounding a sledgehammer from above with sadistic pleasure, and someone else at the same time wanted to lift the backpack over the rocks along with the person clinging to it. Cremon, although he possessed remarkable strength, began to think: “How long can I hold out? Half an hour - exactly! I’ll try... How long will this rampant nature continue? Mmm! Judging by its unreality, not for long. After all, even the greatest magicians cannot do this for more than twenty minutes. So, I’ll hold out! Unless... unless it's the end of the world!

Chapter 2
Agvan

The visitors sitting in the hall slowly sipped their drinks and listened warily to what was happening outside. Sometimes their quiet conversations were interrupted by an overly forced gust of wind that shook the entire inn to the ground, or an unexpectedly loud clap of thunder. At the same time, they pulled their heads into their shoulders in fear, froze, and then, resuming their bated breath, continued their dialogue again:

- Wow! Just the end of the world!

- He's gone wild! Yes, and not good.

– Or maybe he’s just pampering?

- What more? You know he pampers differently. And here it’s nothing less than terribly angry with someone!

– I’m of the same opinion. In my lifetime I don’t remember such a storm. Wow, wow! - An old man, gray-haired like a harrier, but with a still powerful figure and a huge red nose on his face, as if hewn out with an axe, raised his index finger up in warning. - Just look, all the shutters will be knocked down. Oh!.. And now, do you hear? It's already raining! Just imagine what is happening in the valley!

– Maybe we should go out and see what’s going on there? – the fellow sitting next to him recklessly suggested. His face looked like an old man, only he looked forty years younger.

In response, grandpa hit him in the shoulder with his fist. But the guy didn't even falter.

- Shut your mouth, Babu! – the old man began to instruct his young drinking companion kindly. - You teach, you teach...

He swung again, intending to show the full depth of his teaching talent, but he froze with his hand pulled back. For at that moment the entire strong, log building of the tavern shook with force, the crack of either a beam or a roof breaking was heard, and dust and sand fell from the ceiling. One of the glasses burst, and fragments splashed with a ringing sound onto the window sill. Everyone froze again, covering their glasses with their palms. Babu spoke first:

- You, Berky, even though you are my relatives, don’t let go of your hands! I have them too!

- Just try it, I’ll pull it out right away! – the old man grumbled lovingly.

- Who are you?! - Babu neighed. - Yes, sand is already pouring out of you! “He looked into his huge mug and, grimacing, threw out the rest. - Hey! Master! Come on, pour us your famous strong drink! And everyone too - I’ll treat you!

The audience stirred animatedly and joyfully, handing out their mugs to the innkeeper, who, serving the visitors simultaneously from two one and a half liter bottles, poured each of them two hundred grams of transparent, slightly lilac-colored liquid.

- Pour it for yourself too! – continued the young fellow. Then he raised his mug above his head. - Let's drink to the strongest and greatest!

Those present nodded their heads approvingly and each took a lick of his own vessel. After a couple of seconds, hoarse grunts and hoots were heard, interspersed with interjections:

- Cough, cough!.. Yes! Power!.. On the skatek! It's creeping!..

Then the conversation resumed. After several meaningless phrases, someone returned to the interrupted topic:

– I wonder who El Mitolan is so angry about?

“If one or the other is lucky, we’ll soon find out,” came someone’s philosophical answer.

“Or maybe the protector just made a mistake and there’s no one in the valley?”

- Hardly. Why then make such a fuss?

– Or maybe it’s the royal horse guards? - a completely bald, thin middle-aged man suggested too animatedly. Huge black eyes stood out somehow unnaturally on his face. Immediately all eyes turned to him. After a moment of silence, old man Berki asked in a suspiciously soft voice:

- Laen, dear! Why did you need the royal guards?

- Well, how... - The bald man absentmindedly twirled the empty mug in his hands, trying to hide his regret about his previous statement. But the ears and skin on the head were noticeably pink. - Quite normal! After all, they used to come to us often. Either patrolling or accompanying tax collectors...

- Uh! Do you miss your empty pocket? - Babu turned to the old man: - You were right in saying: no one is born a fool! They become them!

From the laughter heard in the tavern, the object of unequivocal mockery cast a look full of hatred and anger at the young kid. Berki noticed this and explained his grandson’s thoughts:

“We now live much calmer and richer.” For ten years we have been under the patronage and protection of the great Bread, may he live and live forever! And all this time we pay only half of what we were charged before...

- But we don’t pay the king! – the bald man interrupted him with a shout.

– Yes, we pay El Mitolan. But according to the royal decree! And how he manages the funds received is none of our business. Maybe he sends them straight to the royal treasurer... Or he spends it himself with the permission of the king... Or do you, Laen, have something against his highest decrees?

- No... - Baldy was clearly embarrassed. - But why shouldn’t the guards appear here? Maybe they are chasing robbers... Or...

He vaguely twirled his fingers in the air and suddenly choked on a word that was about to burst out. Because everyone present stared at him with unkind and heavy glances.

