Volume 2, Chapter 9 – The Silent Silence. Capture and Meeting the Yellows.
A scorching plain, half the size of the Sahara. By day — a fiery wind; by night — Antarctica. Millions of caves of various sizes, and from the right angle, it looks like a trypophobe's nightmare; from ground level, it's a desert of cracks and mounds. And in this Silent Silence, a base was situated.
Surrounded by HESCO and razor wire. At night, it turned into a stadium, shining in all directions like the sun. Inside were two parallel roads, two tanks wide, and one perpendicular road.
In the center, headquarters was completely buried underground, with only antennas — from small ones to massive rotating dishes — revealing its location. To the left stood a hospital tent, slowly transforming to resemble the headquarters. To the right, a kitchen tent, where food was prepared only for me. My own tent had long been dug in and covered with two layers of HESCO. And behind headquarters was a small passage leading underground to the laboratory.
Near the wall was a large area covered by a heavy awning, where BREM Officer worked non-stop day and night, restoring fighters and any damaged equipment. His corner was packed to the brim with machinery; anything that didn't fit waited on trailers — or, if operational, went into the officers' "pocket."
By the wall, as far from the entrance as possible, was a runway made of melted gravel, with two hangars that could hold twelve fighters with folded wings.
Beyond the wall, storage facilities for extracted resources were slowly growing, constantly supplied from two quarries that worked fifteen hours non-stop. But processing wasn't set up yet.
And the most valuable asset on this entire base was Pex. Because all other officers command equipment — and their crews are functions that can only stay inside their vehicles. But there are countless tasks that require hands.
Folding a fighter's wings, refueling it, pushing it onto the runway. Repairs — equipment can deliver things, but you need hands to take things apart, put them together, break and fix them. And all Soldier-functions (faceless ones) are commanded by Pex. His soldiers are literally everywhere: in BREM's tent, on the runway, in the quarries, delivering extracted materials.
And I spent three days recovering. For two days, I slept on my bed in my "den" and ate whatever the Cook brought. Sometimes I got up to keep my muscles from atrophying, stretched a little, and lay back down, reading books with transcriptions of this world's language. It was hard — my tongue almost lost its bones trying to twist into the required sounds. But I tried and read; after half an hour, my brain would explode from the difficulty, and I'd fall asleep.
On the third day, I was already training under Paladin, who had become the Angry Sergeant again — spitting in my face with his shouting, constantly humiliating me, inventing exercises on the spot and then trying to explain what exactly they trained.
The fourth day arrived. Monday.
And I was already sitting in the briefing, wearing a green T-shirt, a body armor vest loaded with magazines, tactical pants, and a Kevlar helmet on my head. The XM-7 was in my hand, held at the ready.
It was insanely heavy. The helmet and vest pulled me toward the ground, increasing the gravity of this land. I was sweating from the weight even though we hadn't moved anywhere — I was already exhausted just sitting and listening to the operation plan.
In headquarters, besides CUB, there was me, Pex, and Paladin. Lelik was supposed to be there too, but he was off somewhere. I didn't want to summon him — he'd learn what he needed from the radio anyway.
"Today's task: capture new creature species and deliver them to the Scientist," the Strategist began, turning off the camera feeds and pulling up slides. "We currently have studied: Arachnoidite — [Slide: black meter-long spider with five yellow eyes that move independently across its head, muscular legs, and a massive mouth resembling a shark's jaw] — and the Fly — [three-eyed black football with rigid wings]. We need to capture a Leaper and a Shark."
"Capture plan: BREM Officer has modified the troop compartments of two Strykers from Pex's forces. Lighting modifications equivalent to fifty lamps. And interior lining turned into a smooth box with materials that don't trigger these creatures," the Strategist clicked through slides showing the vehicles. "Also, two FMTV trucks with generators will join the convoy, connected directly to the Strykers. Task: maintain a steady convoy to avoid power interruptions."
"And how do we push them inside?" I couldn't help asking.
"The creatures ignore 'non-mages.' The plan is simple: wrap a rope around the creature, then an M1132 Stryker pushes it inside. The door closes, the lights turn on."
(I see... Simple enough. Go in, push, and leave.)
"Lelik will deliver you to the destination. He'll lift you in a helicopter, then switch to a Hercules for fast delivery. Distance — fifteen hundred kilometers. On site, Pex will deploy the Strykers and trucks. You connect everything and proceed with the operation. Clear?.." the Strategist paused, wanting to ask Lelik, but he wasn't there. "Where's Lelik?"
"You can sum..." the Strategist started, turning to me.
"Yo. I'm here. Whaddya need? Chopper's ready, gentlemen. We fly in a Black Hawk at max altitude, then..." (Strategist: Hercules) "I know! Then E-4B!" Lelik said, clearly mixing up the aircraft specs.
The Strategist sighed. And said nothing.
(What? Not the E-4B again! Last time wasn't exactly pleasant. Maybe... I'll try to convince him!)
I stood up and walked toward Lelik.
---
—
I sat in a comfortable chair, put my feet up on the table, and gazed at the sky through the porthole — no shaking, complete silence.
(Good... Lelik managed to convince me that this plane was necessary. And he promised that the descent would be smooth until ground level, where he'd switch to a helicopter and just descend a little more. Nothing complicated. Now I can rest and sleep for an hour without this armor and helmet. And eat some good food.)
BREM Officer didn't come with us — he had too many repair tasks — and I could summon his Stryker myself on site.
(Nothing complicated. The main thing is to believe that I'm not a mage. And Democracy is just Democracy. Everything will be fine. Everything will be fi... ) — I passed out.
—
—
"Commander!" Lelik tapped me. "How do you like the view?" he pointed at the porthole.
I rubbed my eyes and looked left. We were flying right above the ground, like we were driving on wheels — only at enormous speed. Mesmerizing...
"Please grab all your stuff for a second. I'm switching to a Black Hawk, we'll land, and I'll bring the plane back. So, bro, you can chill until nightfall," Lelik cheerfully shoved my gear into my hands.
"Fi..." — I hadn't woken up yet and was looking at the stuff Lelik was shoving at me — and then I found myself sitting in a Black Hawk seat, which suddenly slowed down, and then I was back in the Boeing — "...ne?.."
Lelik walked over and quickly took the gear out of my hands. I didn't understand anything at all.
"Have a good day, COMMANDER!" Lelik shouted and left.
I didn't understand a thing and passed out again.
—
—
Lelik tapped my shoulder, and I woke up yawning. A warm draft blew through the cabin, completely chasing away my drowsiness. I looked out the porthole, and creatures were slowly emerging from the caves — both familiar and new ones.
I jumped up, put on my fleece and all my gear, and quickly exited the plane. Only now could I truly see its scale. The white fuselage reflected large patches of light onto the ground from the setting orange sun. The turbines sat so low you couldn't fit a finger under them — and when I stepped back two minutes' distance to fully take in its size, I saw the inscription: "SERAFIM AIR FORCE FRANCE" [Flag of France].
