Aka-32, with her arms crossed, was carefully looking at the shimmering surface of the shield attached to her forearm. Inside it, it was as if something alive was moving shadows that looked like claws and horns.
—At least, – she said quietly, without looking up, — I will be able to summon at least three monster from the shield. They will repel attacks and keep the distance. If we are lucky…
She paused for a second.
—We will have a chance to set the pace.No more, but there is still a chance.
Zikei jerked his shoulder nervously, as if to shake off an imaginary burden, and laughed hoarsely without merriment:
—We only get one shot. Either we use it right... or we'll be torn apart by those Coyotes.
He said the last word as if it smelled of blood. A silence, short and heavy, hung between them.
I stepped forward. Before me stood doors, as if sculpted from moss and a thick green resin, swaying like the breath of a living creature. Warmth radiated from the surface, and a faint scent of swamp and rain.
I took out the [Nemorino Collar], its metal seeming to absorb the light around it. As I touched it to the surface, I felt the doors shudder as if they were waking up.
The system flashed:
[ Activated]
[Confirmation of the connection with the storage of the Fourth Apostil, the Nemorrino Boar.]
The door glowed with a luminescent green light, flowing along the lines like blood through the veins.
A bas-relief tattoo appeared on the surface, crude but at the same time almost sacred. A huge Nemorrino boar standing on its hind legs. There's a huge apple in one hand, like a symbol of promise and temptation. In the other, a massive axe, cleaving the silhouettes of enemies that looked tiny in comparison.
His eyes were blank, but they held an ancient will as heavy as the earth.
Aka-32 breathed out softly:
—He always looks like a monster... but he's also a protector?
Zikei nodded.
—If we don't succeed, we won't be able to pass through this again.
The doors began to open, as if the mouth of something old and hungry was being revealed. Suddenly, everything became very quiet.
Elk slowly pulled out its long, heavy spear, as if it had been carved from the bone of an ancient beast. The metal on the tip reflected a greenish light that shimmered in the humid air. He put on his helmet, and at that moment his face became inscrutable, as if he had abandoned all human doubts and feelings.
—It's an honor to face the Fourth Apostil, the Swamp Boar Nemorrino, for the first time.
His words hung in the air like a prayer, like a deathbed vow. The group of four exchanged glances.
Everyone's breath was caught, their knees slightly trembling, but... someone suddenly grinned.
And a second later, we all laughed nervously, too loudly, but in the way that only those who are already standing on the edge know how to laugh.
—Let's go!
Aka-32 breathed out, her voice a little shaky.
I went in first, my boots sinking into a wet layer of soft moss, like a carpet of sleeping seaweed. The air was thick, heavy, almost viscous.
It smelled of swamp, damp, tree bark, and something old, like the stale breath of an animal dormant in the depths.
This wasn't just another room.
I slowly scanned the space, and at that moment, my eye interface activated. The transparent lines of the interface began to run, but I disabled them to see the world in real-time.
I didn't speak out loud, but I sent a message to make it easier to communicate with my brother. Katz, connected to the camera and watching everything from afar.
[ Disava ] : It's different here...
A couple of seconds of silence.
[ Disava ] : It's not just the second level. It's the minus first, as if we've fallen below what should have existed.
The answer came almost immediately, a subtle vibration in my ear:
[ Katzu] : I understand, be careful. The rules are different here.
There was murky, warm water up to my ankles, mixed with moss. It smelled of rotting reeds, wet hay, and something acrid and alchemical, as if it had been doused with failed experiments.
Each step left a sticky circle that slowly spread out and seemed to disappear right before your eyes.
A greenish vapor seeped from the cracks in the ground, thick and heavy. It hissed when it touched the flames of the torches, causing the fire on the walls to melt like wax. The stone torch holders were covered in streaks of ash and corrosion, as if much had already burned here... and not just things.
Then a child's whisper appeared, but it wasn't from here. It was as if you were listening to a voice from the past, from a childhood bedroom that had long been abandoned.
—Don't cry... my piglet... You'll be home soon...