- Hmmm! – Berky broke the long pause. -You really are an idiot! The robbers bypass our valley on the tenth road. It’s a piece of cake for a great sorcerer to set up a security perimeter around him. And drive away all unwanted guests from here. But I will advise him to kick someone else away. So that good people do not spoil their modest trade! - At the same time, the gray-haired grandfather rose from the bench and menacingly hung over the table. “You didn’t mean our innocent attempts to earn extra money, did you?”

Now Laen looked scared. He listened to the almost subsided storm outside the walls of the tavern and hurriedly went to the exit, saying as he went:

- What are you talking about, Berky! I myself am like everyone else. I also like to earn a couple of extra coins. Oh! I need to be home! I completely forgot to soak the seeds for sowing!..

The door slammed loudly behind him. At the same time, some people managed to notice that all that was left from the storm outside was drizzling, dying rain. And Babu shouted in a cheerful bass voice:

- Master! Open the blinds! Enough to languish under the lamps already.

The innkeeper rushed to fulfill the client's request, and Burkey slowly sat down and raised his hand, calling for everyone's attention.

- So, such things are happening here! As you can see, troubles can arise. Therefore, we must anticipate and prevent them in advance.

– What kind of trouble can this goat cause?! – someone shouted. – Nobody knows anything, and it’s almost impossible to prove!

- That's it - almost! Do you really think that the great Chlebi has no idea about anything? With his capabilities!

- Well... he seems to be for us, isn't he? – an uncertain voice rang out.

- “Sort of”! – Berky mimicked. -Are you sure about this? What did you do to gain such confidence? Nothing! You should always say thank you for treating yourself well. And not only! I've already talked to many people here, and everyone agreed. Therefore, I would like to remind you once again: we need to collect a small amount from each carrier and give it to our benefactor. And we will be calmer, and it will be more pleasant for him.

– Who doesn’t want to pay off the agreed amount? People like Laen, for example?

- Well, that's their own business! - The gray-haired old man smiled unkindly: - After I make an offering to the great Bread, I will add a cardboard with the names of those who are too greedy. It seems like a small thing, but it should work.

There were cheers and coughs in the tavern. Only Babu asked doubtfully:

“Grandfather, are you sure that Khlebi won’t rip your head off?”

– Of course there is a risk! But you know, grandson, that it is not customary to refuse gifts. Even... among El Mitolan.

- That's right, Berkey! – the curly-haired guy sitting at the next table supported the old man. “You were the first to start our trips, you are our headman, you should know better what to do next.” Hey master! Well, go through our mugs again with your famous drink! Now I'm treating everyone!

Chapter 3
Guest

The last drops of rain were still trying to wash away the dirty stains from their clothes and rinse out the sand stuck in their hair when Cremona finally saw a view of the village. Solid houses stood mostly scattered and mostly hidden among the abundant greenery of trees and bushes. The stone buildings rose two and sometimes three floors and were covered with greenish tiles made from the famous Lyod clay, which prevailed in the area. Although here and there one could see old huts built from thick logs, blackened by time, the whole appearance of the village spoke of prosperity and hasty improvement of living conditions. On the outskirts, new, luxurious buildings stood out recently and several more were under construction. In the center of the village, on an impressive square, some structures could be seen, the purpose of which Cremon could not recognize.

Local residents did not transport building material from afar, but took it nearby. Or rather, from both sides. Since on the left there was a good half of the impressive hill from which Lyod clay was taken. There were also huge barns interspersed with thick chimneys for kilns.

On the right, through a small expanse of well-groomed fields, a wide paved road ran, which after five hundred meters abutted chaotic rock formations, which, like the backbone of a gigantic animal, stretched into the distance and, smoothly bending to the right, went to the foot of the mountains on the horizon. And in these rock piles, several quarries gaped like neat holes in which stone was processed.

Immediately behind the settlement, almost touching the rocks, stood the largest and most remarkable house. More likely not even a house, but something similar to a castle. Although it was smaller in area than some of Agvan's larger buildings, it reached four floors in height. Moreover, at the corners of the building two slender towers stood firmly, ending in swift thin spiers. On each of the spiers a bright, large flag fluttered lazily. One is purple-blue, with a white crown in the center - the official banner of the kingdom of Enormia. The second is white, divided into squares by transverse gold and longitudinal black stripes. This flag, belonging to the El Mitolan clan, was diagonally crossed by a broken red lightning bolt - the distinctive sign of the sorcerer living here.

A little in the back, as if in the backyard, one could see a one-story, wide-spread building - something between a stable and a giant barn - very generously planted on all sides with low-growing, most likely fruit, trees.

Immediately behind the castle, the valley diverged beautifully to the sides and was divided in two by an almost perfectly flat and wide road. The left half was occupied by fields abundantly green with low bushes, and the right half was occupied by the enchanting blue of a beautiful and calm lake. It went around lonely rocks sticking out of the water, then larger islands, and got lost somewhere in the distance between huge, densely forested, steep mountains.

The rain stopped completely, and from behind the parting clouds the daylight burst out and illuminated the valley with a bright light. Cremon immediately stopped and froze in admiration. And notes of good envy sounded in his thoughts: “Yes! A very nice place! And how vast our kingdom is, and how many beautiful places it has, but this valley can safely be included in the hundred most beautiful. No wonder El Mitolan Hlebi chose this place for his solitude! Apparently, the sorcerer is not unfamiliar with the impulses of a suffering soul to feed the eyes of the earth with its native charm!

