Ashura disappeared five days ago. The weather was hot, the sun beat down mercilessly, forcing all living creatures to hide in thick grass, in broad foliage of trees, in their cozy burrows.
Even the birds did not sing, waiting out the summer heat. Zee guessed that it should be August in this world, based on the fruit-rich plants that surrounded his humble dwelling. Autumn was to come soon, when strong winds would blow the leaves from the trees, the grass would wither, and the days would not be so hot. The climate of this place was a mystery to him, but deciding not to risk it, he began to prepare for the cold times in advance.
He hadn't been able to get enough sleep in recent days, sitting late at the drawings, experimenting with extremely difficult magic to master, because of which the backyard was littered with a pile of split stones and rotten, torn to pieces, bitten and just dry apples. In the midst of this chaos lay only one whole and as fresh as at the moment when it was created. The great building was completed.
And now, despite the fact that noon had come a long time ago, Zee was sleeping sweetly in his bed.
He was awakened by the sound of metal in the yard. As if someone beat empty buckets against each other. The sound was getting closer. At first, he thought that Ashura had returned with new gifts and calmly fell back to sleep, but there was a roar in front of the door, from which the windows vibrated.
He looked out the window and saw something huge. Apparently, this huge creature turned out to be a knight, clad in no less huge plate armor.
It was very bright outside, but this creature shone even more. Behind him was a huge blade, the handle of which was decorated with densely scattered gems. On his belt hung a massive book, in a metal cover. The roar repeated, and it spoke.
- The time has come! Come out to me mage! Heed the call of your Goddess! - The voice was like thunder. Low, rolling, so powerful that it's scary to imagine the size of the lungs of this monster.
Zee went down to the front door, peered through the opening without removing the chain.
- Sir Knight, you are mistaken, only I live here, a poor peasant - Zee disheveled his hair, and tried to sound as insignificant as possible.
- How dare you?! – Exploded man – I am Loras, the great paladin of Airia, the Goddess of Light and Goodness, the greatest of the Gods, may her name be Holy! I had a vision that I should find the magician and accompany him to the battle against darkness! And if he decides to resist, strike him like a heretic that deserves it!
Paladin went to the front door. Up close, it was even bigger… Much bigger.
“Your mother. The old man warned me that she would try to get here, but not as fast! And why today…”
Zee did not have time to finish his thought, as the giant's hand squeezed through the doorway, grabbed the door and pulled it out along with the hinges, chain and Zee hanging on the doorknob.
- Pathetic man, this is your last chance! Either keep with me the path to glory and light, or fall in a fair duel! - Loras didn't seem to know how to talk, only to yell. At the same time, drooling escaped from the slot of the helmet, where his mouth should be, and the metal vibrated.
“This thing is under four meters tall. And the armor bends from the movements of his muscles ... I have no idea how strong I am, by the standards of this world, but to fight THIS?! It’s would kill me!"
Zee quickly resigned himself to his fate and used one of the escape plans he sometimes thought of. He didn't expect this today. And there was no good plan either. All that was left was to hope for the worst.
- N…N… noble paladin, please give me a few minutes to get dressed. I can't travel with you, and even fight like this – Zee flopped to the ground and Loras threw the door away.
- Yes, I see! It would be my shame if I had a fight with a man in pajamas. Good! I give you five minutes and not a second more! - Paladin removed his helmet from his head, revealing a rough face. He certainly wasn't human, more like a cross between an ogre and an orc. Many scars covered his skin, more must have been hidden behind a bushy beard. His red hair was pulled back into a ponytail. And the eyes...
“Lord, Paladin comes from him, like a nun from my grandmother ... His look is as if he wants to tear me in half and devour me. Gotta get off!”
Grandma Zee was that spicy thing when she was young. Throughout his childhood, he listened to stories about biker gangs, robberies, drinking parties that dragged on for weeks and a short prison term. She always warned that if he blabbed, he might see her one more time. On a chair with lots of electricity. Despite her character, she loved her grandson, and he loved her. And sometimes he missed her.
He rushed into the house and disappeared behind the nearest door. Scattering things from the closet, he picked up the most practical outfit he had created, threw a few trinkets, the creation of which he spent a lot of time in a backpack and went deeper into the house. Opening the door to the toilet, he once again cast a glance at him ... His greatest creation. Automatic toilet. Take a hot bath, take a shower, it was all a trifle that anyone could come up with. But automating such a familiar mechanism, which he did not appreciate in the past, proved to be a difficult task.
Zee had never done plumbing, and didn't know how to create something so simple and complex, at the same time.
So he spent a few days teleporting. The results were disgusting; it was absolutely impossible to throw anything alive there. And the chance to teleport your secretions into another room, in your face, or shoot them like a cannon, it was very unattractive possibility. And finally, having created a precious friend, a comrade ready to substitute his cool stone side in a difficult moment, he lost him ...
Getting out through a narrow window, Zee used a spell that granted running speed and something similar to disguise, how it works, he did not fully understand, but once he was able to hide from Ashura for a couple of hours. It was hoped that from the thug it would also help.
And with great speed rushed across the field towards the nearest village.
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Thirty minutes have passed. The petty wizard did not even think of getting out of his house.
“I was patient, as the precepts of the Goddess Airia tell us, may her name be holy! But I don't intend to wait any longer!"
Loras drew his blade from its scabbard, threw aside his helmet, which was scarcely stronger than his skin, but tired of making him carry it as a sign of the authority of the church, and rushed into the house.
- Where are you hiding, coward, come out and fight me! - he roared, tearing door after door. Not finding Zee on the first floor, he brandished his sword in anger and knocked down several walls. The wreckage caught fire, and the blade glowed white. The house shook.
- You will know the fury of the world! I will punish you, in the name of Good! - With a cry, he ran up the stairs, showing such agility and speed, in such a narrow space that both experienced acrobats and thieves would envy him.
But there was no one there either. Then he looked out the window and saw movement in the distance. Something made its way through the thick grass, and then flashed and disappeared into the thick of the forest. His eyes couldn't see anything, but combat experience told him where to go.
- Damn you! You dared to escape from the hand of the Lord! I won't let you go, I swear on my life and faith! - Clouds of steam were now escaping from his nostrils, his body temperature rising unbelievably, turning him into a beast of war. An ordinary person would receive a severe burn if touched on his skin. The blessings of the Goddess accompanied him always. Flame, light, healing and much more. It was all fueled by his innate rage, and the rage fueled the buffs.
Releasing his anger, he swung his blade several times, leaving wide streaks of light and the house collapsed.
He himself flew like a pillar to the first floor, and the roof split on his head. And so he stood, catching his breath, to think soberly and come up with a plan to capture the invisible fugitive. Nothing good came to mind, so he decided to just run after him, sooner or later the magician would show up.
At that moment, something fell behind him. Loras turned and saw a woman dressed as a maid.