(Wow... Even my name and country painted on American democracy. Impressive — especially considering this behemoth is standing in a desert, and I'm holding a rifle, about to capture monsters in a world of magic. But it's nice to see this... Thank you...)
Pex walked up to me and deployed Alpha Group. The Boeing disappeared.
[Pex]: Base. Pex. In position.
[Base]: Pex. Copy. Deploy.
Pex summoned two Strykers and two trucks onto the dry ground — they immediately sank under the weight of the generators. Alpha Group quickly started connecting the wires to the Strykers. Meanwhile, I looked around and summoned the M1132 Stryker, which drove toward the other vehicles, preparing for the operation.
The convoy was ready. And all across the territory — both in the sky and on the ground — thousands of creatures roamed. The only thing visible without a flashlight was the eerie yellow eyes moving at different speeds. The sky was filled with flies that... weren't doing anything? They just hovered, blocking all visibility.
A terrifying Arachnoidite passed by me, examining me with its eyes, but quickly lost interest and moved on. It left a heavy black trail behind. A pack of Leapers jumped over me, dripping slime onto my helmet. Monsters were everywhere — and when the sun fully set, trying to spot their shapes with a flashlight was terrifying, especially since some crawled on the ground and could suddenly launch into the air, each one a jumpscare.
And here... it was quiet. Very quiet. If you turned off the flashlight and didn't look up, you could think there was nothing here. How do these flies manage to fly without making a sound?
"What are we doing?" I whispered, walking up to Pex, hoping no one would hear — even though they had no hearing, it still felt wrong.
I swung the flashlight in all directions — they weren't afraid of it, they just went about their business. Alpha Group, though shining flashlights in various directions, stood in a ring around the convoy and did something insane: they simply pushed creatures aside when they tried to approach the vehicles, redirecting them elsewhere.
"Leaper — the one that jumps high. Shark — bipedal with a permanently open mouth at forty-five percent, with a distinctive fin on its back," Pex answered matter-of-factly.
(I see...) Pex and I began to wander, taking Bravo Group with us. We hunted the right eyes out of the night. (Why do their eyes glow? It's not like cats — they're like lightbulbs. And it's oppressive. You see the eyes but not the creature's shape, and when you aim, you involuntarily flinch at what you catch. Sometimes we literally had to push creatures aside to get through, searching for the Leapers that had passed us at the very start while we were preparing. Now there were only spiders and a couple of other species — but we hadn't been ordered to catch them. Not that I mind — why argue with those who know this better than I do?)
I walked around, almost touching a creature that looked like a pillar, but with liquid oozing from its top, slowly moving in a chaotic pattern. Then an Arachnoidite bumped into me and stopped to think — just like I did.
We stood there staring at each other — it used only one eye, while I used two eyes and a rifle. The silence was already dead, and now, face to face with it, it felt like meeting a bear with a full belly.
And it walked away, its eye seemed to focus on me, slowly rotating across its head, and then, like a stretched rubber band, it snapped back.
I sighed and leaned against the pillar — then quickly pulled my hand back, covered in Argo. (Creepy!) I took off my glove, and Pex gave me a new one. They didn't know how this liquid could affect a human — no one to test it on. And in the last skirmish, no liquid got on my wounds. Though that day, the Strategist, Analyst, and Scientist had many questions about how the creatures changed during the attack. First, no liquid was secreted. And...
"Target. Visual contact at twelve o'clock," Pex pointed forward, illuminating the figure of a meter-and-a-half creature with a long fin on its back and a massive permanently open mouth, slightly hunched posture. Its legs were heavily muscled, but it had no arms. All black, with a pair of enormous eyes — each half the size of its face.
Bravo began slowly encircling the Shark, pushing all extras out of the circle. In the distance, the convoy's engines rumbled and headlights turned on. Alpha pushed creatures aside, clearing the way for the convoy as it slowly advanced toward us.
I stepped into the circle and thought...
(Where's Lelik? Gone again. Probably wandering around in these fields somewhere.)
Pex waved his hand, and one Bravo fighter pulled a heavy rope from his backpack and passed the end around the circle. The group deftly moved it until the circle closed. I held the rope too.
When the area around the Shark — which kept moving — was cleared, and the convoy pulled up, opening the Stryker compartments, everyone grabbed the rope with both hands, leaving the lights on the vehicles, and quickly passed the ends in opposite directions, slowly closing in on the Shark.
The rope touched the black body, which barely secreted any liquid, and the Shark froze, slowly lifting its head and examining us with two eyes that moved independently.
I looked at it and chanted to myself: (I'm not a mage! I'm not a mage! I'm not a mage!)
And the Shark slowly scanned us with its gaze, but after it was wrapped multiple times and knocked to the ground, its legs tied, it still just watched and did nothing.
The M1132 Stryker drove up and loaded the Shark into its bucket, carrying it to the container.
[Pex]: Base. Shark captured.
Pex took out a tablet and turned on the camera inside the Stryker, watching as the Shark was packed inside.
[Base]: Pex. Copy. Turn on lights in case of activity.
[Pex]: Base. Copy.
"Guys!" Lelik shouted, literally jumping on the heads of Arachnoidites, pushing them into the ground, holding two Leapers by the scruff of their necks as he ran toward us. "Commander! I spotted these guys right at the start and started hunting them!" He held two cat-sized creatures before my face, each with a single chaotic eye. Instead of legs — large plates that could expand and contract — currently motionless.
[Pex] (looking at Lelik): Base. Leaper acquired.
[Base]: Pex. Lelik just reported. Quote: "I'm in deep shit, but with two cats."
[Base]: Pex. Send the convoy. Alpha, Bravo — escort. New task. A humanoid creature has been spotted to the south. Satellites show it moving actively northwest. Distance — fifteen kilometers. Task — photos and observation. How copy?
[Pex]: Base. Copy.
(I'm amazed at how casually Pex stands there, talking to base, while easily pushing creatures aside.)
Lelik reluctantly handed the cats to a soldier, who took them to the second Stryker, and the convoy drove off.
"Why don't you just take the vehicles into the 'pocket' along with the creatures and just appear back at base next to your equipment?" I quietly asked Lelik while Pex discussed the operation details.
"Boss!" he jumped up, throwing an arm covered in Argo around my shoulder. "If I did that, the creatures would first appear in midair, then splat onto the ground," — Lelik snatched my pistol from its holster and shot an Arachnoidite in the head. "Just having some fun."
(I see...) I flinched at the sharp gunshot, while the Arachnoidite's eyes all focused together around the hole in its head. It collapsed and slowly turned into a puddle, the bullet falling to the ground, completely undeformed.
"Is he... dead?" I asked, recovering from the noise.
Lelik was stirring the puddle with a stick (no idea where he got it), as if drawing, while crowds of creatures walked around him.
"According to the Scientist, it's not death. As he said, shoving me out of the lab, it's a high level of stress — the creature got a massive temperature spike in its head, got scared, and turned into Argo," Lelik finished his drawing and stood up. "But in the lab, they regenerate. The real killers: bright light, temperature, or ultraviolet. Basically! Anything that comes from the sun."