Cremon chuckled at his thoughts and his attempt, as always, to put them into rhyming lines. I shook myself and cheerfully walked the remaining descent. At the border of the village, he quickly examined a high boulder sticking out at the side of the road and read the inscription carved into the cut-off smooth surface: “Agvan.” And just below: “Protectorate of Royal El Mitolan.”

The first thing to rise after the boundary stone was the imposing structure of the inn and the two-story cottages adjacent to it on both sides. In one it was clearly possible to rent a room, and in the second, most likely, the owner himself lived with his family, and maybe his assistants. The backyards were surrounded by a high fence, which the traveler could see from the top of the hill.

"Well! – thought Cremon. – After such a long and difficult journey, there is no need to be greedy. The body should be fed at least occasionally. Moreover, there is an important meeting ahead. And it’s not good to show up before the eyes of El Mitolan on an empty stomach. At the same time, I’ll scout out the situation. I’ll chat with the locals and find out how they feel about their patron and protector.”

At the same moment, the door of the tavern opened and let out a nondescript man with an egg-shaped head. He immediately rushed towards the village, only looking back at the inn several times, either with anger or with fear. But the hungry Cremon did not pay much attention to him, holding back the painful urges from the smells of hot food in the air.

He walked to the solid wooden door and the first thing he did was listen. From inside came the hum of voices and even shouts of some kind of argument. But since there was no obvious noise of a fight, Cremon put on his face as friendly a smile as possible and resolutely went inside. When he appeared, all sounds died down as if by magic, and about twenty people stared at him as if he were a ghost. Not embarrassed by such a reception, the traveler loudly greeted him, walked to an empty table, threw his huge backpack off his shoulders and placed it under the table. Then he took off his jacket, hung it on the back of the chair and sat down with pleasure. And only then turned towards the counter:

- Master! I'll start with the biggest mug of beer!

As soon as the drink was in his hands, Cremon immediately drank almost half of it. Then he took a breath and ordered bacon and eggs, mushroom sauce with sour cream and two portions of fried potatoes. When the innkeeper was about to leave him, Cremon lowered his voice a little and asked:

- What, do you only have guests once a year?

- Not really! - the owner objected. – Very often there is nowhere for locals to sit.

“Then why is everyone looking at me like that?”

- Hm! “The innkeeper looked reproachfully at the visitors, and they immediately began to turn away, putting feigned indifference on their faces. But then the owner continued quite loudly: “You came along the Lioda road, didn’t you?”

- Certainly!

“But there was such a storm in that direction recently that it even reached here.” Almost destroyed the tavern. How did you get there?

“In the midst of the storm,” Cremon smiled, “I sat in a crevice between the stones like a snail and covered myself with my backpack on top.” This is the only thing that saved me! I couldn’t even dream of such horror in a nightmare. How often do such disasters happen to you?

- Not really! – The innkeeper chuckled expressively once again. – This is the first time in my lifetime that such a phenomenon has occurred. But my grandfather told me that about forty years ago a similar event occurred under the old El Mitolan. Then a large horde of robbers on sleds was moving towards us along the Lioda road. And the sorcerer destroyed them all with a similar storm. Then, for a whole week, our residents collected weapons, belongings and harnesses throughout the valley and buried the decaying remains of the robbers.

- Wow! - Cremon exclaimed and looked around at the others with honest eyes. “But I want to make you happy: neither robbers nor anyone else came after me.” So you have no one to fear.

He leaned back in his chair, unbuttoning his quilted jacket underneath and the shirt underneath. At the same time, steam began to rise from the hot body, because quite recently Cremon was wet to the last thread. Even in his boots it felt suspiciously squelchy, and he regretted that he had not thought of drying out at least a little on the outskirts. Meanwhile, one of the heftiest fellows located in the tavern room responded to his last statement:

- But we are not afraid! On the contrary, we could use some extra trophies!

– Don’t such trophies belong to El Mitolan? A gray-haired old man, slightly smaller in build than his drinking companion, spoke in response:

– Do you see... uh?

- My name is Cremon! – the guest answered, standing up slightly as a sign of respect for the age of his interlocutor.

- Cremon, you mean? – he grinned. – But you understand the laws well! Indeed, the previous sorcerer took five-sixths of all the collected trophies for himself...

“According to the same laws, he could have taken everything.”

- I could! - the old man agreed and suddenly added with some bitterness: - But every El Mitolan has the right to set the amount of taxes! And our now living patron announced long ago that only a third of such a case should be delivered to him.

- He’s kind, however, you have him! - Cremon exclaimed and sniffed the huge plate that had just been placed in front of him. “And the food here is very good.” At least it smells great!

– Well, for strangers he’s not so kind! – the old man muttered quietly under his breath, but Cremon, who has incredible hearing, heard every word perfectly. Not wanting to show his excessive interest, he bent over the plate and began to saturate his body. And my stomach would hardly have tolerated further abstinence.

