I couldn't help but notice how cleverly the fire people had adapted to the attacks on their local territories. To avoid getting close to the city, where they could be beaten to a pulp; to avoid falling into traps that even I found difficult to spot; to avoid being surrounded by enemies - they fired from those damn catapults. And not just for show, their tamed falcons became sort of like spotters, hovering over the target and allowing for quick and relatively accurate strikes.
"We need to find their location and drive them away," I said with a dissatisfied look as soon as the frog king and his girlfriend were brought to my house, continuing to rub the riding animal's neck. The creature even tensed up at my piercing and dissatisfied look, trying not to meet my eyes, and the reason for my dissatisfaction was the absolutely bastardly methods of warfare. Yes, I tried catapults on myself for the first time, and I'll be honest - it's unpleasant.
"Forget it, they'll be driven away as soon as the new outpost is built," at the same time, the girl who had climbed down from the dinosaur adjusted her hair and looked at me silently but gratefully. "Better tell us why you brought us here instead of to Shen Guan? And by the way, I don't remember you among the new architects...
Her attentive face came closer to mine, allowing me to see her features very clearly. Her upturned nose and serious gaze made her look like a bit of a know-it-all or a prude. But thanks to her lush hair and smooth skin, which distinguished her from the ordinary people of the land, all this was hidden behind the image of a lovely girl.
"I didn't bring him because they wouldn't let me in. They would have chased me away faster than I could have treated his burn," I concentrated on the large mark, which I finally covered completely with the ointment, and checked to see if there were any other wounds. And when I looked at my ointment, I had to hold my breath. "This is very bad..."
"What happened?" the girl asked, seeing my horrified expression.
"I had to use most of it on such a large beast. What if I get wounded today and have to endure second-degree burns? How short-sighted of me — I should have brought more packs," I slapped my forehead. But the main thing is that I learned my lesson, and I won't make the same mistake again. Looking at the hill nearby, I pressed my feet against the ground and opened a passage, which I quickly climbed into. The surprised girl rubbed her eyes, looked into my Burrow, and slowly climbed in after me.
There she found a spacious room with lots of tables, sports equipment and a few items: a brazier, a small iron bowl and a pile of useful ingredients, which I had managed to grab in the cave with the beetles. The girl stood to one side and watched silently as sandy tentacles swirled around me, bringing me the things I needed and lighting a fire, while I muttered the recipe under my breath and watched the boiling liquid.
"Is this your lair? So this is it... you're just a simple traveller who wasn't allowed into Shen Guan because you lacked skills! - At that moment, I looked up at her. The girl was very suspiciously examining the sights." - Yeah, without magic, you probably can't do many obvious things.
"I know first aid and combat, do you want me to be an expert in everything? - It was the first time such a beautiful girl had been in my house. But I can't say I was happy at all.
"Maybe, but you don't know basic geometry. This house would crumble from a single catapult shot, no matter how many layers of earth were above your head. To make, say, strong stone armour, you'd be nowhere without those skills.
I looked meaningfully and reproachfully at the non-magician who was showing off, grinning from every corner of my house. I'm sure if I showed her how I build a stone house, there would be even more reproaches. However, if someone was showing off without having anything to back it up, you could laugh at them:
"Who are you anyway?
"Lia. Architect, studying to be a draughtswoman. I may not have magic, but all miracles happen right here," she tapped her skull. So that's the fifth kind of magic - bullshit," Behind her, she was designing comfortable and sturdy pens for animals so that they wouldn't get caught in our outposts. But I was caught when I just left the camp...
Lia looked upset and hostile, lowered her head and clenched her fists.
"I have to go. I need to report the enemy's appearance so that we can prepare more thoroughly," she said, turning halfway towards me, reaching into her bag and taking something out. "Is that expensive ointment for my Obzorik?"
"It's priceless..." I said with a blank look.
"Hmm... I hope that will cover at least something," she said, taking out a couple of round gold coins and placing them on a nearby table. Lya left the hole, sat on Obzorik, and ran to her impregnable castle. As I thought, there was no chance.
The rest of the day was spent making ointments. I couldn't limit myself to just one jar, I had used up a lot of valuable ingredients just to make a supply that could be used on more than just myself. As for the girl's words about my home, I took everything she said seriously. The next morning, I got up early and focused on trying to create stronger armour.
As far as I understand, it was precisely the correct composition of the armour that allowed Boomi to tank every blow. Perhaps if he had received a full kick from the catapult, his defence would not have held, but in close combat, it would be extremely difficult to defeat him; a platoon of soldiers would be needed. For me, this skill was even more important — I still dreamed of the great armour that the swamp plant guru Hugh had created.