(Temporary stress-death. Yeah, sounds like a typical Tuesday for a clerk at a terrible job. Madness, and I'm in the middle of it. And it suits me that I see all this myself, not from reports or cameras.)
Pex walked up to us, shoving creatures aside as if wading through waist-deep water.
"Lelik. Bring an Apache to ten kilometers," Pex said calmly, still standing in a lake of creatures.
I hadn't noticed how many there were — now every movement meant touching something.
Lelik smiled and jumped up dramatically.
Click.
And in his place, an Apache hovered above the ground. The creatures froze and stared at the helicopter that was blowing them away.
"Lelik. Stay low. Don't rise to the fly level," Pex added, jumping aboard, then reached out his hand to me, and I climbed in as well.
(It's strangely fascinating to watch from above. An endless field of eyes, and somewhere in the distance, our convoy crawls along at a snail's pace — five kilometers per hour. They'll be traveling for a while.)
(It's as if the entire Silent Silence is filled with these creatures. There are so many of them. It's terrifying. But why don't they cross the wall into the regular part of the mainland, where there's magic? Isn't that their main food source? Aren't they the top of this world's food chain? Or does the twenty-meter wall really confuse them? So many questions. Maybe I should go see that wall myself?)
I pulled out my tablet and was no longer paying as much attention to the helicopter's noise and shaking.
— Get into sports. (In progress)
— Buy or build my own house.
— Start some kind of business.
— Find a partner.
— Plant a tree.
— Learn a new craft.
From this world:
— Learn the language. (In progress)
— Become independent and not rely on the officers. (In progress)
— Become proficient with weapons. (In progress)
— Recover! (Completed)
— (NEW) See the wall of the Silent Silence.
—
—
We walked across a completely covered floor. Literally every millimeter was occupied by creatures. (It's so disgusting — and the fact that it all happens in silence makes it even more terrifying.)
[Pex]: Base. Target not visible. Confirm coordinates?
[Base]: Pex. Coordinates confirmed. Satellites see the creature. Image is clear. You're two steps away.
Pex took two steps. And I was struck with terror. (What? Where? Why can't we see it? Maybe the satellite photo is old and it's already gone?)
I swept the flashlight across this entire lake of creatures, trying to find something human-like. But I noticed there were a lot of Sharks and Pillars here.
[Pex]: Base. Now?
[Base]: Pex. One minute for a satellite image. Received feed from RQ-4 Global Hawk. You're right on top of it. You blend into one image. How copy?
[Base]: Pex. Target is moving at seven kilometers per hour. Same course. You're losing it. Distance — five meters.
Pex turned toward the course, and I did too.
No one. Not counting the creatures on the ground.
[Pex]: Base. Requesting details on target. No contact.
[Base]: Pex. 180 cm, approximately 50 kg. Yellow. Has light reflection. Distance twelve meters.
[Pex]: Base. Target not visible. Yellow not detected. Moving on course.
[Base]: Pex. Copy.
And I, with primal fear, followed Pex with Bravo Group, trying to spot something yellow in the night. But there was nothing but eyes. And that unnerved me. (An invisible one?)
I put on thermal — nothing changed. Still cold everywhere.
[Base]: Pex. Target changed course. West. Distance — two meters.
[Pex]: Base. Now?
[Base]: Pex. You're right on top of it.
I looked around. (What is this? Okay, not noticing 1.8 meters in this lake is one thing. But not noticing 1.8 meters of bright yellow under your feet is impossible. And where's Lelik again?!)
Pex pulled out a smoke grenade and with a click dropped it at his feet.
And in the cloud, illuminated by the flashlights, shadows of something large began to play — something slowly moving through the smoke.
[Pex]: Base. Visual contact. Object has no physical shell.
The shadows stopped, and the creature slowly turned — then the smoke poofed away.
[Base]: Seven class "Yellow" creatures detected, heading your way. Plan — evacuate.
(Scary... So this thing is walking around us right now. But my panicked flashlight search reveals nothing — where is it? What is it? What do I do? And wait... Where are all the Argo creatures? Literally no one in sight within the visible radius.)
Pex threw another smoke canister, and it illuminated the side of a Yellow — then quickly vanished.
(What to do? What to do?)
The entire Bravo Group formed a ring around me, and Pex summoned Strykers and Bradleys, rotating their guns in different directions. All 130 Soldier-functions deployed smoke grenades around themselves.
And the world was covered in thick smoke — where right in front of my face, I saw a silhouette 1.8 meters tall, standing right in front of me, inches away.
Suddenly, all the smoke vanished.
And the soldiers of Bravo Group fell one by one.
Lelik appeared nearby and instantly transformed into an Apache, launching a series of rockets into the sky that illuminated the figures gathered around me.
Clang.
The Apache slowly fell sideways, breaking its rotors, and went silent.
And I was left in silence. Surrounded by Strykers and Bradleys. I swung the flashlight around me.
No one. Nothing. Silence on the radio. Silence outside.
I couldn't see or hear anything — and knowing the Yellows were around me, I started shaking with fear, and the rifle fell from my hands.
[Base]: S... Static Ye... Shhhhh... Static... t... Static Shhh... Static Se... Static Ev... Shhhhhh piercing screech
I tore off my headphones and tried to run somewhere. But I ran into something invisible and solid, like a body.
"What do you want!" I shouted, pounding on the solid invisibility.
Before me, ten Yellows appeared — and then more and more, filling the entire area. They were all the same height — 1.8 meters. And completely yellow, humanoid figures.
In fear, sweating, my jaw trembling, I spun around frantically, trying to take in all of them and back away — but they formed a circle.
One figure slowly approached me and stopped, pointing at its mouth, then at my mouth.
(What?)
I backed away from it, falling to the ground.
(They're intelligent?! Am I dreaming? We were just on a capture operation — how did I end up alone against the Yellows? And why is he pointing at my mouth?)
(I need to pull myself together, but I can't.)
The Yellow slowly walked up to me and pointed at the fallen Soldier-function from Bravo Group, then pointed at itself, made a "like" gesture toward me, then a "dislike," and again slowly pointed at its mouth, then at mine.
"I don't understand!" I shouted desperately.
The Yellow seemed to sigh and moved closer to the soldier.
It pointed at the soldier repeatedly.
"Soldier?" I started answering its gestures fearfully.
The Yellow nodded and pointed at itself, then drew a line from itself to the soldier. Over and over.
"You... in the soldier?" I stared incomprehensively.
The Yellow nodded and again made a "like" and "dislike" and waited.
"You want to become a soldier?" — I couldn't take this anymore, and fear kept me from standing up.
The Yellow "sighed."
And began repeating the whole process meticulously, extracting one word at a time from me. This was slowly calming me down.
"You want to possess a soldier?" I finally deciphered the puzzle.
The Yellow nodded and again showed thumbs up and thumbs down.
"You're waiting for my approval?"
The Yellow nodded.