Format: FB2, OCR without errors
Yuri Ivanovich
Year of issue: 2007-2010
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Armada, Alpha Book
Language: Russian
Number of books: 7

Description: Fabulous lands inhabited by the mysterious Sentags. The inaccessible Altur Mountains, guarded by aggressive dragons. Icy and fire-breathing gorges, hiding evil Kolabs in their depths. The paradise Sorphite valleys, in which justice is maintained by two unique races - the Sorphites and the Tags. And the grandiose kingdom of Enormia. All this is a world in which the main character El Mitolan Cremon is preparing to go through all the roads, become the best of the best and unite what at the beginning of the story is at different poles of rational existence. But there are also a lot of mysteries in the sky. Two huge moons Marga and Sapphire constantly color their home planet at night with yellow and blue, intertwining with their radiance into the triple stripes of a mysterious witchcraft rainbow.

1. Deranged sorcerer
2. The Sorcerer's Revenge
3. Order of the Pearl
4. Deranged dragon
5. War of the Unsane
6. Deranged wanderer
7. The Choice of the Insane

"Deranged Sorcerer"

Fabulous lands inhabited by the mysterious Sentags. The inaccessible Altur Mountains, guarded by aggressive dragons. Icy and fire-breathing gorges, hiding evil Kolabs in their depths. The paradise Sorphite valleys, in which justice is maintained by two unique races - the Sorphites and the Tags. And the grandiose kingdom of Enormia. All this is a world in which the main character El Mitolan Cremon is preparing to go through all the roads, become the best of the best and unite what at the beginning of the story is at different poles of rational existence. But there are also a lot of mysteries in the sky. Two huge moons Marga and Sapphire constantly color their home planet at night with yellow and blue, intertwining with their radiance into the triple stripes of a mysterious witchcraft rainbow.

"The Sorcerer's Revenge"

Cremon the Deranged in an incredibly short time masters a huge amount of magical knowledge, receives a loud, famous name among the El-Mitolans, and is able to fulfill his cherished dream: to take revenge on the dragons for the death of his mother. And he even manages to take the first steps in this direction. But how sometimes the roads leading to the goal are intertwined! How sometimes you can harm your enemies without even approaching them! Supernatural talents are needed for this. It was in this roundabout way that the mentors, the king and the magical Council decided to use the unique knowledge and amazing abilities of the young sorcerer. And they sent the Insane on a mission from which it is almost impossible to return. As sad as it is to realize this, the interests of the state are above all! But, fulfilling the task assigned to him, Cremon pushes a small lump from the pinnacle of his revenge, which with every moment grows into an all-crushing avalanche.

"Order of the Pearl"

By an incredible miracle, Cremon the Deranged survived in the Deadly Swamps. Magic skill, physical endurance, luck and a lot, well, a lot of milk from the Topian cow helped. But after that the body began to undergo very strange mutations. Moreover, the enemies managed to implant a dangerous growth into the hero’s body, which constantly sends out unsolved magical signals... As if by order, the king’s cousin Darina the Second demanded the most skillful, dexterous and experienced magician to comb the depths of the Karrangarra Mountains in Spegoto. The king didn’t think for a minute about who was the best, the best, the best in his kingdom... And he sent the young hero to a friendly neighboring state, being sure that he would be healed and hide from his enemies for a long time.
But Cremona is not destined to sit out in a quiet and prosperous place. And again we must perform feats, and again receive the next, albeit well-deserved, awards.

"Deranged Dragon"

The famous sorcerer Cremon the Insane was, in a sense, unlucky - he became a hero. And not simple, but world famous. Who are the heroes? This is a product that is always in high demand. Without heroes, it is impossible to conduct a risky experiment or a unique experiment. It is impossible to make a discovery that is even more or less worthwhile. They help prevent or start any war victoriously. Without them, the world collapses in a series of catastrophes, and the fate of intelligent creatures teeters dangerously on the edge of a bottomless abyss. Without them, the best women never reach the peak of their fatal glory, and the greatest rulers never reach the peak of their power. Without them, thousands of ordinary people live in gray hopelessness and in their dull everyday life they do not appreciate the very essence and joy of the life they have been given. Without heroes there are no legends, no songs are composed and no ballads are composed. Without them, the very concept of romance and fierce love disappears. But no one understands that the hero dreams of only one thing: to dispose of himself at his own discretion. But, alas, the world is cruel, fragile and unfair. And again the young sorcerer sets off on a journey, in the end of which only darkness swirls and complete uncertainty looms. And why is he in a hurry? Yes because he is a hero.

"War of the Unsane"

Before Cremon the Insanity had time to get out of the dragon’s body and into his own, he again had to set off with his comrades-in-arms on a most dangerous campaign. This time they will have to fight not just with intelligent creatures, but with some titanically huge creation of the Ancients - a terrible and unique weapon with which they can conquer the entire World of the Triple Rainbow and which, by historical accident, fell into the hands of the bloodthirsty, cynical dictator of the Flint Horde. Unforeseen victims will become another difficult test in the life of the main character, but only he will have to make a fateful decision. But even with all his outstanding strength and magical skills, he is mortal...

