Ash. The Legends of the Nameless World. Progression Gamelit Story by Kirill Klevanski (ink book reader .txt) π

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- Author: Kirill Klevanski
Read book online Β«Ash. The Legends of the Nameless World. Progression Gamelit Story by Kirill Klevanski (ink book reader .txt) πΒ». Author - Kirill Klevanski
She just shook her head.
βYou wonβt manage to enrage me twice, wizard.β She smiled. βHelmerβs name took me by surprise, but it was your only trump card.β
Ash didnβt say anything β he didnβt even know that the cards had been dealt. In that case, he could cheat a little. All ancient creatures were vain and proud. Perhaps it was time for AnnaβBre to join Hu-Chin.
βAre you gonna kill me?β
She laughed again. As equally charming and delightfully as the first time.
βWhat would that achieve?β
Ash didnβt immediately understand what he was being asked. Over the years of wandering, after hundreds of different adventures and misadventures, he had accepted the fact that someone was constantly trying to kill him. And if not kill, then eat. Then again, those two were, in essence, the same thing.
βUm... Pleasure?β
This time, she only arched her right eyebrow and smiled slightly.
βYou mustβve met seen some strange sidhe, mortal, if you think we enjoy killing.β
βBlue Flame,β Ash said, bending one finger. βCormac Ahinski, Soputan, Black Flame, Helmer...β
βDonβt you dare call him a sidhe!β she barked and Ash felt a momentary connection with his staff.
AnnaβBre cleared her throat, straightened her snowy hair, and smiled again.
βYouβve never been to the Fair?β
βThe land of the fae?β Ash asked.
βYes.β
βNo,β he replied, shaking his head. βI once had a pass to your kingdom, but I exchanged it for dried mushrooms.β
βDried mushrooms?β she asked in disbelief.
βYeah,β the mage said. βIt was a beautiful pass, of course β emerald and all that, but I was hungry, and I didnβt have any money.β
The witch rolled her eyes and looked at him with pity. Not the way one looked at the hungry and the poor, but the way they give gifts to the crippled and mentally disabled.
βWhy would I kill to get something that I can easily get?β
That smile, if it hadn't been cold, wouldβve been passionate. AnnaβBre swayed her hips, ran her finger over her wonderfully slender figure, and took a beckoning step back β closer to the bed. Ash swallowed and opened his eyes. He had known many women, from humble maids to great queens, but never before had he had an immortal offer herself to him.
βOh, my poor, miserable Ash,β she whispered, voice growing warmer.
The cold gradually began to recede, and AnnaβBre came closer. By the Gods and spirits, she seemed to be walking on clouds. A nonexistent wind ruffled her thick, white hair. Her clothes flowed behind her, revealing just enough to fuel the imagination. Ashβs heart skipped beat after beat, his breath got stuck in his throat, and there was nothing in the world but the charming voice and the fathomless blue eyes.
βI know how cruel your fate is.β Oh, that voice... βYou are not of the fae or of humans. Youβre a poor soul, driven away by everyone.β Oh, those eyes... βWithout a home or a family. Without friends, but with a great many enemies. You search but you cannot find.β How sweet and charming her words are. βSo why suffer? Why wait for someone to end your life? Iβll end eventually anyway.β
Ash didnβt notice when her hands passed through the ice bars to touched his face. Whether it was his imagination or not, the touch didnβt chill his already blue skin. She wasnβt warm, but she wasnβt cold either. It was both pleasant and different at the same time.
βJust one kiss,β she whispered in his ear. βOne kiss and all your worries will go away. No one will touch you here in my abode. Only peace, eternal peace...β
Her lips were so close and so inviting that she didnβt even have to tilt her head forward. It was enough only to want and sheβd dink his soul to the bottom, leaving a shard of ice where his heart had once been.
Ash closed his eyes.
The witch screamed and recoiled, and when the mage opened his eyes, he couldnβt help but grin. A rune shone like fire on AnnaβBreβs right cheek. Four triangles held together by a circle β the unity of elements.
βYouβre right.β Ash smiled triumphantly. βIce and fire are a good match only in fairy tales.β
AnnaβBreβs eyes flashed as she shed her mask and lost her grace in an instant. Her hands were crowned with icy claws, her face acquired sharp and rather repulsive features, and instead of teeth she had fangs like those of a piranha.
βDie in that cage then!β she shouted.
A blizzard swept through the hall. The bars of Ashβs cage were covered with icicles, making his βhomeβ even more claustrophobic. The mage ignored the wind and snow, folded his legs, closed his eyes, and began to recite the prayers that he had learned in the monastery. Gradually, the world around him turned into a flower meadow that spread all the way to the foothills of Mazurmana.
The witch screamed, but her voice reached Ash like through thick, muddy water.
βIβll watch you suffer, you worm!β
And then Ash remembered Liao-Fenβs wisdom. A thought so profound that it could replace his entire religion. Ash thought about it in the morning, at noon, and evening. He pondered every day and every night and discovered an even deeper meaning each time that left him with new questions.
βThat which we see, isnβt forever,β Ash whispered.
βLetβs see which is more eternal β my magic or your will,β AnnaβBre retorted, realizing that the mage was referring to his cage.
βCan you see my will?β the mage asked.
AnnaβBre mustβve said something, but Ash didnβt hear it. In his mind, he was lying in the flowers near his house. Birds sang in the sky and fairies accompanied them in the swaying buds of spring flowers.
***
It had been a long time since Ash had felt his hands, his feet, or, most importantly, his
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