"Why? Why did you kill them at all? Why did you shoot down the helicopter? What happened to them? What happened to Pex?" I snapped as soon as I calmed down slightly.
The Yellow listened and pointed at its mouth, then waited.
"To hell with it, let's finish this! Just do it!" I shouted.
And one Yellow disappeared — but the others remained in the circle, waiting and not moving.
The soldier stood up.
"Hoo-oh. Thank you," a HUMAN voice sounded. And instead of the void on his face, there was... a face.
I jumped up, grabbing the pistol from my holster, and aimed it at him with trembling hands.
"Why did you kill them? Who are you? And how do you know French?"
The soldier felt his body and looked around at all the Yellows.
"I don't know French. I speak the language you speak. I didn't kill the spirits. I temporarily expelled them from their bodies," the Soldier felt himself all over, as if savoring it. "Then I wanted to enter their bodies. But there was a barrier. And I saw you and found the key. My name is," he struck a serious pose, "Clarence Gust Magubar of the Dvarikon lineage. I am an Archmage."
(So I gave him permission to possess a soldier — does that mean I can forbid it? But looking at a faceless one with a face is very unsettling and even frightening. But in any case, whether scary or not, I need to kick him out and bring my soldiers and officers back to their bodies.)
"I'll evi..."
"Wait. What year is it? I was trapped for centuries in the Silent Silence. And I was stripped of magic, like all of us," he gestured, pointing at the hundreds of thousands of Yellows. "We've been wandering here for a long time... Please, take me to Dvarikon. It's a kingdom at the mountain cleft."
(Interesting — is this a translation error, or are all location names this stupid?!)
(But why should I help them? My soldiers and officers are alive, and I live with them. Why should I kill my people — even temporarily — just to deliver some mages who came here ON THEIR OWN to try to kill the Argo?)
I raised the pistol to head level and looked away — I'd never done this before. If he didn't agree to leave, I'd have to shoot one of my own.
"You came here yourself. And my people are more precious to me than some trip somewhere."
"I came here to protect humanity."
"You should protect yourself first."
"I'm an Archmage. And you cling to spirits?"
"Spirits are more valuable to me than some mage."
"This is a crime. Aren't you afraid of the kingdoms' laws?"
"I'm not a subject. I live here with my officers."
"Where are you from? Why is there no magic in you, like all the inhabitants of this world? How did you cross the wall?" — he started attacking with questions, still standing and looking down the pistol barrel, completely unaware of what it was.
"I'm from another world. There's no magic there. I flew over."
"Do you want me to send you back?"
"No," I wavered slightly at the thought that he could do that.
"Do you want half my territory?"
"Just one thing. Return the spirits and leave."
"Fine..." Clarence nodded reluctantly. "In that case, we will constantly expel them from their bodies."
"The great Archmage stoops to threats?"
"I need a body and the feeling of life. To survive — at any cost."
(I know that feeling...)
I lowered the pistol.
"Bring all the spirits back, and I'll take you wherever you want," I gave in.
All the soldiers got to their feet, and Pex and Lelik rushed over to me, brandishing their entire arsenal.
"Stand down," I ordered them. (But I'm incredibly relieved to see them on their feet.)
The officers quickly obeyed.
[Base]: Pex! Seraphim! Lelik! Come in. Five squadrons inbound in twenty minutes. Come in?
[Pex] (staring intently at his soldier, who was now the Archmage): Base. Seraphim said stand down.
"Yo! Who's this guy? I'll blow his head off," Lelik pulled a minigun from somewhere and aimed it at the Archmage, who was examining everything carefully.
(Everyone's in their place, and I even feel lighter in this soulless darkness. But now I just want to be done with this guy and get the function back.)
"Pex. Find out where Dvarikon is."
Pex nodded and started interrogating Base, constantly circling around the Archmage.
"Yo, is there some kind of dress code here?" Lelik was surprised, spinning his minigun around, following all the Yellows with his eyes.
(Heh. Maybe one day I'll be that energetic and react to everything like that...)
I smiled, watching Lelik go up to the Yellows and poke them with his fingers.
"Guys, they communicate with gestures," Lelik was surprised when his finger-tap to the head got a displeased reaction.
The Archmage walked up to me.
"And these spirits are strange. They don't know mages?" he asked. "He knows that he'll be executed for this. But in this case, you. This is defilement."
"Let's go back to what happened. I take you where you need to go, and you release the body. That's it. Nothing else. He's human," I reminded him.
"No. He's a spirit. Look," the Archmage pointed at Lelik's body lying on the ground. "Humans can't leave their bodies."
Lelik stood back up.
"So you're not human. And if you do that aga..."
"What then? My threats were clear enough."
I punched him in the face, and he staggered back.
"Mister. You're not an Archmage. Without magic, you're nothing. And even if you keep expelling my officers from their bodies, it'll only get worse for you," I hit him again.
Clarence got up from the ground, wiping blood from his face, while Pex, Lelik, and all of Bravo Group watched. Pex reported everything and didn't interfere.
"COMMANDER! Hit him again!" Lelik shouted, spinning a Yellow off his feet, making it fall to the ground.
The Archmage walked up to me, and all the soldiers fell.
"If that's the case, not a single spirit will ever return to its body."
"If that's the case, you're never getting out of here!"
"In that case, we'll surround you with our bodies, and you'll spend the rest of your life here."
"Okay. But you'll lose your chance to return."
"You'll die."
"And you'll wander here for eternity. Or have you found many spirits with bodies here?" I parried in surprise and without fear, even finding room for sarcasm, looking him in the eye.
"Either way, you'll die — and perhaps the barrier on these bodies will disappear."
"Well then..." I thought for a moment. "All disappear!"
And all the bodies and equipment vanished.
Clarence stared around in shock.
"Are you a spirit mage?"
"I'm the Commander of Democracy."
Silence.
Clarence stepped away from me, approached the Yellows, and communicated with them in an unknown language. He spoke, and they responded with gestures.
"I'll evi..."
"Fine. Deal," Clarence gave in, quickly approaching me. "Are you an Archon? But you have no magic. You learned to turn it off, like our ancestors?"
(What Archons? But... I really can do that...)
(I'm a mage...)
Suddenly, from all directions, through the Yellows, hundreds of creatures ran toward me.
(I'm not a mage! I'm not a mage!) — I began thinking frantically, and the creatures dispersed back behind the circle of Yellows.
"Archon..." Clarence knelt, and all the Yellows did the same. "I saw what you chose to show me... Thank you. Please execute me according to the law for defamation and insulting the Archon's spirits."
(I see... So now I'm powerful to him because I can flip a switch.)
"Let's end it the same way. I take you where you need to go. That's it. Done."
"My life doesn't matter. My path is to follow the Archon's Wisdom — it's the path of all of us," he kept his head bowed.
(I give up.)
"Summon Pex."
Pex appeared and looked around.
"We're going back — and he's coming with us. Let CUB deal with him — I don't understand anything anymore," I explained. "Summon Lelik," — Lelik appeared. — "We're leaving."Volume 2, Chapter 9 – The Silent Silence. Capture and Meeting the Yellows.