"Deranged Wanderer"

Any post-war period is characterized, if not by devastation and economic decline, then certainly by social chaos. Sometimes in this chaos it is quite easy to lose the threads of the destinies of hundreds, or even thousands of intelligent creatures, and then these creatures go missing, become unhappy vagabonds or wanderers in search of a better life. At the same time, fate can arrange it in such a way that the wandering hero loses friends, makes new enemies, enters into contact with old lovers and involuntarily fulfills the vows given once upon a time. Meanwhile, in the rest of the world they remember him, admire him, mourn him, bestow awards on him and... solemnly bury him. And then they are still ashamed and surprised: “Who did we bury?”

"Choice of the Insane"

The greatest and most mysterious sorceresses of the World of Triple Rainbow took up the treatment of Cremona the Insane, who was badly injured in the battle with the Child of the Ancients. Galirem's magical skills quickly put the hero on his feet and helped him find moral peace. All that remains is to return the powers of El Mitolan to the great warrior. Only few people realize that the Ogov rulers, when treating the most famous person, are primarily pursuing their own purely mercantile interests. Meanwhile, the fate of the Dead Marshes is being decided, the situation at the Nozzle has radically worsened, the main secret of the Sleepy World is about to be revealed... Cremona, due to his restless nature, often manages to escape from the sticky web of suggestion and zombification. And the best friends of the Insane are ready to help in any situation.

Yuri Ivanovich

Deranged sorcerer

A long time ago, a thousand years ago...

The guardian from the Sorphite race felt bad. And he could not understand: whether it was from old age, or from the icy, piercing wind. Even a warm woolen robe, covering almost half of the body, could not save me from it. Sorfit absentmindedly listened to the patter of his colleague from the Tag race and mentally wondered: why is he not cold at all? Although the miniature Guardian was dressed much better and more compact: a fur-lined jacket, thick trousers and bulky felt boots with rubber soles. True, his frail little body was tossed from side to side by the wind. But tagi did not pay attention to the bad weather, only occasionally crouching down when there was a particularly strong gust of cold wind and often grabbing his hat as it tried to fly away. Sorfit once again thought about why his body began to freeze so much. So big and thick! Maybe the fat pad has become thinner over the past year? I do not think so…

Tagi, meanwhile, continued the endless argument.

“...Therefore, I will categorically insist that Magical Attunement be carried out at the age of twenty!” And as soon as summer comes, I will convene the Consehal El-Mitolanov! I will demand the cancellation of the Settings at the age of ten. Too early! Children grow up irresponsible and unadapted! Let them fight for the right to become elected at a more mature age! Then the losers will bring tangible benefits to society with their persistence. And four years is quite enough for initial, theoretical training.

– It’s unlikely that Consejal will abolish centuries-old traditions! – sorfit remarked wearily. – But you, of course, have the right to try...

– Why only me?! If you support me, half the victory will be guaranteed! After all, you were once a passive supporter of this reform.

- Oh-ho-ho! When it was! – The Guardian’s huge body shook with laughter and immediately shuddered from the cold without transition. – Listen, don’t you think this winter is especially cold?

- This? “The little tagi looked around in bewilderment at the mountains that tightly surrounded the almost perfectly round, huge clearing. - Not at all! It's the same winter as always. Look, there's even a lot less snow than usual!

- Why am I freezing? – Sorfit raised his head higher. - And some kind of ice in the brain prevents me from thinking...

- It’s hot for him!.. Yes, you didn’t even feel my care and friendly concern! But I definitely warmed up. You can wait... Although, it seems to me that they are already coming!

At the same moment, the head of a sorfit, covered with a shiny helmet, emerged from under the snow at the edge of the clearing. Six agile forelimbs appeared behind the head, throwing snow away. And behind them is the entire long body of a warrior covered in armor. Not paying attention to the Guardians, he deftly rolled to the side and took a fighting stance. Following him, a dozen more large and trained fighters jumped out of the hole. They scattered around the perimeter of the clearing and took up a defensive position. Small tagi warriors immediately began to appear. Each with a magical crossbow loaded with projectile needles carrying a deadly poison on the tips for any enemy with hot or cold blood. And only when the small shooters occupied all the strategically advantageous positions, several sorfits and tags of advanced age and in the robes of El Mitolan appeared from the underground passage. Each one in turn approached the Guardians and greeted them warmly, exchanging a few phrases.

– Greetings from all of Consehal!..

– We dream of seeing him in full force very soon!..

- They gave you some gifts here...

- It’s good that we at least got there ourselves, otherwise we were already freezing from the cold...

- Someone like you will freeze! What a pity...

- Yes, at least he’s drunk, it’s like he’s drunk!..

– And why so long?..

– The rubble had to be cleared along the way...

– Are you ready to welcome young people?..

– We’ve been preparing for this all year!..

– This year is unusual: by decision of Consehal, it was decided to double the number of initiates. Therefore, two hundred children were selected for Adjustment. We need to make up for the losses from last year...

- It's clear. Then take the children out! Are they at least dressed warmly?

- You have no reason to worry! It's not cold at all!

- And you?! It’s strange, why does it freeze me so much then?

- Let's go get the Sphere! – Guardian-Tagi hurried his colleague. – Let’s start quickly, quickly you’ll be on my massage table!

