Chapter 153

The week passed in a kind of relaxed state, the attacks from the Wild Hunt remained the banal sending of creatures in our direction, and the rare sending of various low-level solos that could not oppose our defenses. We continued to improve our defenses, and we also assembled ten drones from pre-purchased parts, and SUZI controlled them to expand the underground garage, turning it into a small, by the standards of the Mass Effect world, shipyard.

Yes, yes, SUZI saw that things were relatively calm and began to fulfill her promise and prepare to build a ship that would become our base. I didn't intend to stay in Caer Morhen's fortress forever. Though I had reconsidered my plans when I spoke to her, and instead of a frigate, I planned to get a cruiser. The shipyards were being built by SUZI on the basis of the fact that I needed a cruiser.

However, so far they are not completely created, at the moment she has created the part of the shipyards where the heart of the ship can be laid, the reactor compartment around which the ship itself will be built. There is still a lot of time before the construction even begins, there is still a lot of equipment to be installed and a lot of things to be done, but you can already feel how big the ship will be.

Another alarm made me freeze in the dining room, and after the alarm itself came the voice of the watcher.

"Attention all, global enemy invasion, repeat, global enemy invasion. This is not a drill, this is a global enemy invasion. Everyone, please take your positions immediately according to your battle schedules."

I looked up to the ceiling, where there was a speaker and sighed and quickly headed for my place on one of the towers, all of us now went in almost full combat gear, except that we did not carry weapons with us, although I did, and those who did not carry them stored them in the armory, where now and ran.

There was no crowding in the armory, however, a few men were handing out weapons in an orderly fashion to anyone who approached them, but I noted this as I passed by.

A couple minutes and I was already on the tower.

"Panam..."

I nodded to the girl who crouched with a sniper rifle next to me.

"Uh-huh...

She didn't even take her eyes off the scope, scrutinizing her opponents. I took up a crouch some distance away from her, keeping my eyes fixed on the sight. I could see the warriors in the variegated armor of the world where Bestia and Regina were. I could only shake my head as I looked through the scope.

Each had a metal rim around his neck, a slave collar infused with magic that would kill anyone who didn't obey orders or try to remove the collar.

"Slaves..."

"Uh-huh...

In addition to agreement, I could hear disapproval, although it was more like contempt. Still, our mentality is a little different, and we take such a manifestation of the Middle Ages a little in stride. After looking at the opponents for a while, I decided to give the command.

"Number two, open fire."

All the snipers who were number two immediately opened fire on the enemies and I was among them. I just thought, why wait until they all landed?

"Did you send the drone?"

"Yeah..."

I got a report from SUZI on an internal comm channel.

"AND?"

"The drone, under stealth, threw out an "anchor" on our side and went through the portal himself. Of course, it didn't last long in this state, but I can say for sure that the portal does not lead to your world. Judging by the architecture of the portal, it's the world of the elves."

"Are they complete idiots?"

"Uh, no..."

Triss stepped into the conversation.

"...but we've taught them that the most we can do is throw a grenade into the portal when we get to it... And now you can't get to it that easily, so they're getting a little cocky."

"Uh-huh?

I took another shot and looked questioningly at the portal.

"Suzie, is the rig ready?"

"Yeah, uh. I can shoot right now."

"All right, what missiles are loaded?"

"With a nuclear warhead."

"Here's a good one..."

I fell silent as a small squad of elves burst out of the portal and just started slaughtering their own subordinates.

"Uh, uh. am I the only one seeing this?"

I even stopped firing, watching with confusion as the elven warriors, and judging by the armor, or rather, the way it sat in the chest area, they were warriors, were chopping slaves that had been sent here by the Wild Hunt.

"I don't understand anything..."

I shook my head.

"I don't think anyone understands... what I'm supposed to do?"

I cast another glance at the portal and made my decision.

"We're waiting."

"Roger that."

For about ten minutes there was a chopping of the slaves who were already standing and who were just entering this world, and then, one of the warriors suddenly took off her helmet and, folding her arms as a mouthpiece, shouted.

"I returned the favor! I hope they don't hurt us!"

I realized only ten seconds later that it was the same elf I'd saved from being raped. And now. now you're gonna fucking send a nuclear warhead in there. Knowing that there's some perfectly sane people out there.

"Good thing I'm not in charge..."

Triss commented on what she had seen, and in the meantime the slaves were no longer appearing, and elves began to appear from the portal, looking shocked at the carnage and the warriors riding off into the sunset, who were clearly not going to take part in the battle.

"Uh, David?"

I sighed.

"No. I'm no saint, but to give an order like that after I knew it wasn't all scum..."

I shook my head.

"...especially since the major creeps seem to be coming to us."

I regarded Eredin, who was clearly not very happy about what was happening now on this side of the portal.

"Suzi, do you have anything non-nuclear, so that only five to ten meters from the portal everything turns into hell?

"I'll find it. in about five minutes."

"Well. we'll see."

Luckily for me, Eredin didn't give up on the idea of attacking us and rushed towards us, using the sandi. And if I hadn't accelerated myself in passive mode as soon as I heard the siren, I might have missed it, because when I brought the sandi back to normal mode, it had already traveled more than half of the way.

Mm...

At that speed and distance, guns are useless.

I sighed, but I didn't have to think of anything else and took the tonfa off my belt and threw myself off the tower, because my synthetic muscles and improved skeleton allowed me to do more than that. The landing was quite soft, at least for me.