A scorching plain, half the size of the Sahara. By day — a fiery wind; by night — Antarctica. Millions of caves of various sizes, and from the right angle, it looks like a trypophobe's nightmare; from ground level, it's a desert of cracks and mounds. And in this Silent Silence, a base was situated.
Surrounded by HESCO and razor wire. At night, it turned into a stadium, shining in all directions like the sun. Inside were two parallel roads, two tanks wide, and one perpendicular road.
In the center, headquarters was completely buried underground, with only antennas — from small ones to massive rotating dishes — revealing its location. To the left stood a hospital tent, slowly transforming to resemble the headquarters. To the right, a kitchen tent, where food was prepared only for me. My own tent had long been dug in and covered with two layers of HESCO. And behind headquarters was a small passage leading underground to the laboratory.
Near the wall was a large area covered by a heavy awning, where BREM Officer worked non-stop day and night, restoring fighters and any damaged equipment. His corner was packed to the brim with machinery; anything that didn't fit waited on trailers — or, if operational, went into the officers' "pocket."
By the wall, as far from the entrance as possible, was a runway made of melted gravel, with two hangars that could hold twelve fighters with folded wings.
Beyond the wall, storage facilities for extracted resources were slowly growing, constantly supplied from two quarries that worked fifteen hours non-stop. But processing wasn't set up yet.
And the most valuable asset on this entire base was Pex. Because all other officers command equipment — and their crews are functions that can only stay inside their vehicles. But there are countless tasks that require hands.
Folding a fighter's wings, refueling it, pushing it onto the runway. Repairs — equipment can deliver things, but you need hands to take things apart, put them together, break and fix them. And all Soldier-functions (faceless ones) are commanded by Pex. His soldiers are literally everywhere: in BREM's tent, on the runway, in the quarries, delivering extracted materials.
And I spent three days recovering. For two days, I slept on my bed in my "den" and ate whatever the Cook brought. Sometimes I got up to keep my muscles from atrophying, stretched a little, and lay back down, reading books with transcriptions of this world's language. It was hard — my tongue almost lost its bones trying to twist into the required sounds. But I tried and read; after half an hour, my brain would explode from the difficulty, and I'd fall asleep.
On the third day, I was already training under Paladin, who had become the Angry Sergeant again — spitting in my face with his shouting, constantly humiliating me, inventing exercises on the spot and then trying to explain what exactly they trained.
The fourth day arrived. Monday.
And I was already sitting in the briefing, wearing a green T-shirt, a body armor vest loaded with magazines, tactical pants, and a Kevlar helmet on my head. The XM-7 was in my hand, held at the ready.
It was insanely heavy. The helmet and vest pulled me toward the ground, increasing the gravity of this land. I was sweating from the weight even though we hadn't moved anywhere — I was already exhausted just sitting and listening to the operation plan.
In headquarters, besides CUB, there was me, Pex, and Paladin. Lelik was supposed to be there too, but he was off somewhere. I didn't want to summon him — he'd learn what he needed from the radio anyway.
"Today's task: capture new creature species and deliver them to the Scientist," the Strategist began, turning off the camera feeds and pulling up slides. "We currently have studied: Arachnoidite — [Slide: black meter-long spider with five yellow eyes that move independently across its head, muscular legs, and a massive mouth resembling a shark's jaw] — and the Fly — [three-eyed black football with rigid wings]. We need to capture a Leaper and a Shark."
"Capture plan: BREM Officer has modified the troop compartments of two Strykers from Pex's forces. Lighting modifications equivalent to fifty lamps. And interior lining turned into a smooth box with materials that don't trigger these creatures," the Strategist clicked through slides showing the vehicles. "Also, two FMTV trucks with generators will join the convoy, connected directly to the Strykers. Task: maintain a steady convoy to avoid power interruptions."
"And how do we push them inside?" I couldn't help asking.
"The creatures ignore 'non-mages.' The plan is simple: wrap a rope around the creature, then an M1132 Stryker pushes it inside. The door closes, the lights turn on."
(I see... Simple enough. Go in, push, and leave.)
"Lelik will deliver you to the destination. He'll lift you in a helicopter, then switch to a Hercules for fast delivery. Distance — fifteen hundred kilometers. On site, Pex will deploy the Strykers and trucks. You connect everything and proceed with the operation. Clear?.." the Strategist paused, wanting to ask Lelik, but he wasn't there. "Where's Lelik?"
"You can sum..." the Strategist started, turning to me.
"Yo. I'm here. Whaddya need? Chopper's ready, gentlemen. We fly in a Black Hawk at max altitude, then..." (Strategist: Hercules) "I know! Then E-4B!" Lelik said, clearly mixing up the aircraft specs.
The Strategist sighed. And said nothing.
(What? Not the E-4B again! Last time wasn't exactly pleasant. Maybe... I'll try to convince him!)
I stood up and walked toward Lelik.
---
—
I sat in a comfortable chair, put my feet up on the table, and gazed at the sky through the porthole — no shaking, complete silence.
(Good... Lelik managed to convince me that this plane was necessary. And he promised that the descent would be smooth until ground level, where he'd switch to a helicopter and just descend a little more. Nothing complicated. Now I can rest and sleep for an hour without this armor and helmet. And eat some good food.)
BREM Officer didn't come with us — he had too many repair tasks — and I could summon his Stryker myself on site.
(Nothing complicated. The main thing is to believe that I'm not a mage. And Democracy is just Democracy. Everything will be fine. Everything will be fi... ) — I passed out.
—
—
"Commander!" Lelik tapped me. "How do you like the view?" he pointed at the porthole.
I rubbed my eyes and looked left. We were flying right above the ground, like we were driving on wheels — only at enormous speed. Mesmerizing...
"Please grab all your stuff for a second. I'm switching to a Black Hawk, we'll land, and I'll bring the plane back. So, bro, you can chill until nightfall," Lelik cheerfully shoved my gear into my hands.
"Fi..." — I hadn't woken up yet and was looking at the stuff Lelik was shoving at me — and then I found myself sitting in a Black Hawk seat, which suddenly slowed down, and then I was back in the Boeing — "...ne?.."
Lelik walked over and quickly took the gear out of my hands. I didn't understand anything at all.
"Have a good day, COMMANDER!" Lelik shouted and left.
I didn't understand a thing and passed out again.
—
—
Lelik tapped my shoulder, and I woke up yawning. A warm draft blew through the cabin, completely chasing away my drowsiness. I looked out the porthole, and creatures were slowly emerging from the caves — both familiar and new ones.
I jumped up, put on my fleece and all my gear, and quickly exited the plane. Only now could I truly see its scale. The white fuselage reflected large patches of light onto the ground from the setting orange sun. The turbines sat so low you couldn't fit a finger under them — and when I stepped back two minutes' distance to fully take in its size, I saw the inscription: "SERAFIM AIR FORCE FRANCE" [Flag of France].