The guests laughed at the old Guardians, but bowed their heads respectfully. And then they rushed towards the children getting out of the underground passage. Although they were exhausted by a long and difficult journey, the snow-covered meadow caused them a whole fireworks display of fun and joy. The El Mitolans did not have time to build them in organized columns in front of the central elevation of the clearing. Children threw snowballs at each other, pushed each other, fought with squeals and joyful cries. Small tags jumped on the necks of powerful sorphites and, colliding on oncoming courses, fell into the snow. It became scary from such games and it seemed that at least one Tagi would definitely be crushed by the heavy bodies of their many times larger Sorphite comrades.

But ten minutes later, when the Guardians came out of their cave with the precious burden, the children nevertheless gathered in something resembling a discordant square around the dais. There were no casualties. The laughter and negotiations quickly died down, the children's faces became more and more serious and appropriate to the moment. Now what every child in the Sorphyte Valleys dreams of will happen. A Great Miracle will happen, changing their whole life. A magical Sphere will be placed on children's heads, and it will attune their organisms to the magical perception of the secrets of the universe. And when they reach twenty-four years of age, the Surge will occur and they will be able to become full-fledged and great El-Mitolans.

The Guardians rose majestically to the dais in the center of the clearing, and the Sorfit nodded to his colleague to make a speech. And for the umpteenth time he was surprised by the cold that was bothering him. "What happened with me? I only had this before the battle with an army of dragons in my youth. Then the creatures attacked suddenly - and my inner voice warned with cold. Maybe now?..” The sorfit’s eyes quickly glazed over from a magical trance, and his mind mentally soared with penetrating vision above the rocks that surrounded the sacred clearing like an impenetrable wall. Nobody! Only black stones, twisted trunks of low-growing pines and white snowdrifts between them. “Perhaps the dragons bypassed the spell wall? – Without opening his eyes, he carefully examined the entire visible sky to the horizon. - Nobody either! So, I’m freezing from old age!” His gaze cleared and stopped at the top of one of the surrounding rocks - and froze there. The pathetic statements of the Guardian Tagi reached the ears:

– Our state is the only one in terms of the strength of its incredible friendship between two reasonable nations! Kill anyone who dares to sow enmity between the Tagis and the Sorphites! Our unity is eternal! And may it be so at all times!!!

Tagi shouted the last word of the solemn speech and looked back in surprise at his frozen colleague. Then he hissed in a low voice:

– So will you stand like a stone or will you give me the Sphere to cast?

“Oh yes, of course, I’m sorry...” Sorfit blinked and was about to hand the carefully supported Sphere into the small hands of his colleague. But then his gaze, alarmed, again darted to the top of the rock. It seemed to Sorfit that she trembled. And sure enough, the rock tilted more and more, threatening to collapse down into the clearing. Straining his vision, the sorfit discerned ugly cylinders swarming near the top.

- Anxiety! – his suddenly hoarse throat exhaled with all his might. - Colabas! We are surrounded by colabs!

In complete silence, these hoarse screams sounded like a black omen. But they were immediately drowned out by the roar of collapsing rocks...

A terrible storm broke out. Whole clouds of dust, sand and even small stones rushed through the air, trying to simultaneously deprive both hearing and vision. This is in addition to the fact that it became impossible to breathe under the multi-layered linen bandage, which Cremon hastily placed over his mouth and nose at the first gusty gusts of wind. And what seemed strange from the very beginning was the incredibly increased heat. It was as if a tornado had rushed from the very center of the Enchanted Desert. Streams of sweat ran down my back disgustingly, and the fabric of my clothes began to create a disgusting greenhouse effect.

“The only thing missing is thunder and lightning and rain! – Cremon thought irritably. He bent his face to the very ground and, almost on all fours, feverishly tried to find at least some more or less suitable shelter. “If this happens, I will be one hundred percent sure of the unnatural background of this storm that came out of nowhere!”

Yuri Ivanovich

Deranged sorcerer

A long time ago, a thousand years ago...

The guardian from the Sorphite race felt bad. And he could not understand: whether it was from old age, or from the icy, piercing wind. Even a warm woolen robe, covering almost half of the body, could not save me from it. Sorfit absentmindedly listened to the patter of his colleague from the Tag race and mentally wondered: why is he not cold at all? Although the miniature Guardian was dressed much better and more compact: a fur-lined jacket, thick trousers and bulky felt boots with rubber soles. True, his frail little body was tossed from side to side by the wind. But tagi did not pay attention to the bad weather, only occasionally crouching down when there was a particularly strong gust of cold wind and often grabbing his hat as it tried to fly away. Sorfit once again thought about why his body began to freeze so much. So big and thick! Maybe the fat pad has become thinner over the past year? I do not think so…

Tagi, meanwhile, continued the endless argument.

“...Therefore, I will categorically insist that Magical Attunement be carried out at the age of twenty!” And as soon as summer comes, I will convene the Consehal El-Mitolanov! I will demand the cancellation of the Settings at the age of ten. Too early! Children grow up irresponsible and unadapted! Let them fight for the right to become elected at a more mature age! Then the losers will bring tangible benefits to society with their persistence. And four years is quite enough for initial, theoretical training.

– It’s unlikely that Consejal will abolish centuries-old traditions! – sorfit remarked wearily. – But you, of course, have the right to try...