The words stretched like wet threads and clung to his ears. Aka-32 turned around abruptly, and Elk gripped the handle of his spear so tightly that his knuckles turned white. Zikei frowned, as the interface did not display the source.
In the middle of the hall stood a huge stump, as if a centuries-old tree had been cut down at the root. Thick grayish smoke poured from its cracks, as if something alive was still smoldering inside.
And on this stump sat It.
The creature looked like a wild boar, but it was too large, almost human-sized, massive, and heavy, with the chest of a sumo wrestler. Its body was covered with coarse bristles intertwined with moss and growths.
Green scars ran across the skin, bright as poisonous mercury. The scars shimmered and pulsed, as if they had a separate life of their own.
Nemorino's eyes were closed, and for a moment, it seemed as if he were asleep. It was as if he were just an animal, wounded by fate.
"If I leave quietly, he won't notice."
But the water beneath his hooves remained motionless. He was breathing, but the air around him seemed to be frozen, as if reality itself was hesitant to disturb him.
Suddenly, without a sound, he stood up. Slowly, as if in water, but with a heaviness that made everyone's hearts sink, his eyes remained closed, and it was clear that "he could see."
From the two sides, right out of the dirty water, he picked up two axes. They lay there as if they had been waiting for him for centuries. The weapons were not shiny; instead, they were dark and covered with swamp mold.
The child's whispers grew louder.
—Don't cry... my piggy...
Only when he stood up did it become clear that he was at least three meters tall, and he could weigh as much as two cars.
Nemorrino swung his axe to the side, and a system notification appeared.
[ Permanent Effect: Mutagen Microspores has been installed].
•Every 15 sec. The player gains stacks of Toxicity. When 10 stacks are reached: -15% damage, -10% movement speed.
•The swampy muck absorbs light. Torches and magical light sources go out every 40 sec.
•Random roots shoot up from the ground, blocking the path. They can be destroyed, but they regenerate.
As always, Aka-32 was the first to break the eerie silence.
—Mr. Nemorrino!
She raised her hands slightly, as if she were about to scratch the boar's ear.
—Why are you doing this to us? It's... very distressing and extremely inconvenient! I'll have to drink recovery potions during our battle.
Her voice trembled, either out of fear or an attempt to lighten the tension.
But Nemorrino didn't respond, didn't make a sound. Not even a breath could be heard. Only the soft crackling of the scars, as if green mercury were boiling within them.
Zikei gave a subtle nod.
—He won't start first. We must take a step.
At that moment, a system message flashed in my field of vision. A soft green light contrasted with the dark and viscous swamp around me.
[ System notification ]
You have: 40% poison resistance. Do you want to activate the enhancement path:
"Immunity"?
Conditions:
—Fight and defeat a poisonous creature.
—During combat, you will receive special "Immunity" points.
—After completion, you will be able to increase your resistance to 100%.
Warning:
—During combat, you will still suffer from the poison.
—The pain will be real.
—The effects of the toxins may temporarily impair your vision, coordination, and breathing.
Player [Disava], do you agree?
[Yes] / [No]
I frowned, the system rarely offered a chance on its own. This meant one thing: the fight would be hard.
Katzu whispered in my ear:
— Listen...
His voice was unexpectedly soft.
— You have to decide for yourself, you didn't reach the 40% mark because it was advantageous. It's because it's your story, your body, your path.
Elk swallowed and looked at the system message that came to me with a surprised look, and gripped the spear heavily:
—Will you be able to withstand this test at all? If you accept this option, we will protect you. Yes?
He looked at the others.
Aka-32 nodded as if she already knew the answer.
Zikei said quietly:
—Sometimes, in order to survive in the lair of a monster... you need to get closer to the monster.
I looked at Nemorrino. He stood motionless, huge, wounded, and twisted, but still... alive.
[ You have chosen: Yes ]
Immunity Mode is activated.
During combat, you will receive:
+ Resistance Points
+ correction of nervous adaptation
+ experience of pain
[Good luck, player.]
The air around him shivered slightly, and the whispers from the darkness grew louder.
—Don't cry... my piglet...You'll be home soon...