(Wow... Even my name and country painted on American democracy. Impressive — especially considering this behemoth is standing in a desert, and I'm holding a rifle, about to capture monsters in a world of magic. But it's nice to see this... Thank you...)
Pex walked up to me and deployed Alpha Group. The Boeing disappeared.
[Pex]: Base. Pex. In position.
[Base]: Pex. Copy. Deploy.
Pex summoned two Strykers and two trucks onto the dry ground — they immediately sank under the weight of the generators. Alpha Group quickly started connecting the wires to the Strykers. Meanwhile, I looked around and summoned the M1132 Stryker, which drove toward the other vehicles, preparing for the operation.
The convoy was ready. And all across the territory — both in the sky and on the ground — thousands of creatures roamed. The only thing visible without a flashlight was the eerie yellow eyes moving at different speeds. The sky was filled with flies that... weren't doing anything? They just hovered, blocking all visibility.
A terrifying Arachnoidite passed by me, examining me with its eyes, but quickly lost interest and moved on. It left a heavy black trail behind. A pack of Leapers jumped over me, dripping slime onto my helmet. Monsters were everywhere — and when the sun fully set, trying to spot their shapes with a flashlight was terrifying, especially since some crawled on the ground and could suddenly launch into the air, each one a jumpscare.
And here... it was quiet. Very quiet. If you turned off the flashlight and didn't look up, you could think there was nothing here. How do these flies manage to fly without making a sound?
"What are we doing?" I whispered, walking up to Pex, hoping no one would hear — even though they had no hearing, it still felt wrong.
I swung the flashlight in all directions — they weren't afraid of it, they just went about their business. Alpha Group, though shining flashlights in various directions, stood in a ring around the convoy and did something insane: they simply pushed creatures aside when they tried to approach the vehicles, redirecting them elsewhere.
"Leaper — the one that jumps high. Shark — bipedal with a permanently open mouth at forty-five percent, with a distinctive fin on its back," Pex answered matter-of-factly.
(I see...) Pex and I began to wander, taking Bravo Group with us. We hunted the right eyes out of the night. (Why do their eyes glow? It's not like cats — they're like lightbulbs. And it's oppressive. You see the eyes but not the creature's shape, and when you aim, you involuntarily flinch at what you catch. Sometimes we literally had to push creatures aside to get through, searching for the Leapers that had passed us at the very start while we were preparing. Now there were only spiders and a couple of other species — but we hadn't been ordered to catch them. Not that I mind — why argue with those who know this better than I do?)
I walked around, almost touching a creature that looked like a pillar, but with liquid oozing from its top, slowly moving in a chaotic pattern. Then an Arachnoidite bumped into me and stopped to think — just like I did.
We stood there staring at each other — it used only one eye, while I used two eyes and a rifle. The silence was already dead, and now, face to face with it, it felt like meeting a bear with a full belly.
And it walked away, its eye seemed to focus on me, slowly rotating across its head, and then, like a stretched rubber band, it snapped back.
I sighed and leaned against the pillar — then quickly pulled my hand back, covered in Argo. (Creepy!) I took off my glove, and Pex gave me a new one. They didn't know how this liquid could affect a human — no one to test it on. And in the last skirmish, no liquid got on my wounds. Though that day, the Strategist, Analyst, and Scientist had many questions about how the creatures changed during the attack. First, no liquid was secreted. And...
"Target. Visual contact at twelve o'clock," Pex pointed forward, illuminating the figure of a meter-and-a-half creature with a long fin on its back and a massive permanently open mouth, slightly hunched posture. Its legs were heavily muscled, but it had no arms. All black, with a pair of enormous eyes — each half the size of its face.
Bravo began slowly encircling the Shark, pushing all extras out of the circle. In the distance, the convoy's engines rumbled and headlights turned on. Alpha pushed creatures aside, clearing the way for the convoy as it slowly advanced toward us.
I stepped into the circle and thought...
(Where's Lelik? Gone again. Probably wandering around in these fields somewhere.)
Pex waved his hand, and one Bravo fighter pulled a heavy rope from his backpack and passed the end around the circle. The group deftly moved it until the circle closed. I held the rope too.
When the area around the Shark — which kept moving — was cleared, and the convoy pulled up, opening the Stryker compartments, everyone grabbed the rope with both hands, leaving the lights on the vehicles, and quickly passed the ends in opposite directions, slowly closing in on the Shark.
The rope touched the black body, which barely secreted any liquid, and the Shark froze, slowly lifting its head and examining us with two eyes that moved independently.
I looked at it and chanted to myself: (I'm not a mage! I'm not a mage! I'm not a mage!)
And the Shark slowly scanned us with its gaze, but after it was wrapped multiple times and knocked to the ground, its legs tied, it still just watched and did nothing.
The M1132 Stryker drove up and loaded the Shark into its bucket, carrying it to the container.
[Pex]: Base. Shark captured.
Pex took out a tablet and turned on the camera inside the Stryker, watching as the Shark was packed inside.
[Base]: Pex. Copy. Turn on lights in case of activity.
[Pex]: Base. Copy.
"Guys!" Lelik shouted, literally jumping on the heads of Arachnoidites, pushing them into the ground, holding two Leapers by the scruff of their necks as he ran toward us. "Commander! I spotted these guys right at the start and started hunting them!" He held two cat-sized creatures before my face, each with a single chaotic eye. Instead of legs — large plates that could expand and contract — currently motionless.
[Pex] (looking at Lelik): Base. Leaper acquired.
[Base]: Pex. Lelik just reported. Quote: "I'm in deep shit, but with two cats."
[Base]: Pex. Send the convoy. Alpha, Bravo — escort. New task. A humanoid creature has been spotted to the south. Satellites show it moving actively northwest. Distance — fifteen kilometers. Task — photos and observation. How copy?
[Pex]: Base. Copy.
(I'm amazed at how casually Pex stands there, talking to base, while easily pushing creatures aside.)
Lelik reluctantly handed the cats to a soldier, who took them to the second Stryker, and the convoy drove off.
"Why don't you just take the vehicles into the 'pocket' along with the creatures and just appear back at base next to your equipment?" I quietly asked Lelik while Pex discussed the operation details.
"Boss!" he jumped up, throwing an arm covered in Argo around my shoulder. "If I did that, the creatures would first appear in midair, then splat onto the ground," — Lelik snatched my pistol from its holster and shot an Arachnoidite in the head. "Just having some fun."
(I see...) I flinched at the sharp gunshot, while the Arachnoidite's eyes all focused together around the hole in its head. It collapsed and slowly turned into a puddle, the bullet falling to the ground, completely undeformed.
"Is he... dead?" I asked, recovering from the noise.
Lelik was stirring the puddle with a stick (no idea where he got it), as if drawing, while crowds of creatures walked around him.
"According to the Scientist, it's not death. As he said, shoving me out of the lab, it's a high level of stress — the creature got a massive temperature spike in its head, got scared, and turned into Argo," Lelik finished his drawing and stood up. "But in the lab, they regenerate. The real killers: bright light, temperature, or ultraviolet. Basically! Anything that comes from the sun."