– Why only me?! If you support me, half the victory will be guaranteed! After all, you were once a passive supporter of this reform.

- Oh-ho-ho! When it was! – The Guardian’s huge body shook with laughter and immediately shuddered from the cold without transition. – Listen, don’t you think this winter is especially cold?

- This? “The little tagi looked around in bewilderment at the mountains that tightly surrounded the almost perfectly round, huge clearing. - Not at all! It's the same winter as always. Look, there's even a lot less snow than usual!

- Why am I freezing? – Sorfit raised his head higher. - And some kind of ice in the brain prevents me from thinking...

- It’s hot for him!.. Yes, you didn’t even feel my care and friendly concern! But I definitely warmed up. You can wait... Although, it seems to me that they are already coming!

At the same moment, the head of a sorfit, covered with a shiny helmet, emerged from under the snow at the edge of the clearing. Six agile forelimbs appeared behind the head, throwing snow away. And behind them is the entire long body of a warrior covered in armor. Not paying attention to the Guardians, he deftly rolled to the side and took a fighting stance. Following him, a dozen more large and trained fighters jumped out of the hole. They scattered around the perimeter of the clearing and took up a defensive position. Small tagi warriors immediately began to appear. Each with a magical crossbow loaded with projectile needles carrying a deadly poison on the tips for any enemy with hot or cold blood. And only when the small shooters occupied all the strategically advantageous positions, several sorfits and tags of advanced age and in the robes of El Mitolan appeared from the underground passage. Each one in turn approached the Guardians and greeted them warmly, exchanging a few phrases.

– Greetings from all of Consehal!..

– We dream of seeing him in full force very soon!..

- They gave you some gifts here...

- It’s good that we at least got there ourselves, otherwise we were already freezing from the cold...

- Someone like you will freeze! What a pity...

- Yes, at least he’s drunk, it’s like he’s drunk!..

– And why so long?..

– The rubble had to be cleared along the way...

– Are you ready to welcome young people?..

– We’ve been preparing for this all year!..

– This year is unusual: by decision of Consehal, it was decided to double the number of initiates. Therefore, two hundred children were selected for Adjustment. We need to make up for the losses from last year...

- It's clear. Then take the children out! Are they at least dressed warmly?

- You have no reason to worry! It's not cold at all!

- And you?! It’s strange, why does it freeze me so much then?

- Let's go get the Sphere! – Guardian-Tagi hurried his colleague. – Let’s start quickly, quickly you’ll be on my massage table!

The guests laughed at the old Guardians, but bowed their heads respectfully. And then they rushed towards the children getting out of the underground passage. Although they were exhausted by a long and difficult journey, the snow-covered meadow caused them a whole fireworks display of fun and joy. The El Mitolans did not have time to build them in organized columns in front of the central elevation of the clearing. Children threw snowballs at each other, pushed each other, fought with squeals and joyful cries. Small tags jumped on the necks of powerful sorphites and, colliding on oncoming courses, fell into the snow. It became scary from such games and it seemed that at least one Tagi would definitely be crushed by the heavy bodies of their many times larger Sorphite comrades.

But ten minutes later, when the Guardians came out of their cave with the precious burden, the children nevertheless gathered in something resembling a discordant square around the dais. There were no casualties. The laughter and negotiations quickly died down, the children's faces became more and more serious and appropriate to the moment. Now what every child in the Sorphyte Valleys dreams of will happen. A Great Miracle will happen, changing their whole life. A magical Sphere will be placed on children's heads, and it will attune their organisms to the magical perception of the secrets of the universe. And when they reach twenty-four years of age, the Surge will occur and they will be able to become full-fledged and great El-Mitolans.

Yuri Ivanovich

Deranged sorcerer

A long time ago, a thousand years ago...

The guardian from the Sorphite race felt bad. And he could not understand: whether it was from old age, or from the icy, piercing wind. Even a warm woolen robe, covering almost half of the body, could not save me from it. Sorfit absentmindedly listened to the patter of his colleague from the Tag race and mentally wondered: why is he not cold at all? Although the miniature Guardian was dressed much better and more compact: a fur-lined jacket, thick trousers and bulky felt boots with rubber soles. True, his frail little body was tossed from side to side by the wind. But tagi did not pay attention to the bad weather, only occasionally crouching down when there was a particularly strong gust of cold wind and often grabbing his hat as it tried to fly away. Sorfit once again thought about why his body began to freeze so much. So big and thick? Maybe the fat pad has become thinner over the past year? I do not think so…

Tagi, meanwhile, continued the endless argument.

“...Therefore, I will categorically insist that magical Attunement be carried out at the age of twenty!” And as soon as summer comes, I will convene the Consehal El-Mitolanov! I will demand the cancellation of the Settings at the age of ten. Too early! Children grow up irresponsible and unadapted! Let them fight for the right to become elected at a more mature age! Then the losers will bring tangible benefits to society with their persistence. And four years is quite enough for initial, theoretical training.

– It’s unlikely that Consejal will abolish centuries-old traditions! – sorfit remarked wearily. – But you, of course, have the right to try...

– Why only me?! If you support me, half the victory will be guaranteed! After all, you were once a passive supporter of this reform.