Rolling over, setting the tonfa up for a two-handed strike and trying to poke him in the joint of the armor of the second. The enemy bounced back, and I noticed that his hunting companions were moving too fast. He and I weren't quite as far away as they were, but they were clearly using sandi as well, which made things a little more complicated.

But I didn't have time to think too long, because Eredin came at me again, and I had to move away from his blade, which wasn't flying in his hands the way a two-handed weapon should. Step left, right, duck, poke him in the articulation near his shoulder. He shifts his arm slightly, and my tonfa once again slips off his armor, leaving a barely visible melted mark on it.

An opponent appears nearby, but immediately flies away from the hammer blow Becca came at him with...

I just wanted to yell, "Stupid, where are you going?!"

But I realized that she was an independent girl, and such tutelage from my side would only offend her, yet she could determine her own strength and that of her opponents quite well. I realized that she was a girl on her own, and that such a tutelage on my part would only offend her, but she could determine her own strength and the strength of her opponents quite well.

Well, at least there won't be just one.

I could have exhaled... But there's no time for that, another clash with my opponent, and I leave a barely visible mark on his armor again, his blade flying just millimeters away from my neck. I try to drop my opponent with a slash, but he's experienced enough not to fall for such a simple trick.

We dance around each other ...

We danced around each other for about five minutes, and I finally realized that it was time. I was a little faster than my opponent, so I managed to notice and knock away a few of his artifacts, which he wanted to caress me with, while I was still using nothing but pure swordsmanship. But the time had come...

Igni!

The jet of fire flame, flew out of my hand, which was dangerously close to the helmet of the enemy and if it was further away, nothing would have happened, still the fire moved slowly, and the enemy would have time to dodge, but here ...

Here the fire penetrated through my opponent's visor, making him recoil. He didn't fall out of acceleration, but it was the first successful attack in our fight. Although conditionally successful, because except for the heat and perhaps slightly scorched eyelashes and eyebrows my opponent did not have time to feel anything. But he didn't need to...

A couple of moments of time at our speeds is just a huge scope for developing success.

Axius!

The elf's consciousness is slightly clouded, I don't have time to give any orders, but I don't need to, Eredin is experienced and strong-willed enough to be able to overcome the effects on his mind.

Kwen!

This time I don't dodge, the elf's sword flies in my direction, but I apply the sign only on my left hand, with which I just take the blow on a hard block. It was an unexpected move for the elf, who subconsciously expected to interrupt my success, but it didn't work.

Aard!

A light telekinetic push, seemingly a small thing, but the elf simply doesn't have time to react, and the push isn't directed at the body at all, but at the hand that was now holding the two-handed sword to push it slightly aside and put a tonfa into the articulation of the armor.

Success!

Axius is useless now, the pain his opponent is experiencing won't allow me to take control of him even for a few moments, so I ducked down and let the elf's fist pass over my head.

Aard!

This time I push the elf's non-supporting leg back. It may seem like a small thing, but in such a high-speed fight you are constantly moving, changing the supporting leg in order to strike the best blow, and now I have severely limited the elf's possibilities.

The good thing is that he can't use magic at that speed. I couldn't either, but the signs, or rather, the speed of their triggering, partially depend on the speed at which the mind acts, yes, the spread of the impact itself is slower, but I'm slyly releasing attack signs from the hand that is closest to the enemy, so that the sign has to overcome the minimum distance.

Kwen!

Take a punch on a sliding block with the left hand.

Aard!

A new injection in the same spot as before, now the elf's arm is even less mobile. Yes, he can ignore the pain for now, but even so I can see that the arm has become slightly less mobile. Not much, but enough to tell me that the elf is doomed.

I notice Becca flying past me...

My eyes widen in shock and disbelief. All I can see is blood coming out of my mouth and a broken right arm.

Sucks...

I want to rush to her aid.

Except I don't have that option... Maybe if I didn't work my solo in Knight City, I'd rush towards Becky, forgetting about my opponent, putting my back to him and then we'd both be doomed. But I still have experience and I'm still in the fight, albeit with difficulty.

Igni!

The flames come off my hand, but it's farther away from the elf now, and he can see my attack and move away. It's one of the most useless signs at all, at least at this speed. So I didn't think that using it at such a distance would get the enemy with it, no...

Under step forward and right into the head of Aard!

My opponent's head tilts back, but his neck vertebrae hold, and I notice the ring collar. Shit, I can't hit here... but I don't have any other place to hit, so I hit the collar, which partially melts and loses its mobility. Eh, if it wasn't for some kind of cooling spell, the elf would be burned too.

Kha!

I fly backwards from a punch to the stomach.

Kwen!

A protective sphere instantly appears around me and I quickly examine myself while it takes on three sword strikes.

Damn... the opponent didn't strike with his fist...

I glance at him and notice that in his clenched fist hand he has a similar knuckle, only instead of a blunt striking surface this version has a blade... not a very long one. but still...

With a slight wince I applied another Kwen and quickly touched the energy blade to the wound, cauterizing it so it wouldn't bleed during the fight, then rushed forward dispelling the sigil.

Well, I guess you could say the elf and I are equal in injuries...

The only thing that gnaws at me now is Becky's condition, she never ran past me, rushing into battle again, and Vesemir... I don't have time to look around! All my attention is focused on the enemy and the small space around him...