(Temporary stress-death. Yeah, sounds like a typical Tuesday for a clerk at a terrible job. Madness, and I'm in the middle of it. And it suits me that I see all this myself, not from reports or cameras.)
Pex walked up to us, shoving creatures aside as if wading through waist-deep water.
"Lelik. Bring an Apache to ten kilometers," Pex said calmly, still standing in a lake of creatures.
I hadn't noticed how many there were — now every movement meant touching something.
Lelik smiled and jumped up dramatically.
Click.
And in his place, an Apache hovered above the ground. The creatures froze and stared at the helicopter that was blowing them away.
"Lelik. Stay low. Don't rise to the fly level," Pex added, jumping aboard, then reached out his hand to me, and I climbed in as well.
(It's strangely fascinating to watch from above. An endless field of eyes, and somewhere in the distance, our convoy crawls along at a snail's pace — five kilometers per hour. They'll be traveling for a while.)
(It's as if the entire Silent Silence is filled with these creatures. There are so many of them. It's terrifying. But why don't they cross the wall into the regular part of the mainland, where there's magic? Isn't that their main food source? Aren't they the top of this world's food chain? Or does the twenty-meter wall really confuse them? So many questions. Maybe I should go see that wall myself?)
I pulled out my tablet and was no longer paying as much attention to the helicopter's noise and shaking.
— Get into sports. (In progress)
— Buy or build my own house.
— Start some kind of business.
— Find a partner.
— Plant a tree.
— Learn a new craft.
From this world:
— Learn the language. (In progress)
— Become independent and not rely on the officers. (In progress)
— Become proficient with weapons. (In progress)
— Recover! (Completed)
— (NEW) See the wall of the Silent Silence.
—
—
We walked across a completely covered floor. Literally every millimeter was occupied by creatures. (It's so disgusting — and the fact that it all happens in silence makes it even more terrifying.)
[Pex]: Base. Target not visible. Confirm coordinates?
[Base]: Pex. Coordinates confirmed. Satellites see the creature. Image is clear. You're two steps away.
Pex took two steps. And I was struck with terror. (What? Where? Why can't we see it? Maybe the satellite photo is old and it's already gone?)
I swept the flashlight across this entire lake of creatures, trying to find something human-like. But I noticed there were a lot of Sharks and Pillars here.
[Pex]: Base. Now?
[Base]: Pex. One minute for a satellite image. Received feed from RQ-4 Global Hawk. You're right on top of it. You blend into one image. How copy?
[Base]: Pex. Target is moving at seven kilometers per hour. Same course. You're losing it. Distance — five meters.
Pex turned toward the course, and I did too.
No one. Not counting the creatures on the ground.
[Pex]: Base. Requesting details on target. No contact.
[Base]: Pex. 180 cm, approximately 50 kg. Yellow. Has light reflection. Distance twelve meters.
[Pex]: Base. Target not visible. Yellow not detected. Moving on course.
[Base]: Pex. Copy.
And I, with primal fear, followed Pex with Bravo Group, trying to spot something yellow in the night. But there was nothing but eyes. And that unnerved me. (An invisible one?)
I put on thermal — nothing changed. Still cold everywhere.
[Base]: Pex. Target changed course. West. Distance — two meters.
[Pex]: Base. Now?
[Base]: Pex. You're right on top of it.
I looked around. (What is this? Okay, not noticing 1.8 meters in this lake is one thing. But not noticing 1.8 meters of bright yellow under your feet is impossible. And where's Lelik again?!)
Pex pulled out a smoke grenade and with a click dropped it at his feet.
And in the cloud, illuminated by the flashlights, shadows of something large began to play — something slowly moving through the smoke.
[Pex]: Base. Visual contact. Object has no physical shell.
The shadows stopped, and the creature slowly turned — then the smoke poofed away.
[Base]: Seven class "Yellow" creatures detected, heading your way. Plan — evacuate.
(Scary... So this thing is walking around us right now. But my panicked flashlight search reveals nothing — where is it? What is it? What do I do? And wait... Where are all the Argo creatures? Literally no one in sight within the visible radius.)
Pex threw another smoke canister, and it illuminated the side of a Yellow — then quickly vanished.
(What to do? What to do?)
The entire Bravo Group formed a ring around me, and Pex summoned Strykers and Bradleys, rotating their guns in different directions. All 130 Soldier-functions deployed smoke grenades around themselves.
And the world was covered in thick smoke — where right in front of my face, I saw a silhouette 1.8 meters tall, standing right in front of me, inches away.
Suddenly, all the smoke vanished.
And the soldiers of Bravo Group fell one by one.
Lelik appeared nearby and instantly transformed into an Apache, launching a series of rockets into the sky that illuminated the figures gathered around me.
Clang.
The Apache slowly fell sideways, breaking its rotors, and went silent.
And I was left in silence. Surrounded by Strykers and Bradleys. I swung the flashlight around me.
No one. Nothing. Silence on the radio. Silence outside.
I couldn't see or hear anything — and knowing the Yellows were around me, I started shaking with fear, and the rifle fell from my hands.
[Base]: S... Static Ye... Shhhhh... Static... t... Static Shhh... Static Se... Static Ev... Shhhhhh piercing screech
I tore off my headphones and tried to run somewhere. But I ran into something invisible and solid, like a body.
"What do you want!" I shouted, pounding on the solid invisibility.
Before me, ten Yellows appeared — and then more and more, filling the entire area. They were all the same height — 1.8 meters. And completely yellow, humanoid figures.
In fear, sweating, my jaw trembling, I spun around frantically, trying to take in all of them and back away — but they formed a circle.
One figure slowly approached me and stopped, pointing at its mouth, then at my mouth.
(What?)
I backed away from it, falling to the ground.
(They're intelligent?! Am I dreaming? We were just on a capture operation — how did I end up alone against the Yellows? And why is he pointing at my mouth?)
(I need to pull myself together, but I can't.)
The Yellow slowly walked up to me and pointed at the fallen Soldier-function from Bravo Group, then pointed at itself, made a "like" gesture toward me, then a "dislike," and again slowly pointed at its mouth, then at mine.
"I don't understand!" I shouted desperately.
The Yellow seemed to sigh and moved closer to the soldier.
It pointed at the soldier repeatedly.
"Soldier?" I started answering its gestures fearfully.
The Yellow nodded and pointed at itself, then drew a line from itself to the soldier. Over and over.
"You... in the soldier?" I stared incomprehensively.
The Yellow nodded and again made a "like" and "dislike" and waited.
"You want to become a soldier?" — I couldn't take this anymore, and fear kept me from standing up.
The Yellow "sighed."
And began repeating the whole process meticulously, extracting one word at a time from me. This was slowly calming me down.
"You want to possess a soldier?" I finally deciphered the puzzle.
The Yellow nodded and again showed thumbs up and thumbs down.
"You're waiting for my approval?"
The Yellow nodded.