"Right? Oh, it seems like this angle is easier to break through now. How did the blacksmiths teach me? - I used my knowledge of armour creation for my magic. It worked to some extent, but standard armour has many open spots that are easy to pierce. I had no idea how to protect them properly, so I had to study for a long time. On the third day, I went outside and explored the forest, where I found a fire soldier.
"A mage outside the fortress?" the soldiers were surprised when I appeared right in front of them.
"Attack!" They quickly spread out and fired a powerful volley of flamethrowers, which I dodged by simply falling backwards onto the ground. The ground swallowed me, causing the platoon of soldiers to tense up and start looking around. A second later, I jumped out from nearby, completely surrounded by immovable stone armour.
My legs could barely move, and it was impossible to jump or dodge, so I had to push myself forward with magic. After receiving several magical blasts to my body and somehow withstanding the hits, I knocked part of the squad down, pushing people into the trees. I quickly realised that I hadn't created anything better than a regular sand shield yet. But creating something more advanced was a matter of principle.
One scattered squad made it clear that improvements were needed. It was a test of both magic and brains, for which I even had to climb a tree and try to find someone.
A few days later, I felt ready.
"There they are," I said, narrowing my eyes predatorily, and propelled myself forward with a compressed wave of sand, jumping from tree to tree. Soon, I caught sight of red-tailed hawks flying around. A loud, unmistakable bird cry rang out, and the bloodthirsty birds began to circle angrily above me at a great height. After that...
Bang*
A meteor shower descended on the walls I had pulled out of the ground. It really was cardboard. Doubting that they would continue to throw stones at me, I began to move away from where all the blows were coming from. A hawk circling overhead signalled my rapid speed, and from the number of projectiles falling on my head, I could even tell that they had panicked. After all, the soldiers who had fled, or rather, had simply been released, had already managed to tell them that the Sand Mage was coming for them.
"It's him!" I appeared on the sandy shore of the sea. Seeing three iron ships of the people of fire in front of me, I frowned slightly. My enemies had settled in comfortably, pointing all their catapults in my direction. I had to raise piles of sand and defend myself with them.
"Kill the Sand Mage!" A volley of a dozen stone projectiles gave me almost no chance to dodge while on the ground. As for the sand barriers... they didn't last long.
Bang-bang-bang*
The shore was torn apart by a cascade of blows, the shields barely absorbed the blows, crumbling like a fallen rampart. But they still protected me... After a couple of hours of innovation, trial and error, I managed to create much stronger walls - I survived the volley from the ships, now standing on the shore, covering my face with my hands. On the horizon were the shocked mages. It was... fun?
"Thanks to your first chakra, you quickly reached your limit. Choose:
1 - Stop (You have put in enough effort to raise your defensive abilities. In practice, you will not be able to achieve more with only one active chakra. You will go on a journey, and your defensive abilities will improve as you open new chakras. You will only be able to improve your skills with knowledge from books)
2 - Return home and train (Practical training alone will not teach you true mastery in defence. You can deepen your knowledge of geometry and study architectural skills. A meeting with Liu is predestined)
3 - The Oppression of the Sand Mage (You can continue to frighten the fire soldiers, deepening your image as an invincible mage. You will spend significantly more time developing your reputation than training, but this may pay off in the future).
"Lia? I didn't think I would ever see her again, and I wasn't expecting this meeting. I was more attracted to the feeling of other people's reactions to the skill I had improved. The feeling of progress that could be achieved not through simple training or playful magic, but through knowledge. Is that... cool? I want to become stronger.
I blinked rapidly. Seeing the ships prepare for another volley, I deftly hooked a couple of birds with my whips, sent them flying in a whirlwind, and sent them home - towards the ships. I quickly disappeared, manoeuvring between the trees on my sand scooter.
"As soon as Afka returns, I'll send her for new books," I wanted to build a wall that these nasty stone balls couldn't break.
But when he returned home, he saw an unexpected guest. He didn't think she would come SO soon.
"Oh, there you are," Lya leaned against my hill, yawning and looking bored. She was carrying the same backpack on her shoulder, only now there were even more rolled-up pieces of paper sticking out of it. "Where have you been?"
"What do you want?
"Hmph. My Glutton felt better and was able to croak again with his froggy voice. I decided I had to repay him for saving my pet... - adjusting the strap of her backpack, she coughed quietly," - So, are you going to let me in?
***
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