Ash. The Legends of the Nameless World. Progression Gamelit Story by Kirill Klevanski (essential reading .txt) 📗

attention-grabbing, that was for sure, and the end was no worse. Anyone who’d dare parody history by claiming that the King was betrayed by his beloved; or taint the legend by a lie, boldly claiming that the King was killed by his best friend, would’ve made fools of themselves by insinuating that there were enemies hiding in the King’s lands. The minstrels still weaved stories about this event, but no one really knew who betrayed the King.

Fate, once again showing her wild and unbridled temper, abandoned her little project. And the King’s kingdom broke up into hundreds of small states.

Or was torn apart by war.

Or was given away.

Or something else.

Every bard had their own story to tell.

But all the songs came down to one thing — the world wouldn’t survive the awakening of the Last King. After all, he was to be the last of the rules.

Something rang out, sending an echo through the frozen walls. The darkness and the dancing shadows reflected the ringing, transforming it and deepening it, giving it a new life.

“Quiet!” Mary hissed, throwing her clenched fist into the air.

The Stumps shuddered and stopped. Blackbeard raised his shield in a frantic attempt to defend himself with a piece of metal from a nightmare that might be approaching them.

“The crown has fallen,” Lari tried to joke, but it didn’t work out very well.

“This isn’t the capital of the Old Kingdom,” Blackbeard said, who was too well versed in historical matters. “But a mage order.”

“The Order of Magi is linked to the prophecy of the Last King,” Ash added in a whisper, clutching his staff.

“Maybe they aren’t,” Blackbeard said, spreading his arms. “There are many historians, and each has their own opinion. Some even claim that it concerns the Traitor.”

“They were banished to the Land of Winds,” Mary whispered. It seemed easier to talk, rather than to listen to the oppressive silence and twitch at every rustle or too loud of a sigh. “I don’t think it exists though. People have been looking for it for ages now. Legends say that the place is full of treasure, but...”

“Agree to disagree, legends aren’t enough of a proof,” Blackbeard said with a nod.

“The Last King,” Alice said, a little dreamily. “It reminds me of the story of King Agolia.”

This, too, was a story that Ash remembered. In it, the handsome king was betrayed by his best friend, and beloved wife. And they betrayed him in the same bed.

“Only the last one wasn’t betrayed.” Tul chuckled.

“That depends on how you look at it,” Blackbeard argued. “Do the names Guniver and Lanal mean anything to you?”

“Oh, you southerners...” Tul shook his head. “All you do is keep an inventory. And all of your heroes have legendary swords, immortal horses, and faithful and obedient wives.”

“Oh, I’m sorry! Are we too civilized for you, barbarian?!” Blackbeard laughed.

“Takes one to know one!” Tul argued. “So she cheated on her husband. So what? They didn’t poison the king, or reveal state secrets to the enemy. From where I come from, a woman lies with the one who loves her. It’s as simple as that.”

Ash, listening to the usual banter, kept looking around. Ice, like water, wasn’t the best friend to some who bore the name of fire in their chest. The magic that warmed the mage’s heart would now and then succumb to the breath of the snowy mountains and Ash began to feel his fingers freeze. The first puff of steam came out of his mouth.

“What about the vows?” Alice snapped, glaring at Tul.

“What about them? You people have marriage vows. We, the northerners, have those who are stronger and more worthy of one’s attention. Agolia, was good a ruler, but he wasn’t a swordsman.”

“Ah, but there’s a flaw in your logical, my friend,” Blackbeard said with an almost mocking smile. “You said yourself that your girls will lie with anyone, and now you claim that the strong have the right to do as they please.”

“First of all, not with everyone,” Tul argued. “Don’t twist my words. And secondly, everything’s very logical. If you’re strong, brave, and not known to be faint-hearted or greedy, then the girl will have her eye on you.”

“Sure, sure... Today, she has one favorite, tomorrow another. For every strong man, there’s always someone stronger.”

“You’re oversimplifying things,” Tul said, as if he had just downed a mug of watered beer. “I’m telling you how it is, and you’re clinging to words. What I’m trying to say is that a woman is neither a cow nor a sheep—” He glanced over at Alice and Mary. In the presence of two ladies, no one dared to make a joke on the account of their gender. “Khm, that is... They aren’t property.”

“I’m not denying that,” Blackbeard muttered after a moment’s thought. “But treason is treason, and a synonym for it is betrayal. And as one well-known character said: ‘The darkest corners of the abyss awaits traitors and renegades.’ ”

“Maybe you’re right.” Tul sighed. “And maybe you’re not.”

Mary, who had at first supported the argument, now looked at the two with a rather cold gaze. Talking about history, even under the veil of legends, she could tolerate. But talking about women, as polite as her two friends were trying to be, she could not.

“When the Mountain of Skulls falls, the Potter shall rise. Those who can see and hear shall see the first signs of the arrival of the Damned. Flames will rise from the extinguished coals. The bugle will sing its farewell song. Ancient walls will collapse. The chains will break. The Last King will wake up. And then the one who was born on both sides of the world will appear. A dragon will cover the Seventh Heaven with its wings and eternal night will come.”

Ash finished reciting the