- Oho-ho! When it was! – The Guardian’s huge body shook with laughter and immediately, without transition, shuddered from the cold. – Listen, don’t you think this winter is especially cold?

- This? “The little tagi looked around in bewilderment at the mountains that tightly surrounded the almost perfectly round, huge clearing. - Not at all! It's the same winter as always. Look, there's even a lot less snow than usual!

- Why am I freezing? – Sorfit raised his head higher. - And some kind of ice in the brain prevents me from thinking...

- It’s hot for him!.. Yes, you didn’t even feel my care and friendly concern! But I definitely warmed up. You can wait... Although, it seems to me that they are already coming!

At the same moment, the head of a sorfit, covered with a shiny helmet, emerged from under the snow at the edge of the clearing. Six agile forelimbs appeared behind the head, throwing snow away. And behind them is the entire long body of a warrior covered in armor. Not paying attention to the Guardians, he deftly rolled to the side and took a fighting stance. Following him, a dozen more large and trained fighters jumped out of the hole. They scattered around the perimeter of the clearing and took up a defensive position. Small tagi warriors immediately began to appear. Each with a magical crossbow loaded with projectile needles carrying a deadly poison on the tips for any enemy with hot or cold blood. And only when the small shooters occupied all the strategically advantageous positions, several sorfits and tags of advanced age and in the robes of El Mitolan appeared from the underground passage. Each one in turn approached the Guardians and greeted them warmly, exchanging a few phrases.

– Greetings from all of Consehal!..

– We dream of seeing him in full force very soon!..

- They gave you some gifts here...

- It’s good that we at least got there ourselves, otherwise we were already freezing from the cold...

- Someone like you will freeze! What a pity...

- Yes, at least he’s drunk, it’s like he’s drunk!..

– And why so long?..

– The rubble had to be cleared along the way...

– Are you ready to welcome young people?..

– We’ve been preparing for this all year!..

– This year is unusual: by decision of Consehal, it was decided to double the number of initiates. Therefore, two hundred children were selected for Adjustment. We need to make up for the losses from last year...

- It's clear. Then take the children out! Are they at least dressed warmly?

- You have no reason to worry! It's not cold at all!

- And you?! It’s strange, why does it freeze me so much then?

- Let's go get the Sphere! – Guardian-Tagi hurried his colleague. – Let’s start quickly, quickly you’ll be on my massage table!

The guests laughed at the old Guardians, but bowed their heads respectfully. And then they rushed towards the children getting out of the underground passage. Although they were exhausted by a long and difficult journey, the snow-covered meadow caused them a whole fireworks display of fun and joy. The El Mitolans did not have time to build them in organized columns in front of the central elevation of the clearing. Children threw snowballs at each other, pushed each other, fought with squeals and joyful cries. Small tags jumped on the necks of powerful sorphites and, colliding on oncoming courses, fell into the snow. It became scary from such games, and it seemed that at least one tagi would definitely be crushed by the heavy bodies of their many times larger fellow sorphites.

But ten minutes later, when the Guardians came out of their cave with the precious burden, the children nevertheless gathered in something resembling a discordant square around the dais. There were no casualties. The laughter and negotiations quickly died down, the children's faces became more and more serious and appropriate to the moment. Now what every child in the Sorphyte Valleys dreams of will happen. A Great Miracle will happen, changing their whole life. A magical Sphere will be placed on children's heads, and it will attune their organisms to the magical perception of the secrets of the universe. And when they reach twenty-four years of age, the Surge will occur and they will be able to become full-fledged and great El-Mitolans.

The Guardians rose majestically to the dais in the center of the clearing, and the Sorfit nodded to his colleague to make a speech. And for the umpteenth time he was surprised by the cold that was bothering him: “What’s wrong with me? I only had this before the battle with an army of dragons in my youth. Then the creatures attacked suddenly, and my inner voice warned with cold. Maybe now?..” The sorfit’s eyes quickly glazed over from a magical trance, and his mind mentally soared with penetrating vision above the rocks that surrounded the sacred clearing like an impenetrable wall. Nobody! Only black stones, twisted trunks of low-growing pines and white snowdrifts between them. “Perhaps the dragons bypassed the spell wall? – Without opening his eyes, he carefully examined the entire visible sky to the horizon. - Nobody either! So, I’m freezing from old age!” “His gaze cleared and stopped at the top of one of the surrounding rocks and froze there. The pathetic statements of the Guardian Tagi reached the ears:

– Our state is the only one in terms of the strength of its incredible friendship between two reasonable nations! Kill anyone who dares to sow enmity between the Tagis and the Sorphites! Our unity is eternal! And may it be so at all times!!!

Tagi shouted the last word of the solemn speech and looked back in surprise at his frozen colleague. Then he hissed in a low voice:

– So will you stand like a stone or will you give me the Sphere to cast?

“Oh yes, of course, I’m sorry...” Sorfit blinked and was about to hand the carefully supported Sphere into the small hands of his colleague. But then his gaze, alarmed, again darted to the top of the rock. It seemed to Sorfit that she trembled. And sure enough: the rock was leaning more and more, threatening to collapse down into the clearing. Straining his vision, the sorfit discerned ugly cylinders swarming near the top.