"Why? Why did you kill them at all? Why did you shoot down the helicopter? What happened to them? What happened to Pex?" I snapped as soon as I calmed down slightly.
The Yellow listened and pointed at its mouth, then waited.
"To hell with it, let's finish this! Just do it!" I shouted.
And one Yellow disappeared — but the others remained in the circle, waiting and not moving.
The soldier stood up.
"Hoo-oh. Thank you," a HUMAN voice sounded. And instead of the void on his face, there was... a face.
I jumped up, grabbing the pistol from my holster, and aimed it at him with trembling hands.
"Why did you kill them? Who are you? And how do you know French?"
The soldier felt his body and looked around at all the Yellows.
"I don't know French. I speak the language you speak. I didn't kill the spirits. I temporarily expelled them from their bodies," the Soldier felt himself all over, as if savoring it. "Then I wanted to enter their bodies. But there was a barrier. And I saw you and found the key. My name is," he struck a serious pose, "Clarence Gust Magubar of the Dvarikon lineage. I am an Archmage."
(So I gave him permission to possess a soldier — does that mean I can forbid it? But looking at a faceless one with a face is very unsettling and even frightening. But in any case, whether scary or not, I need to kick him out and bring my soldiers and officers back to their bodies.)
"I'll evi..."
"Wait. What year is it? I was trapped for centuries in the Silent Silence. And I was stripped of magic, like all of us," he gestured, pointing at the hundreds of thousands of Yellows. "We've been wandering here for a long time... Please, take me to Dvarikon. It's a kingdom at the mountain cleft."
(Interesting — is this a translation error, or are all location names this stupid?!)
(But why should I help them? My soldiers and officers are alive, and I live with them. Why should I kill my people — even temporarily — just to deliver some mages who came here ON THEIR OWN to try to kill the Argo?)
I raised the pistol to head level and looked away — I'd never done this before. If he didn't agree to leave, I'd have to shoot one of my own.
"You came here yourself. And my people are more precious to me than some trip somewhere."
"I came here to protect humanity."
"You should protect yourself first."
"I'm an Archmage. And you cling to spirits?"
"Spirits are more valuable to me than some mage."
"This is a crime. Aren't you afraid of the kingdoms' laws?"
"I'm not a subject. I live here with my officers."
"Where are you from? Why is there no magic in you, like all the inhabitants of this world? How did you cross the wall?" — he started attacking with questions, still standing and looking down the pistol barrel, completely unaware of what it was.
"I'm from another world. There's no magic there. I flew over."
"Do you want me to send you back?"
"No," I wavered slightly at the thought that he could do that.
"Do you want half my territory?"
"Just one thing. Return the spirits and leave."
"Fine..." Clarence nodded reluctantly. "In that case, we will constantly expel them from their bodies."
"The great Archmage stoops to threats?"
"I need a body and the feeling of life. To survive — at any cost."
(I know that feeling...)
I lowered the pistol.
"Bring all the spirits back, and I'll take you wherever you want," I gave in.
All the soldiers got to their feet, and Pex and Lelik rushed over to me, brandishing their entire arsenal.
"Stand down," I ordered them. (But I'm incredibly relieved to see them on their feet.)
The officers quickly obeyed.
[Base]: Pex! Seraphim! Lelik! Come in. Five squadrons inbound in twenty minutes. Come in?
[Pex] (staring intently at his soldier, who was now the Archmage): Base. Seraphim said stand down.
"Yo! Who's this guy? I'll blow his head off," Lelik pulled a minigun from somewhere and aimed it at the Archmage, who was examining everything carefully.
(Everyone's in their place, and I even feel lighter in this soulless darkness. But now I just want to be done with this guy and get the function back.)
"Pex. Find out where Dvarikon is."
Pex nodded and started interrogating Base, constantly circling around the Archmage.
"Yo, is there some kind of dress code here?" Lelik was surprised, spinning his minigun around, following all the Yellows with his eyes.
(Heh. Maybe one day I'll be that energetic and react to everything like that...)
I smiled, watching Lelik go up to the Yellows and poke them with his fingers.
"Guys, they communicate with gestures," Lelik was surprised when his finger-tap to the head got a displeased reaction.
The Archmage walked up to me.
"And these spirits are strange. They don't know mages?" he asked. "He knows that he'll be executed for this. But in this case, you. This is defilement."
"Let's go back to what happened. I take you where you need to go, and you release the body. That's it. Nothing else. He's human," I reminded him.
"No. He's a spirit. Look," the Archmage pointed at Lelik's body lying on the ground. "Humans can't leave their bodies."
Lelik stood back up.
"So you're not human. And if you do that aga..."
"What then? My threats were clear enough."
I punched him in the face, and he staggered back.
"Mister. You're not an Archmage. Without magic, you're nothing. And even if you keep expelling my officers from their bodies, it'll only get worse for you," I hit him again.
Clarence got up from the ground, wiping blood from his face, while Pex, Lelik, and all of Bravo Group watched. Pex reported everything and didn't interfere.
"COMMANDER! Hit him again!" Lelik shouted, spinning a Yellow off his feet, making it fall to the ground.
The Archmage walked up to me, and all the soldiers fell.
"If that's the case, not a single spirit will ever return to its body."
"If that's the case, you're never getting out of here!"
"In that case, we'll surround you with our bodies, and you'll spend the rest of your life here."
"Okay. But you'll lose your chance to return."
"You'll die."
"And you'll wander here for eternity. Or have you found many spirits with bodies here?" I parried in surprise and without fear, even finding room for sarcasm, looking him in the eye.
"Either way, you'll die — and perhaps the barrier on these bodies will disappear."
"Well then..." I thought for a moment. "All disappear!"
And all the bodies and equipment vanished.
Clarence stared around in shock.
"Are you a spirit mage?"
"I'm the Commander of Democracy."
Silence.
Clarence stepped away from me, approached the Yellows, and communicated with them in an unknown language. He spoke, and they responded with gestures.
"I'll evi..."
"Fine. Deal," Clarence gave in, quickly approaching me. "Are you an Archon? But you have no magic. You learned to turn it off, like our ancestors?"
(What Archons? But... I really can do that...)
(I'm a mage...)
Suddenly, from all directions, through the Yellows, hundreds of creatures ran toward me.
(I'm not a mage! I'm not a mage!) — I began thinking frantically, and the creatures dispersed back behind the circle of Yellows.
"Archon..." Clarence knelt, and all the Yellows did the same. "I saw what you chose to show me... Thank you. Please execute me according to the law for defamation and insulting the Archon's spirits."
(I see... So now I'm powerful to him because I can flip a switch.)
"Let's end it the same way. I take you where you need to go. That's it. Done."
"My life doesn't matter. My path is to follow the Archon's Wisdom — it's the path of all of us," he kept his head bowed.
(I give up.)
"Summon Pex."
Pex appeared and looked around.
"We're going back — and he's coming with us. Let CUB deal with him — I don't understand anything anymore," I explained. "Summon Lelik," — Lelik appeared. — "We're leaving."